John Blume
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John Blume
@johnblume.bsky.social
210 followers 250 following 3 posts

Law Professor at Cornell Law School and Director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project

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Political science 36%
Law 22%
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Reposted by John H. Blume

eji.org
Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · 1d
On this day in 1898, a mob of as many as 1,000 white people waged a violent campaign to suppress African American voting in Phoenix, South Carolina, that left at least nine Black people dead. No one was ever held accountable.
Nov. 9, 1898 | At Least Nine Black People Killed by Mob Violence in Phoenix, South Carolina
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Scott A. Imberman, John H. Blume , and 2 more

phillewis.bsky.social
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 24d
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he has commuted sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case.

Reposted by David S. Cohen, John H. Blume

alahav.bsky.social
Alexandra Lahav @alahav.bsky.social · 29d
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:

Supreme Court granted cert

Reposted by John H. Blume

kovarsky.bsky.social
Lee Kovarsky @kovarsky.bsky.social · Oct 5
I have no fucking idea what Ilan is even talking about here, or even whether he's tracking the litigation. The issue is whether POTUS complied with a statutory delegation of power under 10 USC 12406, to nationalize the fed guard. His lawyers aren't even arguing commander in chief power.

1/

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Anna O. Law, Ben H. Ansell , and 28 more

karl-jacoby.bsky.social
Karl Jacoby @karl-jacoby.bsky.social · Sep 26
Only an administration intent on committing war crimes in the present and future would stoop to calling Wounded Knee a "battle" rather than what it truly was: a massacre of over 250 Lakotas, mainly women, children, and the elderly. 1/

Reposted by John H. Blume

johnblume.bsky.social
John Blume @johnblume.bsky.social · Sep 26
I agree. Even though selective and/or vindictive prosecution claims are notoriously difficult for defendants to prove, the evidence here is about as strong as it gets.
leahlitman.bsky.social Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · Sep 26
in a sane world, this would be an impeachable offense & articles of impeachment would be drawn up tomorrow.

just as Jimmy Kimmel’s case wasn’t about Jimmy Kimmel - but about state sanctioned censorship - the Jim Comey case isn’t about Jim Comey. It’s about the rule of law versus authoritarianism.

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, Guy Grossman, David R. Miller , and 1 more

leahlitman.bsky.social
Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · Sep 26
in a sane world, this would be an impeachable offense & articles of impeachment would be drawn up tomorrow.

just as Jimmy Kimmel’s case wasn’t about Jimmy Kimmel - but about state sanctioned censorship - the Jim Comey case isn’t about Jim Comey. It’s about the rule of law versus authoritarianism.

Reposted by Brady T. West, Jessica A. Gephart, John H. Blume , and 1 more

weedenkim.bsky.social
Kim Weeden @weedenkim.bsky.social · May 7
One of grants frozen at Cornell: $6.7M (4 yrs) to develop heart pumps for babies born w/ heart defects.

It took decades of work to get to point of prepping device for in-human clinical trials. No private company could do this.

The cruelty of the Trump administration is heartbreaking. So to speak.
Research at risk: Life-saving heart pumps for babies | Cornell Chronicle
After receiving a stop-work order from the federal government, the future of a device to help children with heart defects is uncertain.
news.cornell.edu

Reposted by John H. Blume

robertsilverman.bsky.social
Bobby Silverman @robertsilverman.bsky.social · Jul 16
not to be One Of Those Types but the sitting president made up a total nonsense story about the Unabomber yesterday—and kind of praised Kaczynski–and it barely made a ripple in the news cycle gizmodo.com/trump-shares...
Trump Shares a Personal Story About the Unabomber That Doesn't Make Any Sense
gizmodo.com

Reposted by Anders Aslund, Menzie Chinn, Elizabeth Stevenson , and 1 more

joshtpm.bsky.social
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · Jul 5
Trump and Elon made massive cuts to all US weather tracking and warning systems in the spring of 2025.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jul 5
Trump on the Texas floods: "It's terrible. The floods? It's shocking. They don't know the answer yet as to how many people, but it looks like some young people have died."

Reposted by Susan Young, John H. Blume

joncooper-us.bsky.social
Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · Jul 5
Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.

This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.
Opinion | Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.
This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.
www.msnbc.com

Reposted by John H. Blume

eji.org
Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · Jul 4
On this day in 1933, a white mob broke into a jail cell in South Carolina, lynched Norris Dendy, a Black man, and left his body in a churchyard.
Jul. 4, 1933 | White Mob Lynches Norris Dendy and Leaves His Body in a Churchyard
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Michael E. Mann, Shawn Cole , and 6 more

panasonicdx4500.bsky.social
one dozen rats at a keyboard @panasonicdx4500.bsky.social · Jul 4
“The New York Times collaborated with a white nationalist eugenicist hacker and agreed to keep his identity a secret to publish a Zohran Mamdani hit piece” is a way bigger story than “18 year old Zohran Mamdani ticked ‘African American’ on his Columbia application because he was a citizen of Uganda”

Reposted by John H. Blume

eji.org
Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · Jul 2
On this day in 1822, Denmark Vesey, a Black carpenter, was executed in Charleston, South Carolina, for planning to emancipate enslaved people.
Jul. 2, 1822 | Denmark Vesey Executed in South Carolina for Planning to Help Free Enslaved People
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org

Reposted by John H. Blume, Michael Plaxton

joshshepperd.bsky.social
Josh Shepperd @joshshepperd.bsky.social · Jul 1
Got gossip from a managing editor pal of a journal that a few reviewers used ChatGPT to write their assessments for them, and didn't even conceal it. I'll say it again - it won't be the neoliberal administrators that take down the humanities. It'll be humanities professors who've stopped reading.

