Bridget Lavender
@bridgetlavender.bsky.social
state constitutions, federalism, civil rights | currently Staff Attorney at ACLU State Supreme Court Initiative | views are my own
A legal expert explains that state laws holding federal officials accountable for violating peoples’ rights were once common. “States enforcing the Constitution has a very strong historical pedigree,” he says.
This Maine Lawsuit is Testing the Boundaries of Suing Federal Immigration Agents - Bolts
Federal law makes it very difficult to file lawsuits against federal officers, but some states have adopted their own laws to give people a so-called cause of action to sue.
boltsmag.org
ATTENTION STATE CONSTITUTION APPRECIATORS: Here's a significant defense of state constitutional independence, courtesty of the Michigan Supreme Court. www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/c...
"Writers have been using me long before AI. I am the punctuation equivalent of a cardigan—beloved by MFA grads, used by editors when it’s actually cold, and worn year-round by screenwriters. I am not new here. I am not novel. I’m the cigarette you keep saying you’ll quit."
The Em Dash Responds to the AI Allegations
“Writers have been using me long before the advent of AI. I am the punctuation equivalent of a cardigan—beloved by MFA grads, used by editors when it’s actua...
buff.ly
In interviews with The Marshall Project - St. Louis, men incarcerated at Algoa, Ozark Correctional Center and Moberly Correctional Center described the effects of unrelenting heat in facilities with limited or no air conditioning.
These Missouri Prisons Get ‘Brutally Hot.’ In Solitary, It’s Even Worse.
A recent class action lawsuit from the MacArthur Justice Center sheds light on how extreme heat creates life-threatening conditions for those in solitary confinement.
themarshallproject.org
“The man has done 30 years. Shit. What else do they want? If I can forgive him, why can’t everybody else? I’m the one he shot.” boltsmag.org/north-caroli...
In North Carolina, a Shooting Victim Pleads for His Shooter’s Release After 30 Years - Bolts
Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life without parole due to North Carolina’s three-strikes law. The man he shot insists that he shouldn’t still be in prison.
boltsmag.org
The SAVE America Act mandates that all voters must bring to the polls specifically a photo ID which has proof of citizenship “on the front of the document.” So REAL IDs don’t count. If the ID does not precisely conform to that standard, you must also bring separate proof of citizenship.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoScalise: "Anybody that gets on an airplane has to show a picture ID to vote. Nowadays, if you want to go to Olive Garden and get unlimited pasta, you gotta show a picture ID. This isn't complicated stuff."
We reviewed over 1,200 incidents by immigration agents in 2025 across eight states. Here are just some of the most damning findings. 🧵
"Stop criticizing us or will keep murdering people" is just a jaw-dropping thing for a government official to say.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w agoTom Homan: "It all go backs to the Dems ... there's still gonna be more bloodshed unless they shut their mouth and let ICE enforce the laws that they enacted."
Democrats have stopped talking about climate. Strategists say that's smart—but they're wrong. Making climate a top priority wins votes, and barely 1 in 10 voters will vote against climate action. Read all about it in my newsletter, "Notes from the Electric Era." electricnotes.news/p/yes-democr...
Yes, Democrats Should Talk About Climate.
Talking about Climate Change is a Political Winner.
electricnotes.news
ICE will keep murdering random people until Democrats stop criticizing them is... well... quite a take.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w agoTom Homan: "It all go backs to the Dems ... there's still gonna be more bloodshed unless they shut their mouth and let ICE enforce the laws that they enacted."
i mean, it kind of is a black-and-white answer
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w agoKLOBUCHAR: Do you agree that it's unacceptable for federal agents to forcibly enter someone's home without a warrant and drag them onto the street without checking that they even have the right person? BLANCHE: Well, it depends on the circumstances. It's not a black and white answer
In those 6 months, crime in the neighborhoods around those libraries went down. I’ll reiterate that NOTHING changed except that the local library was open until midnight, and crime went down (3/ )
I am yet again getting on my soapbox to tell y’all about how my previous job (public library) received a grant once to keep branches in some neighborhoods open until midnight on Fri and Sat. The neighborhoods were picked specifically because of higher crime rates and lack of support services (1/ )
D.J. Kirkland@ohheydj.bsky.social · 3w agoTHE KIDS ARE BORED BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO OR ANYTHING TO DO!
"Since 2002, more than 1,200 counties have invested more than $42 billion to expand their carceral footprints" The U.S.'s commitment to jail construction is an absolute financial and moral failure.
