Erin Murphy
@erinmurphyslaw.bsky.social
Norman Dorsen Professor of Civil Liberties NYU Law. Study the criminal legal system, forensic evidence/DNA. Author Inside the Cell. Occasionally posting. Mostly lurking.
New: An "expert witness" in a $61 million lawsuit over an industrial explosion that killed three people and destroyed 200 homes used ChatGPT to write his report for the court. He prompted ChatGPT to "show how 3M is 0% at fault for the explosion at Watson Grinding" www.404media.co/show-how-3m-...
“In all, 57 Trump officials are worth at least $100 million, including 17 ambassadors and the remaining 40 in senior posts across the executive branch.” apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump dwarfs his predecessors in the number of ultra-rich in his second White House, report shows
The number of people worth more than $100 million whom President Donald Trump has appointed to his administration is more than four times the combined total of the three previous presidents.
apnews.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/u...
Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money Trial
The U.S. attorney in Chicago subpoenaed a fund-raising firm that had been co-owned by the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who conducted the trial that led to Donald Trump’s felony conviction.
nytimes.com
The gloves, manufactured by a company called Compliant Technologies, have been described by groups like Amnesty International as “readily misused for torture.” And this week, ICE published a plan to order $20 million worth of them.
The Orwellian Company Behind ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves
“With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.” That makes it hard for victims to sue.
motherjones.com
This whole thing is really disturbing. I don’t know of any previous case in which the government subpoenaed a reporter for asking a question, let alone a question that not even the government has suggested implicated classified information. 1/
Jameel Jaffer@jameeljaffer.bsky.social · last mo.Here’s the Washington Post’s now-unsealed motion to quash the subpoena served on Ellen Nakashima. “These are not examples of the normal give-and-take that all administrations have with the press.” www.courtlistener.com/docket/73704...
DHS is spending billions on domestic surveillance and data tools capable of targeting anyone, with little oversight or transparency. Congress must investigate how these powerful technologies are bought and used. bit.ly/4wx8EZO
DHS’s Domestic Surveillance, Data Collection, and Analytics Tools
Fueled by a budget boom, the Department of Homeland Security is expanding its technological arsenal, with little oversight or transparency around how these tools are used.
bit.ly
Garbage like this “hearing” is how you drive serious, competent people from government and then find yourself living in a failed state where the only people willing to serve possess comically high levels of corruption, narcissism, and ineptitude.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · last mo.In a combative session, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who spent nearly four decades as the government’s top infectious disease expert, refused on Wednesday to answer any questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of Covid-19. nyti.ms/3RjryEr
interesting to me that as the administration treats democratic-voting states like conquered or occupied territories, you don’t have pundits demanding the president respect “half the country”
tony romm@tonyromm.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Well…isn’t this a little gem. @jenpsaki.bsky.social did you know about this?
One cop allegedly misused GPS information...while investigating another officer for the same misconduct.
Police keep losing their jobs for using Flock cameras to stalk people
Advocates say it’s too easy to abuse automated license plate reader technology.
motherjones.com
At least 52 people have died in ICE custody since Trump returned to the White House. At least 23 people have been shot at by federal immigration agents. And thousands more have been caged, separated from their families, or shipped off to dangerous countries. The cruelty is endless.
ICE officer who shot Colombian man in Maine has history of threatening behavior and mental illness, family and court documents say.
AP Exclusive: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to close relatives who spoke to The Associated Press.
bit.ly
An incredible euphemism here for “the government is doing illegal discrimination”
AOC: I said this a couple of weeks ago: I would not be surprised if, when ICE funding started up again, we would start to see more civilian deaths at the hands of ICE. And that’s exactly what has happened. We didn’t see things like this happening with the same degree when we froze ICE funding.
Five days of evidence and witness testimony in a Provo courtroom ended without a trial date. Both sides will submit written briefs to Fourth District Judge Tony Graf, who could decide if the case goes to trial in September.
Defense casts doubt on DNA evidence as weeklong Charlie Kirk hearing ends
Five days of evidence and witness testimony in a Provo courtroom ended without a trial date. Both sides will submit written briefs to Fourth District Judge Tony Graf, who could decide if the case goes to trial in September.
n.pr
15% of home healthcare and nursing home workers are TPS holders Trump Is about to deport. Elder care is about to get way more expensive and horrible one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5887...
🔊 Listen Now: Thousands of TPS holders close to losing work permits after SCOTUS ruling
Morning Edition on NPR One | 3:49
one.npr.org
Vance is right. By the end of the six-year term for senators elected this fall, Sotomayor will be 78, Roberts 77, and Kagan 72. It’s quite possible that senators elected in the midterms will vote, during that term, on nominees to replace one or more of the five in the majority.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agoVance says the midterms are big because Republicans are one SCOTUS seat from ending birthright citizenship
SCOTUS decides Chatrie, holds 6-3 that a geofence is a search under the 4A but remands for consideration of whether the "unusual warrant" was constitutional. Pretty much what I expected, but some intriguing tidbits:
Incredible reporting here on how the White House & the DOGE boys are still at it breakin’ laws and turning government websites into data farms. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘It’s dangerous and it’s going to erode trust’: redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears
The National Design Studio, staffed by Doge veterans, installed visitor-tracking software on vital federal websites
theguardian.com
When a license plate is captured by an automated license plate reader (ALPR), it’s instantly compared against a list of vehicles that the police are actively looking for, known as a “hotlist.” EFF has learned that one of these hotlists targets immigrants on behalf of ICE. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Are Your Local Police Using Flock Safety ALPRs to Scan for Immigrants?
When a car passes an automated license plate reader (ALPR), its plate is captured and instantly compared against a list of vehicles that police are actively looking for or that police have identified
eff.org
Privacy advocates who criticized Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition surveillance in the press (including an article I co-wrote at The Times) got dossiers of their own. Soooooo Knicks fan Ben Wizner was right not to talk to me for that story. www.404media.co/madison-squa...
Madison Square Garden Made Dossier on Activists Who Opposed Facial Recognition
The document, titled “Facial Recognition Activists.docx,” includes specific activists’ comments about MSG's facial recognition program and tweets criticizing it.
404media.co
This will impact NY, which has a similar law.
Steve Vladeck@stevevladeck.bsky.social · 3mo agoSecond (but *not* last) #SCOTUS ruling is in Wolford v. Lopez. For the usual 6-3 majority, Justice Alito (who has the next two rulings after this) strikes down Hawaii’s law prohibiting licensed concealed-carry permit holders from carrying unauthorized handguns on private property open to the public:
Reminder to those in NY state to use judges.scrutinize.org to learn about judges on the ballot!
New York Judges With Terms Expiring This Year – Performance Metrics, Careers, and Rulings
Explore data-rich profiles of New York judges: decisions, court details, and performance metrics based on case records and published opinions.
judges.scrutinize.org