Sandra Raponi
@sraponi.bsky.social
Philosophy professor, Honors faculty. JD, PhD. Political & legal philosophy, global justice, international human rights law. Working on human rights-based climate litigation, right to food & water, refugees, online speech. Zen Buddhism, pottery, piano
In his decision for SCOTUS published this morning, Justice Alito dismissed the idea that the Trump administration would halt all asylum seekers as a mere "hypothetical" not even worth considering.
Mike Walker@newnarrative.bsky.social · last mo.Stephen Miller says ‘America’s doors are closed fully to asylum seekers’ after Supreme Court rulings www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
Compare Alito's description of Trump's racist statements (on the left) to Justice Kagan's anthology of Trump's racist statements (on the right). These are passages from this morning's opinions in Mullin v. Doe.
NEW—I got an exclusive excerpt from a USAID whistleblower's new book that made me gasp multiple times. It details Trump's dismantling of the humanitarian aid agency & his team/DOGE's shocking ignorance to public health. 'Into the Wood Chipper' by Nicholas Enrich is out tomorrow. Read excerpt here:
Whistleblower says Trump officials thought USAID did 'just abortions,' asked for 'Barney-style' slides before gutting agency, per new book
Read an exclusive excerpt from Nicholas Enrich's "Into the Wood Chipper"
thehandbasket.co
Remember when Trump threatened to wipe out a whole civilization? And then backed out of that and talked about forming a deal with Iran? And then dropped that and went to a UFC fight as negotiations fell apart? And then unveiled a triumphal arch and a photo of himself as Jesus? That was this week.
I am getting a lot of questions about whether Trump's threats alone are illegal. The answer is yes. 1. First, Additional Protocol I states “Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.” (also DOD LOW Manual §5.2.2) 1/
Our PhD student Kennedy Orwa, who studies applications of AI to health care, was hastily deported today to Kenya along with his 13-year-old son without opportunity to speak to legal counsel. King 5 reports that he held a valid visa that was rescinded without explanation.
UW graduate student deported through SEA as protesters demand answers
A union representing University of Washington graduate student workers says Kennedy Orwa’s student visa was rescinded without explanation.
king5.com
"Tucker Collins, an 18-year-old freshman at USC, attended a 'No Kings' protest in Los Angeles on Mar. 28. He ended up getting shot in the eye with a less-lethal projectile by a Department of Homeland Security agent and is now blind."
Teen who went to photograph L.A. 'No Kings' rally shot, blinded by Homeland Security agent, attorney says
Tucker Collins, an 18-year-old freshman at USC, attended a 'No Kings' protest in Los Angeles on Mar. 28. He ended up getting shot in the eye with a less-lethal projectile by a Department of Homeland S...
latimes.com
In a letter to Congress this week, #ICE confirmed it has approved the use of a powerful #spyware tool, raising serious civil liberties concerns. The Knight Institute urges Congress to limit ICE's use of spyware technology. See @nadinefj.bsky.social's statement: knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...
I spoke to the Christian Science Monitor about Trump's threats to carry out mass war crimes. Though there appears to be a ceasefire (thank goodness), the threats have done irreparable damage to U.S. standing and moral authority. We will pay the cost for decades. www.csmonitor.com/World/2026/0...
Trump’s warnings for Iran raise the question: What is a war crime?
President Donald Trump has made threats toward Iran that, if he followed through, might be considered war crimes. Who defines a war crime, and who enforces it?
csmonitor.com
We have now killed at least 1,665 civilians, including at least 248 children, in this illegal war. www.en-hrana.org/day-38-of-u-...
Over 100 international lawyers (including me) warn that U.S. strikes on Iran violate the UN Charter and may be war crimes. Read the letter here: www.justsecurity.org/135423/profe...
Over 100 International Law Experts Warn: U.S. Strikes on Iran Violate UN Charter and May Be War Crimes
Over 100 international law experts sign letter on Iran War, UN Charter, and international humanitarian law.
justsecurity.org
"There’s a chilling effect on not just my academic freedom, but that of my colleagues; anyone who dares to speak out against the war and against aggression," said UW professor Aria Fani.
