Balls & Strikes
@ballsandstrikes.org
A nonprofit media outlet for progressive, bullshit-free commentary about courts, judges, and the legal system they uphold. Run by @jaywillis.net.
Seems like a bad thing when the Speaker of the House has no earthly idea how the Fourth Amendment works
Mike Johnson Is Very Annoyed By the Fourth Amendment’s Existence
For a constitutional lawyer, the House Speaker sounds alarmingly unfamiliar with how the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement works.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Seems like a bad thing when the Speaker of the House has no earthly idea how the Fourth Amendment works
"Join us in the fight against censorship," says the company preparing to publish a book from the Supreme Court's preeminent reactionary censorship enthusiast
Sam Alito’s Publisher Wants You to Buy the Children’s Books He Just Made It Easier to Ban
The author of Mahmoud v. Taylor is writing a book for a publisher that calls the push to ban books with LGBTQ characters an attack on “one of the most important foundations of a free society.”
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:12 PM
"Join us in the fight against censorship," says the company preparing to publish a book from the Supreme Court's preeminent reactionary censorship enthusiast
Come, let us tell you about some sad little cowards
Trump Is Building a Federal Judiciary of Delusional, Cowardly Loyalists
Judges have to decide cases based on facts. For Trump judges, the only facts that matter are the ones that he authorizes them to believe.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 9, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Come, let us tell you about some sad little cowards
Judges have to decide cases based on facts. For Trump judges, the only facts that matter are the ones that he authorizes them to believe.
Trump Is Building a Federal Judiciary of Delusional, Cowardly Loyalists
Judges have to decide cases based on facts. For Trump judges, the only facts that matter are the ones that he authorizes them to believe.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Judges have to decide cases based on facts. For Trump judges, the only facts that matter are the ones that he authorizes them to believe.
The Supreme Court is doing more of its work in secret than ever before. It also really, really doesn't want you asking any questions about it
John Roberts Does Not Want You Finding Out How the Supreme Court Actually Works
The six-justice conservative supermajority is taking aggressive steps to ensure that the public remains in the dark about how the Supreme Court functions.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:12 PM
The Supreme Court is doing more of its work in secret than ever before. It also really, really doesn't want you asking any questions about it
DOJ lawyers are now begging federal judges to hold them in contempt of court so that they can get som rest
Exhausted DOJ Lawyer to Federal Judge: “What Do You Want Me to Do? This Job Sucks”
The Trump administration cannot find enough lawyers who are willing and able to defend its fascism in court.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:05 PM
DOJ lawyers are now begging federal judges to hold them in contempt of court so that they can get som rest
Is it good or bad when government lawyers are in federal court telling judges that their jobs suck and begging for a full night's sleep
Exhausted DOJ Lawyer to Federal Judge: “What Do You Want Me to Do? This Job Sucks”
The Trump administration cannot find enough lawyers who are willing and able to defend its fascism in court.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 4, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Is it good or bad when government lawyers are in federal court telling judges that their jobs suck and begging for a full night's sleep
Things are going well for democracy when a senator is comparing judicial nominees to "monkeys and puppets" because none of them are capable of acknowledging reality
Trump Is Building a Federal Judiciary of Delusional, Cowardly Loyalists
Judges have to decide cases based on facts. For Trump judges, the only facts that matter are the ones that he authorizes them to believe.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 4, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Things are going well for democracy when a senator is comparing judicial nominees to "monkeys and puppets" because none of them are capable of acknowledging reality
Probably it's a healthy sign for democracy when the highest court is making its employees sign nondisclosure agreements about how the court works
John Roberts Does Not Want You Finding Out How the Supreme Court Actually Works
The six-justice conservative supermajority is taking aggressive steps to ensure that the public remains in the dark about how the Supreme Court functions.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Probably it's a healthy sign for democracy when the highest court is making its employees sign nondisclosure agreements about how the court works
'On the national stage, Republican lawmakers treat Court expansion as a fringe idea tantamount to cheating. In Republican-controlled states, that same maneuver is becoming routine, stripped of the Ted Cruz-style moral outrage that accompanies it in Washington."
Republicans Love Supreme Court Expansion When It Gets Them What They Want
When it comes to state supreme courts, Republican politicians have been happy to add (or subtract) justices as they see fit.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:45 PM
'On the national stage, Republican lawmakers treat Court expansion as a fringe idea tantamount to cheating. In Republican-controlled states, that same maneuver is becoming routine, stripped of the Ted Cruz-style moral outrage that accompanies it in Washington."
The Supreme Court's expanded use of the shadow docket means that the public knows less about the Court's decisions than ever before, and even that level of secrecy isn't enough for John Roberts
John Roberts Does Not Want You Finding Out How the Supreme Court Actually Works
The six-justice conservative supermajority is taking aggressive steps to ensure that the public remains in the dark about how the Supreme Court functions.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 3, 2026 at 11:49 PM
The Supreme Court's expanded use of the shadow docket means that the public knows less about the Court's decisions than ever before, and even that level of secrecy isn't enough for John Roberts
Republicans do NOT like Supreme Court expansion (bad, political) but LOVE expanding state supreme courts that issue rulings that Republicans don't like (noble, just)
Republicans Love Supreme Court Expansion When It Gets Them What They Want
When it comes to state supreme courts, Republican politicians have been happy to add (or subtract) justices as they see fit.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Republicans do NOT like Supreme Court expansion (bad, political) but LOVE expanding state supreme courts that issue rulings that Republicans don't like (noble, just)
The arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort not only infringe their First Amendment rights, but also prevent the public from learning about the federal government’s violent lawlessness.
