David Driesen
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daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen
@daviddriesen.bsky.social
93 followers 72 following 41 posts

University Professor, Syracuse University. Author, The Specter of Dictatorship: Judicial Enabling of Presidential Power (2021); The Economic Dynamics of Law, The Economic Dynamics of Environmental Law; Environmental Law: A Conceptual and Pragmatic Approach .. more

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Economics 50%
Political science 19%
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daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · 4d
The parties should have challenged Trump's declaration of an emergency in the tariff case. open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Trump Tariff Trouble
His doublethink may be too much even for the supine Supremes
open.substack.com

Reposted by James Goodwin

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · 11d
The New York Times published an article on Trump's authoritarianism today. It said that Trump was following other authoritarians in defying or evading court orders. Is it true that authoritarians defy court orders? Or is Trump breaking new ground in this respect? www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy? (Gift Article)
Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.
www.nytimes.com

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Oct 6
Nope. It just means that Trump is at his usual game of falsely accusing his opponents of doing what he is doing. The rule of law is basically gone in the federal government. Its officials obey Trump, not the law.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Sep 8
I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Supreme Court's jurisdiction should be greatly reduced. It's not just these Justices. Historically, the Court has usually undermined democracy, equality, and freedom.

Reposted by James Goodwin

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Sep 8
The Huffington Post quoted me on the Trump dictatorship:
www.huffpost.com/entry/donald...
How Trump Broke The Presidency
Trump’s quest to claim all power for himself is drastically reshaping not just his presidency, but American democracy writ large.
www.huffpost.com

Reposted by David M. Driesen, Henry Jones, Christopher C. French

flemmingcarlson.bsky.social
Flemming Erik Carlson @flemmingcarlson.bsky.social · Aug 16
Friend sent me this.
🤣🤣🤣🤣

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Jul 9
This is the most cogent analysis I've seen of Trump's construction of a police state.

Reposted by Erich Fromm, David M. Driesen, Helen Jefferson Lenskyj , and 2 more

timothysnyder.bsky.social
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · Jul 9
Very good work. Read it and act.
www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/the-secret...
The Secret Police Are Here
While the Professional Moderates Clutch Their Pearls
www.notesfromthecircus.com

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Jul 3
Constitutional Commentary just published my article examining Justice Story's views on presidential removal of executive branch officials. The analysis suggests that the Supreme Court practices selective living originalism,. constitutionalcommentary.lib.umn.edu/article/does...
Does a Removal Power Exist? Joseph Story and Selective Living Originalism – Constitutional Commentary
constitutionalcommentary.lib.umn.edu

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Jun 29
Exactly. But fidelity to law is most consistent with the District Courts. As one moves up the appellate ladder, fidelity to the rule of law, competence, and wisdom diminish, while arrogant political rulings increase. The Supreme Court is indeed actively destroying constitutional government.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Jun 27
The Albany Law Review just published my critique of Justice Barrett's claim that "common sense" supports the major questions doctrine. www.albanylawreview.org/article/1412...
CONTEXT, COMMON SENSE, AND THE MAJOR QUESTIONS DOCTRINE: A RESPONSE TO JUSTICE BARRETT | Published in Albany Law Review
By David M. Driesen. This Essay evaluates Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s invocation of context and common sense in her approach to the major questions doctrine and statutory interpretation.
www.albanylawreview.org

Reposted by Thailand, David M. Driesen, Alison Johnson , and 1 more

raskin.house.gov
Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · May 20
House GOP is holding a hearing on their tax bill at 1:00 AM because they don't want us to know about their scheme to strip 13.7 million people of health coverage & they think no one will stay awake for it.

I’ll be there, testifying & offering amendments to protect our families.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · May 5
Mother Jones published a fine article on the unitary executive theory, which quotes me, Noah Rosenbloom, Jed Shugerman, and Jack Goldsmith: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The dangerous legal theory behind Trump’s power grabs
There was no "unitary executive" until some dudes made the idea up to save Nixon.
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by David M. Driesen

schumer.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · Apr 14
A threat to one is a threat to all.