Univ. of Washington Removes Mideast Center Director Who Criticized US-Israeli War on Iran
"There’s a chilling effect on not just my academic freedom, but that of my colleagues; anyone who dares to speak out against the war and against aggression," said Aria Fani.
commondreams.org
‘Some of us may no longer be Habermassians, but we learned from, with and against him what it means to keep faith with critique.’ Nancy Fraser on the philosopher, from the blog. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ma...
Nancy Fraser | After Habermas
Jürgen Habermas may be variously described as the moral conscience of postwar Germany, the last great systematic...
lrb.co.uk
Another day, another violation of academic freedom in Texas. This time a university is firing a philosophy professor owing to complaints about an off-campus talk he gave on the Israeli-Palestine conflict...
Texas State Fires Philosophy Professor Over Off-Campus Talk on the Israeli-Palestine Conflict - Daily Nous
Idris Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University, is suing several university officials for violating his constitutional rights after they told him he would h...
dailynous.com
The US supreme court has decided to hear arguments in a climate accountability lawsuit, marking the first time the high court has weighed in on such a case. The decision could potentially hinder the wave of climate litigation the US has seen in recent years
US supreme court takes up fossil fuel firms’ climate accountability case
theguardian.com
NEWS DIGEST | Fossils Expansion on Trial A landmark civil case in the Paris Judicial Court could reshape how fossil fuel companies are held accountable for climate harm. Sources: @insideclimatenews.org Read relevant articles: bit.ly/3PzGVXNMg #TotalEnergies #ClimateNews #FossilExpansion
mill's dedication: this is a jointly authored work a century & a half of male editors: mill exaggerated out of a sentimental fondness for his wife mill's letters: no, really, most of "my" work was partly by her, i really could not be clearer on this
Nikhil Venkatesh @nikvenkatesh.bsky.social · 5mo agoHarriet Taylor Mill officially recognised as co-author of 'On Liberty'! dailynous.com/2026/03/19/o...
In Iran, the Trump Administration has targeted a range of "dual use objects"--objects that have both civilian and military uses. Here, we explain how such targeting blurs the line between civilian and military--eroding critical protections for civilians. yalelawjournal.org/pdf/134.8.Ha...
The U.S. and Israel bombardment of Iran has led to civilian deaths estimated to be well over 1,000; a strike that hit a girls’ school in Minab killed more than 175 people alone. A Yale Law School professor discusses the lawlessness of Trump’s war. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/fFM7yg
The Lawlessness of Trump’s War in Iran
The ferocity of U.S. and Israeli attacks has raised questions about whether the two countries are even attempting to minimize civilian casualties.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
A DOGE staffer assigned to the National Endowment for the Humanities to flag grants for "DEI" tries to explain what "DEI" is. This deposition is part of a lawsuit by the @acls1919.bsky.social, @historians.org and @modernlanguage.bsky.social.
The ten second video was released by Iranian state media and directly contradicts statements made by President Trump, who said Iran was responsible for the strike. n.pr/4aVMqZi
Video appears to show U.S. cruise missile striking Iranian school compound
The ten second video was released by Iranian state media and directly contradicts statements made by President Trump, who said Iran was responsible for the strike.
n.pr
To mark International Women's Day, we feature portraits and profiles of determined women around the world. n.pr/4rXpezP
Photos: These bold women stand up for justice, rights ... and freedom
To mark International Women's Day, we feature portraits and profiles of determined women around the world.
n.pr
Reuters Exclusive "U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school." "The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East."
Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say
Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...
reuters.com
from a standpoint epistemological view you have to take this view particularly seriously
Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 5mo agoWait. Who? What? Huh? www.politico.com/news/magazin...
War powers highlight the problem where we have to stop conflating nonjusticiable with legal. Courts are not going to intervene in this kind of thing, nor should they, but parts of the Constitution dependent on the president and Congress to follow and enforce are still real parts of the Constitution.
Bill Kristol@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 5mo ago“Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive power to declare war. This attack is very obviously large enough to qualify as a war. That means it just as obviously requires congressional authorization.” open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
Wars of choice kill those who have no choice. "Mistakes" like the reported strike on a girls' school that killed forty civilians are the predictable result of poor planning and execution. For more on "Mistakes" in War, read this by me and @azmatzahra.bsky.social papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
The strikes on Iran are blatantly illegal. I explained in June why the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were unlawful under US and international law. Everything I wrote then is true today, but this is a far larger assault with far graver consequences. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Strikes on Iran Were Unlawful. Here’s Why That Matters.
nytimes.com
