Robert S. Chang | Lightnews

Robert Chang

@korematsuctr.bsky.social

710 followers 350 following 89 posts

Professor of Law and Sylvia Mendez Presidential Chair for Civil Rights; founder and Executive Director, Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at UC Irvine School of Law. Teacher, civil rights attorney, writer.

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Robert P. H. Chang was an American materials scientist who served as the president of the Materials Research Society (1989) and as a general secretary and president of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS). Latterly, Chang headed the Materials Research Institute at Northwestern University. He was a member of advisory boards of the National Institute for Materials Science and of the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. Chang died on June 21, 2025, at the age of 83. .. more

Political science 31%

Sociology 15%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Robert S. Chang, Robert C. Richards

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 23d

I’ve been reposting all of the crowd videos of today’s NO KINGS rallies because at some point they’ll try to say it didn’t happen.

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · 26d

Listening on repeat to Don McLean's The Day the Music Died.

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · 27d

Sigh.

Reposted by Tom Clark, Robert S. Chang, Josh Pasek , and 1 more Tom Clark, Robert S. Chang, Josh Pasek, David Darmofal

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 27d

This entire argument by Louisiana and the conservatives questions are premised on an erasure of Congress’ enforcement power under the 14th & 15th Amendments.

Literally swinging for the fences to wipe out the premise for the legitimacy of Congress’ power to enact civil rights statutes.

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Oct 6

Read brief here:

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

www.supremecourt.gov

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Oct 6

Tomorrow, SCOTUS hears argument in Chiles v. Salazar, a challenge to CO's ban on conversion therapy for minors. The Korematsu Center, joined by other race centers, filed an amicus brief supporting CO.

We remind Court that First Amendment was asserted to challenge civil rights for racial minorities.

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Elizabeth Saunders, Suresh Venkatasubramanian , and 7 more Marc Lynch, Elizabeth Saunders, Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Robert S. Chang, American Library Association, Juan Cole, Brian Keegan, Prakash Kashwan, Aziza Ahmed, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · Oct 1

WE WON: "This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall w/in..this district court squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in US..have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.”"

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Sep 19

Free speech for thee ...

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

UC Irvine School of Law @ucirvinelaw.bsky.social · Sep 18

The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality (@korematsuctr.bsky.social) at UCI Law, together with @newenglandinnocence.org & Friedman Kaplan Seiler Adelman & Robbins LLP, filed an amicus brief in Commonwealth v. Robinson before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

bit.ly/47Qc7tc

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

The 14th Amendment Center @the14thcenter.bsky.social · Sep 17

Last night the 14th Amend Ctr had a terrific opening session on birthright citizenship w/historians Martha Jones & @kate.masur.TONIGHT is Part Two w/a great line-up of scholars & advocates. It’s not too late to register. howard.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
@aaldef.bsky.social @korematsuctr.bsky.social

Reposted by Robert S. Chang, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner , and 2 more Robert S. Chang, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Eric J. Segall, Daxton R. Stewart

Point Blank Sandwich Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · Sep 8

Supreme Court Rules 6-3 That Fundamental Interests Of United States Of America Would Be Irreparably Harmed If It Race-Based Harassment And Detention By Masked Thugs Were Even Temporarily Halted

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers , and 2 more Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers, Robert S. Chang, Nicole Guenther Discenza

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Sep 8

no surprised that brett ”almost certainly flunked his remedial classes” kavanaugh thinks the constitution authorizes a race-based federal “papers please” regime. quick, someone ask him what he thinks of the fugitive slave act.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · Sep 8

This is a paragraph Brett Kavanaugh wrote on his little computer and then sent out into the world:

Moreover, as for stops of those individuals who are legally in the country, the questioning in those circumstances is typically brief, and those individuals may promptly go free after making clear to the immigration officers that they are U.S. citizens or otherwise legally in the United States.

Reposted by Robert S. Chang, Trevon D. Logan, Robert C. Richards , and 1 more Robert S. Chang, Trevon D. Logan, Robert C. Richards, Laurent Dubois

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · Sep 5

You can now register for the 14th Amendment Center’s webinars on birthright citizenship.
The sessions will be held on September 16th and 17th with a line-up of experts. REGISTER NOW:
howard.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

UC Irvine School of Law @ucirvinelaw.bsky.social · Apr 9

🔷 Bob Chang (@korematsuctr.bsky.social): Banned: The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts (with Nolan Cabrera)(Cambridge University Press, 2025)

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

AAUP @aaup.org · Apr 10

We're proud to be part of defending an independent legal system! With the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality & others, the AAUP submitted a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the law firm Perkins Coie in its battle against the Trump administration.

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Apr 10

The attacks on law firms and lawyers must stop. Full stop.

On behalf of race and law centers, @seiu.org, @aftunion.bsky.social, @aaup.bsky.social, and several advocacy organizations, we offer our thoughts on why it must stop.

www.law.uci.edu/centers/kore...