The Trump Administration Is Trying to Prosecute Its Way Out of Bad Media Coverage
The arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort threaten more than just their First Amendment rights as journalists.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 3, 2026 at 12:45 PM
The arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort not only infringe their First Amendment rights, but also prevent the public from learning about the federal government’s violent lawlessness.
Reposted by Balls & Strikes
in honor of Ed Martin's latest demotion, let's remember his stint as interim U.S. Attorney for DC (yes, bitch lost out to Jeanine Pirro) during which time he threatened Democratic lawmakers with prosecution for the crimes of criticizing Donald Trump and Elon Musk
ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...
ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...
February 2, 2026 at 10:41 PM
in honor of Ed Martin's latest demotion, let's remember his stint as interim U.S. Attorney for DC (yes, bitch lost out to Jeanine Pirro) during which time he threatened Democratic lawmakers with prosecution for the crimes of criticizing Donald Trump and Elon Musk
ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...
ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...
We are getting closer than ever to an originalist law professor just being like "I will find whatever half-baked history is best for the conservative legal movement"
The Legal Academy’s Leading Originalists Remain Breathtakingly Full of Shit
The conservative lawyers filing amicus briefs in the birthright citizenship case are making it very clear that there is only some “history” they care about.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 2, 2026 at 9:38 PM
We are getting closer than ever to an originalist law professor just being like "I will find whatever half-baked history is best for the conservative legal movement"
So Pam Bondi's plan for making Trump look good is apparently "let's arrest journalists whose work shows the bad things he's doing"
The Trump Administration Is Trying to Prosecute Its Way Out of Bad Media Coverage
The arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort threaten more than just their First Amendment rights as journalists.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 2, 2026 at 7:26 PM
So Pam Bondi's plan for making Trump look good is apparently "let's arrest journalists whose work shows the bad things he's doing"
One of the many problems with the modern Supreme Court is that the conservative justices spend basically all of their time telling each other how good and correct they are
John Roberts Lost the Thread
A New York Times report on John Roberts's treatment of the Trump immunity case shows how insular the conservative justices' world has become.
ballsandstrikes.org
February 2, 2026 at 5:13 PM
One of the many problems with the modern Supreme Court is that the conservative justices spend basically all of their time telling each other how good and correct they are
The "originalist" amicus briefs that rewrite the Fourteenth Amendment here, and they are (sorry for the legal jargon) very stupid
The Legal Academy’s Leading Originalists Remain Breathtakingly Full of Shit
The conservative lawyers filing amicus briefs in the birthright citizenship case are making it very clear that there is only some “history” they care about.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 30, 2026 at 3:05 PM
The "originalist" amicus briefs that rewrite the Fourteenth Amendment here, and they are (sorry for the legal jargon) very stupid
"My neighbors have shown that the people of this country care about democracy enough to fight for it. We deserve a legal system that shares these values, instead of one that rejects them."
“The People of Minnesota Are Stronger Than the Federal Government That Seeks to Break Us”
The legal system empowered Trump’s ICE rampage. It is people who have the power to stop it.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 30, 2026 at 12:45 PM
"My neighbors have shown that the people of this country care about democracy enough to fight for it. We deserve a legal system that shares these values, instead of one that rejects them."
We do not mean to shock you here you but a new crop of "originalist" law professors are showing their collective ass in public
The Legal Academy’s Leading Originalists Remain Breathtakingly Full of Shit
The conservative lawyers filing amicus briefs in the birthright citizenship case are making it very clear that there is only some “history” they care about.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:38 PM
We do not mean to shock you here you but a new crop of "originalist" law professors are showing their collective ass in public
We are getting perilously close to a Supreme Court opinion that constitutionalizes a Presidential Posting Theory of the Due Process Clause
Trump to Supreme Court: Posting On Truth Social Is Due Process, If You Think About It
The justices confront some of the more unsettling implications of this era of government by right-wing influencer.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:26 PM
We are getting perilously close to a Supreme Court opinion that constitutionalizes a Presidential Posting Theory of the Due Process Clause
Conservative activist groups think judicial education is VERY important, but NOT when the subject is climate science
Republicans Lawmakers Are Very Upset That Judges Might Learn Things Republican Lawmakers Don’t Like
The conservative legal movement really, really does not want federal judges learning basic facts about climate science.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 29, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Conservative activist groups think judicial education is VERY important, but NOT when the subject is climate science
Nothing makes Pam Bondi more excited than a chance to push her boss's stolen election lies one more time
Pam Bondi Tries to Use Alex Pretti’s Murder to Push Trump’s Stolen Election Lies
Her demand that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz turn over the state’s voter rolls is effectively a ransom note printed on Justice Department letterhead.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 29, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Nothing makes Pam Bondi more excited than a chance to push her boss's stolen election lies one more time
The legal system didn't protect Minneapolis from Trump's ICE rampage. But ordinary people stepped up to do the work.
“The People of Minnesota Are Stronger Than the Federal Government That Seeks to Break Us”
The legal system empowered Trump’s ICE rampage. It is people who have the power to stop it.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 29, 2026 at 12:45 PM
The legal system didn't protect Minneapolis from Trump's ICE rampage. But ordinary people stepped up to do the work.
Pam Bondi has turned the Department of Justice into a legal hit squad that does whatever Trump orders her to do
Pam Bondi Tries to Use Alex Pretti’s Murder to Push Trump’s Stolen Election Lies
Her demand that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz turn over the state’s voter rolls is effectively a ransom note printed on Justice Department letterhead.
ballsandstrikes.org
January 28, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Pam Bondi has turned the Department of Justice into a legal hit squad that does whatever Trump orders her to do