My statement on Trump’s outrageous attack on due process and the rule of law:
Leader Schumer released this statement blasting President Bukele's comments and calling on the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Apr 9
This blogpost argues that some of the D.C. Circuit judges adjudicating preliminary orders in the cases about firing independent agency board members are living in a "dream world" by imagining that these actions are part of faithful law execution. www.theregreview.org/2025/04/09/d...
The Judges’ Dream World | The Regulatory Review
President Trump’s removal of agency heads without cause threatens the rule of law.
www.theregreview.org

Reposted by David M. Driesen

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Apr 5
Schumer: "They've actually put tariffs on penguins but not Putin."

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Apr 4
He does know what he's doing. He is serving Putin by crashing our economy. Do you think that a President who threatens to attack our allies, starts a trade war, supports Russia's war with Ukraine, dismantles the government, and carries out mass deportation of our labor force works for us? .

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Apr 4
Why? Do the other pending cases involve contracts that might be litigated in the court of claims?

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 29
Yup. So doesn't your fiduciary duty demand your resignation from government?

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 29
This is not incompetence. The administration is serving Russian interests by providing opening to weaken our army, our economy, and our government. Why does everybody assume that they are bunglers with good intentions. There is no evidence of good intentions.

Reposted by David M. Driesen

acyn.bsky.social
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Mar 20
AOC: What they like to call as radical, I believe is common sense.

I believe that when a person gets sick, they shouldn’t go bankrupt in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Common sense

I believe that a minimum wage should cover the minimum cost to live. Common sense...

Reposted by David M. Driesen, Andrew Thacker

newseye.bsky.social
News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Mar 20
Holy shit. Republican Harriet Hagemen got torn apart at a town hall in Wyoming last night. In a state that voted for Trump by 46 points.

She tried defending DOGE and it went as well as you’d imagine.

“Deport Elon, Deport Elon!”

Watch to the end…

Reposted by David M. Driesen

schumer.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · Mar 18
Today on this Medicaid Day of Action, I headed to Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. It’s the only hospital in the Bronx providing comprehensive cancer services, and 2/3s of patients rely on Medicaid and Medicare.

Trump is trying to rip away this lifeline so he can give tax breaks to billionaires.
Senator Schumer at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, March 18, 2025. Senator Schumer at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, March 18, 2025.

Reposted by David M. Driesen

schumer.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · Mar 14
Trump, Musk, and DOGE would use the power of a shutdown to shift into overdrive.

And the courts, one of our best places to fight these autocrats, could quickly run out of money.

We can’t let this happen.

Reposted by David M. Driesen

schumer.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · Mar 14
Donald Trump and Elon Musk want a shutdown to destroy vital government services faster.

It would be a disaster.

And we have to alert everyone how much pain it would cause the American people.

From my interview on @allinwithchris.bsky.social:

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 5
These are good points, but you folks are acting like this is a normal policy debate with Republicans. It isn't. Trump is establishing a dictatorship and has taken steps to make it a military dictatorship. You need to say that clearly using the same phrase every day to reframe this crap.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 5
Plus there's no real claim that any of these contracts were fraudulent. Saying that they are wasteful can be (and seems to be) just another way of saying Musk does not want the government to spend the money that Congress required the executive branch to disburse.

Reposted by David M. Driesen

klobuchar.senate.gov
Senator Amy Klobuchar @klobuchar.senate.gov · Mar 5
Trump said that he would lower costs “on day one,” but he hasn’t done a thing to bring down prices, no matter what he claims tonight.
 
⬆️Wholesale egg prices are up.
⬆️Wholesale coffee prices are up.
⬆️Lumber prices are up.
 
We need lower costs, not tax cuts for billionaires.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 4
Makes sense. They represent the oligarchs who finance their campaign not the average voter. So why talk to them? Maybe their not showing up will finally convince their voters of that fact.

daviddriesen.bsky.social
David Driesen @daviddriesen.bsky.social · Mar 4
He isn't dumb. He is a Russian asset trying to destroy the west by sowing division and strife while destroying the U.S. government. Seems to me he's doing great at advancing Putin's interests.