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · May 21

NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's attorneys urgently ask Judge Farbiarz to order ICE to permit Khalil to hold his newborn son today "for the most elementary human reasons." ICE has so far denied the request, despite his wife and child having made the 1,500-mile trip. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Dear Judge Farbiarz:
Petitioner respectfully writes with an urgent request for this Court's intervention regarding his ongoing detention. Specifically, and for the reasons set forth below and to aid in his habeas and proceedings, Petitioner requests that this Court issue an order: (1) requiring the LaSalle Detention Facility to permit Mr. Khalil to have a private contact visit with his wife, Dr. Abdalla, and newborn child today, May 21, 2025, for two hours' and/or (2) at a minimum, permit Dr. Abdalla to join a contact visit currently scheduled with immigration counsel at LaSalle so the legal team can discuss legal strategy and facts known collectively between Dr. Abdalla and Mr. Khalil and which is relevant to his pending habeas case and for pending motions in his immigration proceedings. One of the first orders issued in this case was to direct the U.S. Attorney's office to ensure that DHS would provide regular access to counsel, Khalil v. Joyce, 1:25-cv-01935, ECF 29 (S.D.N.Y.), which is an equitable power this Court retains and authorizes the relief requested modest as it is as compared to the painful costs of denial.
As the Court is aware, the Khalil family welcomed their first child one month ago, on April 21, 2025. In order to provide the most indispensable human connection and to help Mr. Khalil prepare for his ongoing habeas proceeding and for the upcoming immigration hearing, Petitioner's wife and his newborn baby have traveled over 6 hours and 1500 miles to visit Mr. Khalil in detention, which will be the first time he will be able to see or hold his family since his arrest and transfer to Louisiana, over 10 weeks ago. As this Court well knows, Mr. Khalil is purportedly in civil immigration detention, where he cannot be subject to punishment or retaliation; yet currently, routine legal or family visits only occur in a confined space permitting muffled communication through a full plexiglass window that permits no human touch.

Petitioner's counsel have made repeated requests for a contact visit to occur between Mr.
Khalil and his wife and baby to the relevant ICE and GeoGroup administrators at the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena. Such a visit is necessary for the most elementary human reasons and given the ongoing strain of his pending habeas petition, this visit is critical to ensure Mr. Khalil, who is an active participant his legal case, can continue to meaningfully contribute to the proceedings before this Court.

The relevant administrators have responded that they are unable to accommodate this request, including a confirmation of this refusal this morning. (Email correspondence attached as Exhibit A). ICE policy authorizes contact visits between detained individuals and family members, subject to the reasonable discretion of DHS officials? The refusal to permit a contact visit is not reasonable and is further evidence of the retaliatory motive behind Mr. Khalil's arrest and faraway detention as well as the ongoing punitive nature of his detention. Petitioner, his wife and infant son are, as all the evidence in this case demonstrates, the farthest thing from a security risk It is the government who chose to detain Mr. Khalil and send him 1500 miles from his family rather than detain him, as they could have (and as we have requested in seeking a transfer there), in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where counsel confirmed with an EDC official that family contact visits are ordinarily provided on a daily basis and where a parent is permitted to hold their child. 3
In addition, a legal contact visit has been authorized for today between Mr. Khalil and his counsel, from 11-3pm CT. It thus appears the facility can accommodate contact visits absent a plexiglass barrier. Thus, the facility should make accommodations during or after this time for a private in-person visit where the family can be alone together for the first time. In addition, and at a minimum, counsel needs to meet with Petitioner …

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Asian Law Caucus @asianlawcaucus.org · Jun 3

On behalf of @jacl-national.bsky.social and 60+ organizations, @asianlawcaucus.org, @aaaj-aajc.bsky.social and the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality filed an amicus brief asking the court to preserve the essential right to due process and ensure judicial review of executive orders.

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jun 25

On the absurd DOJ argument that Mr. Abrego Garcia should be held in criminal custody because otherwise ICE might deport him, the judge notes that “At bottom, the Government asks the Court to save it from itself because it may suffer irreparable harm completely of its own making.”

Government emphasizes that absent a stay, it will incur the irreparable injury of
Abrego possibly facing deportation from the United States pursuant to the immigration detainer lodged against him by DHS. If deported, the Government argues, the Department of Justice will
be deprived of the opportunity to pursue its criminal charges against Abrego. (Doc. No. 46 at 4).
At bottom, the Government asks the Court to save it from itself because it may suffer irreparable harm completely of its own making. This contravenes basic legal understanding of what constitutes "irreparable" harm for this analysis. See Sampson v. Murray, 415 U.S. 61, 90 (1974)

The Government concedes that Abrego's impending deportation "would not be instantaneous." (Doc. No. 54 at 7). But this underscores who the Department of Justice should be
making these arguments to: DHS. If the Government finds this case to be as high priority as it
argues here, it is incumbent upon it to ensure that Abrego is held accountable for the charges in the Indictment. If the Department of Justice and DHS cannot do so, that speaks for itself.
Accordingly, this factor counsels against a stay, and all but dooms the Government's motion. See D.T. v. Sumner Cnty. Schs., 942 F.3d 324, 326-27 (6th Cir. 2019) ("even the strongest showing
on the other three factors cannot eliminate the irreparable harm requirement") (citation and
quotations omitted).

