Robert Richards
LightNews LightNews
rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards
@rrichard09.bsky.social
3.1K followers 8.6K following 560 posts

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions.
https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Videos
Political science 19%
Environmental science 17%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Robert C. Richards, Laurent Dubois , and 1 more

phillewis.bsky.social
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 16h
A dresser inside a museum in New York City has been discovered as a secret stop on the Underground Railroad — the first of its kind discovered in Manhattan in over 100 years

Reposted by Matthew Bunn, Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

kyledcheney.bsky.social
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 16h
Another memorable ruling out of West Virginia, where Judge Goodwin — a Clinton appointee — excoriates the treatment of ICE detainees.

"This is not what civil enforcement looks like in a humane system of government under law."
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Robert C. Richards, Samuel Workman , and 2 more

trevondlogan.bsky.social
Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 16h
While Stanford ends programs for first generation and underrepresented students, they maintain their legacy preferences in admissions…
cantb.bsky.social Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 19h
Stanford is doing this because it wants to
Stanford University discontinued. It’s enhancing diversity and graduate education. Dr. old Fellowship, a graduate program aimed at diversifying at student body. The Stanford daily report reported. The university also will no longer offer housing and dining support for students from outside the Bay Area who participate in summer undergraduate research fellowship. The Fellowship House in Sanford school of engineering offered an immersive research and graduate school preparation experience for first generation students and student students from historically underrepresented communities.”

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Sarah Roberts

qjurecic.bsky.social
Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 17h
They tried to prosecute members of Congress under the Smith Act. Absolute scenes

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Scott A. Imberman, Robert B. Reich , and 1 more

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 17h
DOJ trying to indict opposition lawmakers for accurately stating the law is an authoritarian weaponization of the justice system.

Grand jurors returning a no bill is patriotism in action.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

revkin.bsky.social
Andy Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ revkin.substack.com @revkin.bsky.social · 18h
Grand Jury Rebuffs Justice Dept. Attempt to Indict 6 Democrats in Congress www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...

Reposted by Kori Schake, Anna O. Law, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

yasharali.bsky.social
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 18h
NEWS

The Trump administration tried and failed on Tuesday to secure an indictment in connection with a video featuring six Democratic lawmakers urging members of the military and intelligence communities not to comply with unlawful orders.

Full Story: nbcnews.to/4r4Ts3v

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

jenniferdoleac.bsky.social
Jennifer Doleac @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social · 18h
My first book, THE SCIENCE OF SECOND CHANCES, comes out in two weeks! 🎉🎉🎉

Many of you have asked what you can do to support the book. The best things you can do are (1) pre-order it, wherever you buy books, and (2) tell your friends about it.

Thank you!!🙏

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

tanyagoldman.bsky.social
Tanya Goldman @tanyagoldman.bsky.social · 19h
Bowie is pleased to have a new thing to devour. Honored to be included in a volume with so many brilliant colleagues.

global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Tuxedo cat posing with book titled A CENTURY IN 16MM from Oxford University Press Tuxedo cat posing with book titled A CENTURY IN 16MM from Oxford University Press

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Adrian Daub, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

emptywheel.bsky.social
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 19h
Look at who is PHVing Abbe Lowell and team into MN to represent Don Lemon.
Document Number Date Filed Description Download PDF 106 Feb 10, 2026 MOTION for Admission Pro Hac Vice for Attorney Isabella M. Oishi. Filing fee $ 150, receipt number AMNDC-12663387 by Don Renaldo Lemon. (Thompson, Joseph) (Entered: 02/10/2026) From RECAP with PACER fallback 105 Feb 10, 2026 MOTION for Admission Pro Hac Vice for Attorney David A. Kolansky. Filing fee $ 150, receipt number AMNDC-12663357 by Don Renaldo Lemon. (Thompson, Joseph) (Entered: 02/10/2026) From RECAP with PACER fallback 104 Feb 10, 2026 MOTION for Admission Pro Hac Vice for Attorney Abbe David Lowell. Filing fee $ 150, receipt number AMNDC-12663338 by Don Renaldo Lemon. (Thompson, Joseph) (Entered: 02/10/2026) From RECAP with PACER fallback 103 Feb 10, 2026 NOTICE OF ATTORNEY APPEARANCE for Don Renaldo Lemon. (Thompson, Joseph) (Entered: 02/10/2026) From RECAP with PACER fallback A NYT story. Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, was among those who resigned as the Justice Department sought to examine the woman’s supposed ties to activist groups. A picture shows Joe Thompson.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

rgoodlaw.bsky.social
Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 20h
The FBI's Affidavit used to obtain the warrant for Fulton County ballots "instead of relying on the official transcript ... repeated an erroneous claim made by MAGA conspiracists."

From this thread by Tom Joscelyn, an analyst who has followed these matters closely⤵️
tomjoscelyn.bsky.social Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 21h
1. The FBI affidavit used to seize ballots and other materials from the 2020 election in Fulton County relies on debunked conspiracy theories. For example, it isn’t true that Fulton first “reported” 511,343 ballots and then “reported” 527,925. I’ll explain.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

dianaforqueens.com
Diana Moreno @dianaforqueens.com · 21h
In 2015, I interned with @maketheroadny.bsky.social as part of their Worker Rights Program. Today, I was proud to stand with them as an Assemblymember to demand the passage of New York for All to end NY's collaboration with ICE.

In this moment of crisis, we must be BOLD. ¡Sí se puede!

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21h
We now have confirmation that the Social Circle warehouse cost ICE $130 million, bringing the total spent on warehouses to $714 million. ICE is also reportedly planning on buying a second warehouse in Oakwood, GA and is finalizing the sale now.

