Alex Botoman
@abotoman.bsky.social
Appellate public defender, tennis umpire, member of U.S. Soccer’s Fan Council, former SID
Imagine how far that money could go if it were invested in training officers not to commit misconduct and developing accountability systems to weed out those who do
Chicago must borrow $283.3 million to cover the soaring cost of lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including wrongful convictions and improper pursuits — as part of the city’s 2026 budget, Mayor Johnson said. https://to.wttw.com/4qZOXYt
Chicago Set to Borrow $283.3M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits
It will likely cost Chicago taxpayers approximately $52 million in interest to borrow that money and pay off during the next five years, according to estimates provided to the Chicago City Council by ...
to.wttw.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Imagine how far that money could go if it were invested in training officers not to commit misconduct and developing accountability systems to weed out those who do
Update: this opinion has now been called en banc cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
November 11, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Update: this opinion has now been called en banc cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
Put this one in the public defense annals
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office later confirmed that the man was one of its investigators and had lawfully served Altman
"Altman was subpoenaed as a potential witness in a pending criminal case” after several prior attempts to reach him at OpenAI’s HQ and through its online portal
"Altman was subpoenaed as a potential witness in a pending criminal case” after several prior attempts to reach him at OpenAI’s HQ and through its online portal
November 8, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Put this one in the public defense annals
Ninth Circuit oddity from today: the court granted a request to publish an opinion in a case that was decided by a “screening panel.” I cannot remember the last time this happened cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Ninth Circuit oddity from today: the court granted a request to publish an opinion in a case that was decided by a “screening panel.” I cannot remember the last time this happened cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
I may be old school, but I thought it was appropriate for a judge to be an “inquisitor” when the question was whether her orders were being complied with
The 7th Circuit says Judge Sara Ellis put herself "in the position of an inquisitor rather than that of a neutral adjudicator."
And, the meetings with Greg Bovino "sets the court up as a supervisor of Chief Bovino's activities."
And, the meetings with Greg Bovino "sets the court up as a supervisor of Chief Bovino's activities."
#BREAKING The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sides against U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who had asked Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino to appear in her Chicago courtroom on a daily basis.
The appeals court finds that her order "infringes on the separation of powers."
The appeals court finds that her order "infringes on the separation of powers."
October 31, 2025 at 9:32 PM
I may be old school, but I thought it was appropriate for a judge to be an “inquisitor” when the question was whether her orders were being complied with
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Struggling to imagine the chutzpah it takes to say that someone "doesn't understand New York culture" because they're an immigrant.
So here's Andrew Cuomo reacting to Maria Bartiromo wondering if Mamdani will "change the look of New York" and have Muslim women "completely covered up," telling her that Mamdani "doesn't understand New York culture" because he has "dual citizenship" and "he's a citizen of Uganda."
October 29, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Struggling to imagine the chutzpah it takes to say that someone "doesn't understand New York culture" because they're an immigrant.
They are charging a congressional candidate for protesting. Wake up, everyone
Here is the Broadview protest indictment. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
indictment – #1 in United States v. Rabbitt (N.D. Ill., 1:25-cr-00693) – CourtListener.com
INDICTMENT as to Michael Rabbitt (1) count(s) 1, 2, Katherine Marie Abughazaleh (2) count(s) 1, 3, Andre Martin (3) count(s) 1, 4, Catherine Sharp (4) count(s) 1, 5, Brian Straw (5) count(s) 1, 6, Jos...
storage.courtlistener.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:20 PM
They are charging a congressional candidate for protesting. Wake up, everyone
The Ninth Circuit grants rehearing en banc in the Oregon National Guard case
October 29, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The Ninth Circuit grants rehearing en banc in the Oregon National Guard case
The people I work with do great things, x a million
Oh nooooo!!!!!!
The government has decided that it is not in their interests to explain to the judge whether they knew the "victim" here had a criminal record.
Holy hell public defenders might gets us thru this shite.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
The government has decided that it is not in their interests to explain to the judge whether they knew the "victim" here had a criminal record.
Holy hell public defenders might gets us thru this shite.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
October 28, 2025 at 1:45 AM
The people I work with do great things, x a million
Appreciate that @charliesavage.bsky.social is willing to tell it how it is, without lazy both-sideism
"The irreversible gravity of killing, coupled with the lack of a substantive legal justification, is bringing into sharper view a structural weakness of law as a check on the American presidency."
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
{ gift link } www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/u...
The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Appreciate that @charliesavage.bsky.social is willing to tell it how it is, without lazy both-sideism
Trying to arrest someone through a window without a warrant, over the objections of the homeowner, is an obvious Fourth Amendment violation
In video provided exclusively to MSNBC's The Weekend: Primetime, immigration agents are seen attempting to pull a man out a window of a Chicago home. Agents also jumped a fence into the locked backyard and manhandled people doing work. Hear from the homeowner tonight on The Weekend: Primetime.