Reposted by John H. Blume

joshchafetz.bsky.social
Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · Jun 21
Most of the classes taught by judges are there because the judges enjoy the ego-stroking, and the law school thinks it will help with clerkship placements. Neither of those is a good reason to hire an instructor.

Reposted by John H. Blume

joshchafetz.bsky.social
Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · Jun 17
TACO isn’t just about tariffs, alas www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Trump officials reverse guidance exempting farms, hotels from immigration raids
ICE agents have been told to continue conducting enforcement operations at agricultural businesses despite concerns about effects on the food industry.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by John H. Blume

eji.org
Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · Jun 16
On this day in 1944, George Stinney Jr., a 90-pound, 14-year-old boy, was executed in the electric chair in Columbia, South Carolina. He remains the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 20th century.
Jun. 16, 1944 | Fourteen-Year-Old George Stinney Executed in South Carolina
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org

Reposted by John H. Blume

lawrencehurley.bsky.social
Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · Jun 4
The elephant in the room
apnews.com/article/thai...
A hungry wild elephant raids a grocery store in Thailand for snacks
A hungry wild elephant has caused havoc in a grocery store in Thailand after strolling in from the Khao Yai National Park and helping himself to the food on the shelves.
apnews.com

johnblume.bsky.social
John Blume @johnblume.bsky.social · Jun 2
I agree with Josh’s take on the title.

Reposted by John H. Blume

joshchafetz.bsky.social
Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · Jun 2
If the person reading it doesn't immediately get the Arendt reference, it's gonna come across as highly offensive.

And if they do get the Arendt reference, it'll depend on their take on Arendt ...

Reposted by John H. Blume

mkwasilczuk.bsky.social
Madalyn Wasilczuk @mkwasilczuk.bsky.social · May 31
actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Stop the Execution of Stephen Stanko in South Carolina
South Carolina scheduled its 6th execution in 9 months. Stephen Stanko, 56, is scheduled to be executed on June 13, 2025 for the murders of Laura Ling and Henry Turner. Stephen has spent nearly twent...
actionnetwork.org

Reposted by John H. Blume

Michael C. Dorf @dorfonlaw.bsky.social · May 26
On Memorial Day, I remember & honor America's fallen warriors--as well as Humphrey's Executor (which upheld independent agencies), the rule that lower courts can't anticipatorily overrule SCOTUS precedents, and constitutional democracy, all of which the Court undermined last week in the Wilcox case.
SCOTUS Severely Undercuts Humphrey's Executor, Its Own Authority, and Constitutional Democracy
On Thursday of last week, the Supreme Court used a shadow docket case-- Trump v. Wilcox --to effectively overrule Humphrey's Executor v. Uni...
www.dorfonlaw.org

Reposted by David A. Bell, Carles Boix, John H. Blume

joshchafetz.bsky.social
Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · May 22
Just utter lawlessness from the Trump Administration, with no goal other than to punish institutions for refusing to bend the knee. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Trump Administration Halts Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by John H. Blume

stevevladeck.bsky.social
Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · May 22
Today’s bonus issue of “One First” takes a closer look at Judge Ho’s galling concurring opinion on remand in the A.A.R.P. Alien Enemies Act case—which accused #SCOTUS of showing “disrespect” to the district judge and President Trump by … protecting due process:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-152-...
Bonus 152: Judge Ho, Due Process, and "Disrespect"
Some thoughts on Judge Ho's rather galling claim that the Supreme Court "disrespect[ed]" the district court and the President in Friday's ruling in the "A.A.R.P. II" Alien Enemies Act case.
www.stevevladeck.com

Reposted by John H. Blume

eji.org
Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · May 10
On this day in 1740, South Carolina barred enslaved Black people from learning to read, earning money, and gathering, and authorized white enslavers to whip and kill them for being "rebellious."
May 10, 1740 | South Carolina Passes Negro Act of 1740, Codifying White Supremacy
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org

Reposted by John H. Blume

stevevladeck.bsky.social
Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · May 9
Via "One First," me on why Stephen Miller's riff on suspending habeas corpus is not just factually and legally wrong (in multiple respects), but reflects a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration's rhetorical attacks on the courts:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/148-suspen...
148. Suspending Habeas Corpus
In response to adverse rulings in numerous immigration cases, Stephen Miller is raising the specter of suspending habeas. His argument is factually and legally nuts, but it's worth explaining *why.*
www.stevevladeck.com

Reposted by John H. Blume

mayasen.bsky.social
Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · Apr 14
Cornell, MIT, CalTech, Princeton, Michigan and the U of R joined in on this one

It challenges the DOE indirect rate cap under the APA, among other arguments

Filed today: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by John H. Blume

coreyryung.bsky.social
Corey Rayburn Yung @coreyryung.bsky.social · Apr 13
The fundamental legal reason immigrants can be expelled with few protections (no Gideon right to an attorney, less due process, etc.) is that deportation and removal are considered "regulatory" and not "punitive" actions. That distinction collapses when they are sent directly to a prison.