Cathy Gellis
@cathygellis.bsky.social
Lawyer, writer, all-around-great person
I mostly post about technology, law, and civil liberties (especially free speech), and how they intersect. And mostly at Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/cathy/
I also post silly things too.
I mostly post about technology, law, and civil liberties (especially free speech), and how they intersect. And mostly at Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/cathy/
I also post silly things too.
Pinned
Cathy Gellis
@cathygellis.bsky.social
· Jan 3
Oaths Of Office, And How Everyone Not Moving To Impeach Trump Is Violating Their Own
Until very recently the only member of Congress excused from not having moved to impeach Trump was Rep. Grijalva, because until someone swore her in there was nothing she could officially do. But f…
www.techdirt.com
A reminder: any member of Congress not impeaching is violating their own oath of office.
It's not optional.
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/26/o...
It's not optional.
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/26/o...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
“CBS LA: Video shows immigration agents clashing with protesters in Ventura County”
This ICE-hole picked up this small woman in a hat and dress, then slammed her on the concrete. Then, when a male bystander tried to help her, they blasted him with pepper spray!
#FuckICE #ProudBlue #ICE
This ICE-hole picked up this small woman in a hat and dress, then slammed her on the concrete. Then, when a male bystander tried to help her, they blasted him with pepper spray!
#FuckICE #ProudBlue #ICE
February 7, 2026 at 3:44 AM
“CBS LA: Video shows immigration agents clashing with protesters in Ventura County”
This ICE-hole picked up this small woman in a hat and dress, then slammed her on the concrete. Then, when a male bystander tried to help her, they blasted him with pepper spray!
#FuckICE #ProudBlue #ICE
This ICE-hole picked up this small woman in a hat and dress, then slammed her on the concrete. Then, when a male bystander tried to help her, they blasted him with pepper spray!
#FuckICE #ProudBlue #ICE
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
If you think the 5th Cir. decision will only cause folks who entered illegally to be detained with no due process and no remedy (which is unconscionable on its own), you have not been paying attention.
They are going to try to normalize mass warrantless detentions of EVERYONE they want detained.
They are going to try to normalize mass warrantless detentions of EVERYONE they want detained.
February 7, 2026 at 4:11 AM
If you think the 5th Cir. decision will only cause folks who entered illegally to be detained with no due process and no remedy (which is unconscionable on its own), you have not been paying attention.
They are going to try to normalize mass warrantless detentions of EVERYONE they want detained.
They are going to try to normalize mass warrantless detentions of EVERYONE they want detained.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Update: They succeeded: www.mississippifreepress.org/byhalia-ice-...
February 7, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Update: They succeeded: www.mississippifreepress.org/byhalia-ice-...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
I hate that my reaction to "the guy in charge of American public health dug for fossils illegally on tribal lands with notorious pedophiles" is
yeah, sounds about right
yeah, sounds about right
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went hunting for dinosaur bones in the Dakotas with child sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
RFK Jr.’s Bizarre Trip With Epstein and Ghislaine Exposed in Files
The trip took place on a Native reservation where collecting fossils without explicit tribal permission is considered looting.
trib.al
February 7, 2026 at 2:42 AM
I hate that my reaction to "the guy in charge of American public health dug for fossils illegally on tribal lands with notorious pedophiles" is
yeah, sounds about right
yeah, sounds about right
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
People who were raised Catholic understand this implicitly. We welcome the stranger and lift them up. Government has its place, but it doesn't displace our humanity.
The archbishop of Santa Fe takes on Speaker Mike Johnson theologically corrupt justification of Trump's secret police tactics against immigrants: " it is deeply concerning when theological language and sacred texts are used to diminish the fundamental dignity of human beings created in the image of
February 7, 2026 at 4:19 AM
People who were raised Catholic understand this implicitly. We welcome the stranger and lift them up. Government has its place, but it doesn't displace our humanity.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Lead pollster of Rasmussen tonight
February 7, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Lead pollster of Rasmussen tonight
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Eliminating ICE is the modern equivalent of opposing the Iraq War, and right now there are two types of Democrats: those who can see where the ball is moving and go to it, and those who will be swept away because they refused to do so.
“I would rather you vote for what is morally correct,” Davidson said.
“Don’t talk to me about my own morality,” DeLauro shot back.
“Don’t tell your constituents what they can and can’t talk to you about,” replied Rev. Nathan Empsall. “What you are voting for is not moral.”
“Don’t talk to me about my own morality,” DeLauro shot back.
“Don’t tell your constituents what they can and can’t talk to you about,” replied Rev. Nathan Empsall. “What you are voting for is not moral.”
DeLauro to pressing clergy: 'I will not vote to abolish ICE'
The Connecticut U.S. representative found herself at odds with faith leaders.
www.ctpublic.org
February 7, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Eliminating ICE is the modern equivalent of opposing the Iraq War, and right now there are two types of Democrats: those who can see where the ball is moving and go to it, and those who will be swept away because they refused to do so.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
This is actually a hilarious trap and the orange boy just sort of wandered right into it.