The Scale of Jail Construction Across the United States, 2002–2022
Vera works closely with government and civic leaders to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen…
vera.org
"They just want to turn it off." A fascinating story of the librarians who have started teaching classes showing people how to remove AI "features" from their phones and apps. www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/02/m...
These Maine librarians are helping patrons resist AI and Big Tech
Despite breathless reporting on how AI is going to change the world, Hannah Cyrus, a Bangor librarian, said that, in her experience, most library patrons aren’t finding it helpful.
bangordailynews.com
‘Polarization’ has become the master concept for diagnosing our current democratic crisis. But this is not polarization. It is the radicalization of the political right. By misdiagnosing it, we risk becoming complicit in the crisis. 🧵 Just out in Perspectives on Politics doi.org/10.1017/S153...
NEW: You should know about this lawsuit in Maine. Basically, it's testing whether states can pass laws that'll allow you to sue ICE agents (even in federal court!). Learn more, it's fascinating and complex — but at bottom, it's all about whether there are basic mechanics of accountability.
This Maine Lawsuit is Testing the Boundaries of Suing Federal Immigration Agents - Bolts
One morning in late January, civil engineer Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz was driving to work in Portland, Maine, when federal agents in town for the so-called Operation Catch of the Day... Read More
boltsmag.org
if you have feelings about SCOTUS after today, and after the last week, and after the last months and years, remember that at least you can vote for state supreme courts in many places this year, and those matter a ton too my state-by-state guide to every state supreme court contest:
Your State-by-State Guide to the 2026 Supreme Court Elections - Bolts
Abortion, redistricting, and ballot access remain heated issues as voters face dozens of supreme court races across 32 states this year.
boltsmag.org
It is difficult to read the Supreme Court's opinions over the last week and not see the general trend toward accretion of Court power. Interpretive philosophies like originalism give way to "plain text" readings (by judges) and historical "standards," without any specific guidelines. /1
The ICE wing of the Allen Parish jail has the longest average stay of any immigration detention center in Louisiana. It has faced serious allegations of mistreatment and racist abuse of detainees. Advocates say “it's where people go to disappear.” Critical reporting from @delaneynolan.bsky.social
“Stuck in Purgatory”: ICE Detention in Louisiana Can Stretch on for Years - Bolts
Louisiana has more ICE lockups than almost any other state. Now as a surge in habeas petitions overloads courts, people are held “unfathomably” long without recourse.
boltsmag.org
ICE is violating rights at every level – including now obtaining individual voting records from counties in Texas and North Carolina. The Trump-Vance admin is trying to scare and intimidate eligible voters with these tactics. We'll continue to fight the efforts at every turn. https://bit.ly/4oEaR2L
Exclusive: ICE obtains local voter files in two counties
ICE and DHS's top election integrity officer are probing local election officials for voter data.
bit.ly
Justices Gorsuch, Sotomayor, and Jackson concur in Hunter v. US to get pretty close to saying that plea bargaining is unconstitutional. Worth a read.
The problem is that the system was intentionally designed to be legal from the get-go. Driving behind or near a car containing federal agents is not a crime. Telling your community that the car contains federal agents is not a crime. Taking a log of where they are is not a crime.
The achievement of Minnesotans is to set up a massive, coordinated, LEGAL system of observation intended to monitor the movement and activity of hidden federal agents in our communities. The feds, thwarted in their ambition to be secret police, despise this, and want to de facto criminalize it.
DOJ's indictment today of anti-ICE protestors in Minnesota suggests that "opposing the authority of the United States government" is illegal www.startribune.com/live-federal...
Who needs podcasts when you can listen to federal court of appeals oral arguments on the subject of your choice, thanks to the good people at the Free Law Project. www.courtlistener.com?q=%22fourth%...
Search Results for Courts: All › Query: "fourth amendment" — 5,900 Results — CourtListener.com
Create alerts, search for and browse the latest case law, PACER documents, judges, and oral arguments. Updated automatically with the latest court documents. An initiative of Free Law Project.
courtlistener.com
Daphy Michel, a Haitian asylum seeker with untreated mental health issues, died of hypothermia after being released by ICE. Security footage shows Michel sitting on a bus stop bench for days in cold temperatures. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
Death of woman released by ICE on a winter day is now ruled a homicide
Security footage shows Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old asylum seeker from Haiti, sitting on a bus stop bench for days in cold temperatures.
washingtonpost.com
BREAKING: A federal judge temporarily blocked a bathroom ban in Idaho that threatened transgender people with up to 5 years in prison for using a bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. This is a win for trans rights.