Reposted by Julian L. Simon, Robert S. Chang, Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche , and 1 more Julian L. Simon, Robert S. Chang, Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche, Sheila R. Foster

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Jun 23

Today’s unsigned, unexplained #SCOTUS ruling clearing the way for removals of migrants to third countries without any additional process is a disaster—not just on the merits, but because of the government misbehavior that it not only refuses to punish, but effectively rewards.

Me, via “One First”:

161. The Court's Disastrous Ruling in the Third-Country Removal Case

The majority did not just greenlight an especially odious immigration policy without any explanation; it did so in a case in which the government defied the district court—twice—with no consequence.

www.stevevladeck.com

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

AFT @aft.org · Jun 23

Does this make America safer?

ICE detains Marine Corps veteran's wife who was still breastfeeding their baby

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained the wife of a Marine Corps veteran in Louisiana during a routine immigration appointment in New Orleans.

apnews.com

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Jun 19

I'm reflecting on the 1965 debate between James Baldwin v. William F. Buckley Jr.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tek...

James Baldwin vs William F Buckley: A legendary debate from 1965

YouTube video by Aeon Video

www.youtube.com

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Jun 18

If nobody knows his plans, does that include himself?

Asking for the planet.

Reposted by Robert S. Chang, Gayle Kaufman

Florence Ashley @floralashes.bsky.social · Jun 18

The sheer level of logical contortion required to say that banning trans care “doesn’t exclude any individual from medical treatments on the basis of transgender status” is truly mind-blowing.

The Transfeminine Review @thetransfemininereview.com · Jun 18

Skirmetti just came back. 6-3 against healthcare for trans minors.

This is nauseating.

By the same token, SB1 does not exclude any individual from medi- cal treatments on the basis of transgender status. Rather, it removes one set of diagnoses-gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, and gender incongruence-from the range of treatable conditions. SB1 di- vides minors into two groups: those seeking puberty blockers or hor- mones to treat the excluded diagnoses, and those seeking puberty blockers or hormones to treat other conditions. While the first group includes only transgender individuals, the second encompasses both transgender and nontransgender individuals. Thus, although only transgender individuals seek treatment for gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, and gender incongruence-just as only biological women can become pregnant-there is a "lack of identity" between transgender status and the excluded diagnoses. Absent a showing that SB1's prohibitions are pretexts designed to effect invidious discrimina- tion against transgender individuals, the law does not classify on the basis of transgender status. Pp. 16-18.

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Democracy Forward @democracyforward.org · Jun 18

The SCOTUS decision in U.S. v Skrmetti is a devastating loss for transgender youth and their loved ones.

To the transgender community — you are not alone in this fight. We remain committed to ensuring all families can get the health care they need.

Reposted by Lawrence Lessig, Robert S. Chang, Sarah E. Gollust , and 1 more Lawrence Lessig, Robert S. Chang, Sarah E. Gollust, Peter Bergman

Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · Jun 18

Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.

Reposted by Linda J. Skitka, David M. Amodio, Robert S. Chang , and 1 more Linda J. Skitka, David M. Amodio, Robert S. Chang, John Palfrey

Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · Jun 16

"I have never seen a record where racial discrimination by the government is so palpable... Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?" Judge Young (Reagan appointee) ruling in our favor against Trump research cuts.

Read more of the Judge's fiery language: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/breaking-n...

NIH grant funding restored

Judge rules grant terminations on the basis of DEI and gender identity are discriminatory and illegal

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Scott Shapiro @scottjshapiro.bsky.social · Jun 12

What stage of capitalism is "Taking money from cancer research to pay for military vanity parade"?

Reposted by Jamie Morgan, Robert S. Chang, Melissa R. Michelson , and 3 more Jamie Morgan, Robert S. Chang, Melissa R. Michelson, Lena Näre, Ben Clift, Halley E. Froehlich

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · Jun 12

Sitting US Senator Alex Padilla forcibly wrestled to the ground and arrested by the FBI for attempting to ask a question of DHS secretary Kristin Noem.

Reposted by Robert S. Chang

Elected San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju 力儲文 @manorajupd.bsky.social · Jun 6

Please read this @dailyjournalcorp.bsky.social op-ed about our office’s unacceptably high atty caseloads & why we're limiting the # of new cases we take on. Thanks to @seattleulaw.bsky.social's Prof. Robert Boruchowitz & @korematsuctr.bsky.social's Prof. Robert S. Chang. tinyurl.com/PubDefDJ

Robert Chang @korematsuctr.bsky.social · Jun 5

Well - I had to cancel my ticket to see an early screening of the new John Wick spinoff this evening because of a last-minute amicus filing.

No regrets. I'll get to the theater in the next week or so to see the film. Working to fight executive overreach isn't something that can wait.

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