October 25, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Trying to arrest someone through a window without a warrant, over the objections of the homeowner, is an obvious Fourth Amendment violation
This is quite an opinion the Ninth Circuit issued last night accusing its own clerk’s office of engaging in a “manifestly unlawful” practice. I have never seen a judge, much less a panel of 3 of them, write so harshly toward the Court’s own staff. cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov
October 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This is quite an opinion the Ninth Circuit issued last night accusing its own clerk’s office of engaging in a “manifestly unlawful” practice. I have never seen a judge, much less a panel of 3 of them, write so harshly toward the Court’s own staff. cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
This order seems somewhat unusual in that it did not come until 4 days after the en banc call, and 2 days after the briefs were filed, during which there were almost certainly memos exchanged internally about whether to go en banc. Maybe a weak signal the en banc call has legs?
BREAKING: The Ninth Circuit administratively stays the panel’s 2-1 order staying the initial TRO in Oregon v. Trump through 5p PT Tuesday. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
The initial Oregon TRO is not stayed.
A resolution on en banc consideration is expected(?) to happen by 5p Tuesday.
The initial Oregon TRO is not stayed.
A resolution on en banc consideration is expected(?) to happen by 5p Tuesday.
October 25, 2025 at 12:43 AM
This order seems somewhat unusual in that it did not come until 4 days after the en banc call, and 2 days after the briefs were filed, during which there were almost certainly memos exchanged internally about whether to go en banc. Maybe a weak signal the en banc call has legs?
Reposted by Alex Botoman
So it's now 5 days past the Saturday "No Kings" rallies. Did the NYT still not do an extensive, front-page story on one of the largest single-day protests in U.S. history?
October 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
So it's now 5 days past the Saturday "No Kings" rallies. Did the NYT still not do an extensive, front-page story on one of the largest single-day protests in U.S. history?
They arrested this guy?? Ludicrous
The DC ACLU is suing on behalf of a man who was arrested by a National Guardsman and MPD officers for playing the Imperial March (from Star Wars) as an act of protest. www.acludc.org/app/uploads/...
October 23, 2025 at 1:46 PM
They arrested this guy?? Ludicrous
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Almost like we founded the entire country on opposing this exact sentence.
October 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Almost like we founded the entire country on opposing this exact sentence.
Reposted by Alex Botoman
do people still not know what comes after "a few bad apples" in the aphorism
The New York governor swiftly dismissed talk of "some bad apples" among leaders of the Young Republicans groups.
'This Bulls**t Has To Stop!': Kathy Hochul Takes On GOP Over Young Republicans Report
The New York governor swiftly dismissed talk of "some bad apples" among leaders of the Young Republicans groups.
www.huffpost.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:01 AM
do people still not know what comes after "a few bad apples" in the aphorism
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Every other federal judge has a larger docket, generates greater output, doesn't take summers off, and manages to properly issue preliminary decisions without creating this confusion.
Amy Coney Barrett defends heavy use of the shadow docket: "If we wrote a long opinion, it might give the impression that we have finally resolved the issue, and in none of these cases have we finally resolved the issue."
October 12, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Every other federal judge has a larger docket, generates greater output, doesn't take summers off, and manages to properly issue preliminary decisions without creating this confusion.
The en banc Ninth Circuit took the first big chunk out of its anti-SLAPP precedent, overruling precedent that had allowed interlocutory appeals of denials of anti-SLAPP motions cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov
October 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
The en banc Ninth Circuit took the first big chunk out of its anti-SLAPP precedent, overruling precedent that had allowed interlocutory appeals of denials of anti-SLAPP motions cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...
Reposted by Alex Botoman
It's fascinating to watch originalists insist that the intention of the Founders was to create an all-powerful executive with near-plenary authority over the entire government only a few years after fighting the American Revolution
October 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
It's fascinating to watch originalists insist that the intention of the Founders was to create an all-powerful executive with near-plenary authority over the entire government only a few years after fighting the American Revolution
Reposted by Alex Botoman
Stacking layers of unreasoned decisions on top of each other would be so obviously unjudicial if done by any other court
From Friday's #SCOTUS ruling in the Venezuela TPS case: "Although the posture of the case has changed, the parties’ legal arguments and relative harms generally have not. The same result that we reached in May is appropriate here."
One problem: the May ruling didn't *analyze* those arguments/harms:
One problem: the May ruling didn't *analyze* those arguments/harms:
October 4, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Stacking layers of unreasoned decisions on top of each other would be so obviously unjudicial if done by any other court
The unitary executive!
“Mr. Trump was first told of the cuts by Ms. Hochul during a phone call on Sunday evening, according to three people with knowledge of the conversation.”
Trump Administration Reverses $187 Million in N.Y. Counterterrorism Cuts
www.nytimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The unitary executive!
Reposted by Alex Botoman
It is really funny that Jimmy Kimmel Live showed more moral fortitude and adherence to a system of values than Columbia University
September 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
It is really funny that Jimmy Kimmel Live showed more moral fortitude and adherence to a system of values than Columbia University
Reposted by Alex Botoman
If you won’t become a cop because you’d have to identify yourself and be subject to prosecution for any crimes you commit, I don’t want you becoming a cop.
In response to California passing a law limiting law enforcement officers' ability to conceal their identities, the president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California contends that police are not subject to democratic control.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
September 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM
If you won’t become a cop because you’d have to identify yourself and be subject to prosecution for any crimes you commit, I don’t want you becoming a cop.