Billions more will be spent on retrofitting/staffing.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Ryan Goodman

tomjoscelyn.bsky.social
Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 21h
1. The FBI affidavit used to seize ballots and other materials from the 2020 election in Fulton County relies on debunked conspiracy theories. For example, it isn’t true that Fulton first “reported” 511,343 ballots and then “reported” 527,925. I’ll explain.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 22h
The supporting affidavits for the FBI's warrant to search the Fulton County election office—where agents seized 700 boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election—have been unsealed. Read the affidavits, from @tylermcbrien.com.
Fulton Co. Election Office Search Warrant Affidavits Made Public
The release followed Judge J.P. Boulee’s order to unseal the docket on Feb. 7.
www.lawfaremedia.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 23h
At 4:15 EST today, check out a conversation I'll be having with @simonwdc.bsky.social about the current moment in ICE enforcement, the rise in ICE detention, and ICE's new plan to literally warehouse immigrants. open.substack.com/live-stream/...
LIVE SOON: Live with Immigration Expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
Starting Feb 10 at 4:15 PM EST
open.substack.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller , and 2 more

annabower.bsky.social
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING: The supporting affidavit for the warrant to search Fulton County election records has been unsealed.

Read it via @lawfaremedia.org:

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

joelhs.bsky.social
Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 1d
I find this completely and utterly predictable: hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It
One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don’t reduce work, they consisten...
hbr.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

melissabaker.bsky.social
Melissa Baker @melissabaker.bsky.social · 1d
It is out! We find that linked fate (or lack thereof) helps explain 2024 Trump support in young Latinos. @mattlamb.bsky.social @landgravephd.bsky.social spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 1d
After a whirlwind year, ICE and CBP have a lot more resources—but also a lot more opposition.

On Lawfare Daily, @ericcolumbus.bsky.social sat down with @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social to discuss what is—and isn’t—likely to look different in the upcoming year of Trump administration immigration policy.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Mark Rice

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d
"If the government may simply seize *someone* without due process, there is no check on its ability to seize *anyone*."

Perhaps the most fundamental check against tyranny. And it is gravely threatened.
kyledcheney.bsky.social Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 1d
BONUS RULING: Judge Thomas Johnston, a George W. Bush appoiintee in West Virginia, used a recent ruling to warn of the dangers of defying due process for immigrants because of what it could also mean for Americans. It's worth a read.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers , and 5 more

kyledcheney.bsky.social
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 1d
NEW: Federal judges are increasingly furious at what they see as a pattern / playbook of defiance by the Trump administration to court orders in immigration cases — in Minnesota and around the country.

Here’s a look at what they’re seeing: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
How the Trump administration skirts — and defies — court rulings on ICE detentions
A POLITICO review of hundreds of cases brought by ICE detainees shows a pattern of noncompliance that has frustrated judges across the country.
www.politico.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Rosie A. Fisher, Mary Feeney , and 8 more

davidrvetter.bsky.social
Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 1d
"A modern-day concentration camp ... People have been killed by the staff here." Irish citizen Seamus Culleton has been in ICE detention since September, despite having a valid work permit and his own business in the US.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

markey.senate.gov
Senator Ed Markey @markey.senate.gov · 1d
I'm grateful a judge has terminated removal proceedings against Rümeysa Öztürk. But let’s be clear: she never should have faced removal in the first place.

Rümeysa is an example to us all of what it means to speak truth to power. Her courage and grace are inspiring.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d
This likely happened because a federal judge found that the termination of her student status was illegal and ordered it reinstated.
On December 5, 2025 a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that Ms. Öztürk’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record was wrongfully terminated and must be reinstated, allowing her to fully participate in her educational and training program once more. While the government filed a notice of appeal of this decision on February 6, 2026, her SEVIS record remains reinstated. On January 22, 2026, another federal judge in Massachusetts determined in AAUP v. Rubio that the government’s policy of arresting and detaining scholars like Ms. Öztürk violated the First Amendment, and documents released as part of the case confirmed that the government targeted her solely on the basis of the op-ed.

Reposted by Ryan Enos, Robert C. Richards, Scott A. Imberman , and 1 more

ilyasomin.bsky.social
Ilya Somin @ilyasomin.bsky.social · 1d
Tomorrow I will testify before subcommittee of House Judiciary Committee against the proposed "Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act," which would authorize exclusion/deportation of all or most non-citizen Muslim immigrants. My written testimony posted here: reason.com/wp-content/u...
reason.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Joshua S. Weitz, Robert C. Richards , and 4 more

apoorvanyt.bsky.social
Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 1d
The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to documents reviewed by the NYT

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

debpearlstein.bsky.social
Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 1d
NGO files disciplinary complaint w/Virginia State Bar alleging federal prosecutor who obtained warrant to search Wash Post reporter's home violated duty of candor in failing to notify court of applicability of the Privacy Protection Act (limiting searches of journalists' work product).
Bar Complaint Filed Over Search of Washington Post Reporter’s Home
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Matthew Bunn, Steve Peers , and 22 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 2d
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.

If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Robert C. Richards

laywilliams.bsky.social
David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 2d
Check out Anna’s new book!
unlawfulentries.bsky.social Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 2d
I don't have a publicist, therefore I am the publicist. New website for my forthcoming book. Please especially check out the Author Q&A at the end of the page (Why did i write the book? Who's it for?. Journos, pod-casters, museums can find my contact info & how to obtain a bound review copy. 1/
Book - Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship — Anna O. Law
www.annaolaw.com