Reporter: You frequently criticized Biden for not knowing what was going on in his name, this racist video that was posted on your social media—
Trump: You don’t know what’s going on. I know what’s going on. We know everything.
Trump: You don’t know what’s going on. I know what’s going on. We know everything.
February 7, 2026 at 3:46 AM
This is actually a hilarious trap and the orange boy just sort of wandered right into it.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
In an amicus brief submitted by the MacArthur Justice Center at the Fifth Circuit, immigration law scholars explained quite plainly what was going on here: www.macarthurjustice.org/wp-content/u...
February 7, 2026 at 3:48 AM
In an amicus brief submitted by the MacArthur Justice Center at the Fifth Circuit, immigration law scholars explained quite plainly what was going on here: www.macarthurjustice.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
February 2025: Susan Collins votes to confirm RFK Jr. as Secretary of HHS.
February 2026: Maine has its first case of measles in 7 years.
wgme.com/news/local/m...
February 2026: Maine has its first case of measles in 7 years.
wgme.com/news/local/m...
Maine records first confirmed case of measles since 2019
Maine’s first measles case since 2019 has been confirmed by the Maine CDC as two new outbreaks have been reported nationwide this year.
wgme.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:24 AM
February 2025: Susan Collins votes to confirm RFK Jr. as Secretary of HHS.
February 2026: Maine has its first case of measles in 7 years.
wgme.com/news/local/m...
February 2026: Maine has its first case of measles in 7 years.
wgme.com/news/local/m...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Judge DOUGLAS' dissent says the result from the 5th circuit could not possibly be what Congress intended when it passed the 1996 law the administration is now using for its mass detention strategy. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
February 7, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Judge DOUGLAS' dissent says the result from the 5th circuit could not possibly be what Congress intended when it passed the 1996 law the administration is now using for its mass detention strategy. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
AWFUL news tonight. This blesses the “mandatory” detention in the 5th Circuit without bond (and little chance at habeas) of every undocumented immigrant who originally entered across the border, no matter how many decades in the past.
It will fuel ICE’s push to transfer people to Texas immediately.
It will fuel ICE’s push to transfer people to Texas immediately.
BREAKING: A 5th Circuit panel has backed ICE's mass detention policy, a decision that clears the way for the administration to lock up people who are in immigration proceedings
It's a 2-1 ruling
Majority: Jones (Reagan), Duncan (Trump)
Minority: Douglas (Obama)
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
It's a 2-1 ruling
Majority: Jones (Reagan), Duncan (Trump)
Minority: Douglas (Obama)
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
February 7, 2026 at 3:20 AM
AWFUL news tonight. This blesses the “mandatory” detention in the 5th Circuit without bond (and little chance at habeas) of every undocumented immigrant who originally entered across the border, no matter how many decades in the past.
It will fuel ICE’s push to transfer people to Texas immediately.
It will fuel ICE’s push to transfer people to Texas immediately.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
“Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York ordered the federal government to unlock the billions in federal grants to the program, as the case proceeds through the courts. If the Trump administration complies, the project could soon restart construction.”
U.S. Judge Says Trump Cannot Halt Funding for Tunnel Project
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:10 AM
“Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York ordered the federal government to unlock the billions in federal grants to the program, as the case proceeds through the courts. If the Trump administration complies, the project could soon restart construction.”
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
one of the greatest human triumphs of my lifetime is the relentless, unceasing, heroic effort by DECADES' worth of doctors and scientists to find a cure for a disease much of the world didn't take seriously for years because it predominantly affected a community they thought kinda deserved it
Just because good news is worth celebrating:
There is now a Prep medication that is an *every six month* injection.
HIV has, effectively, a vaccination.
There is now a Prep medication that is an *every six month* injection.
HIV has, effectively, a vaccination.
February 7, 2026 at 1:37 AM
one of the greatest human triumphs of my lifetime is the relentless, unceasing, heroic effort by DECADES' worth of doctors and scientists to find a cure for a disease much of the world didn't take seriously for years because it predominantly affected a community they thought kinda deserved it
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
JD Vance is a worthless piece of shit. What a jackass. Why is he even there?
American star Alysa Liu overcame a delay en route to the Milano Skating Arena caused by Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade and finished second in the women’s short program at the Olympics team event.
“We almost didn’t make it,” her coach said.
“We almost didn’t make it,” her coach said.
Nothing could stop the U.S. figure skating team. Not even JD Vance’s motorcade.
Alysa Liu and world champion dance team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates have the Americans leading the team event after day one.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:43 AM
JD Vance is a worthless piece of shit. What a jackass. Why is he even there?
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
So about TrumpRx: We crunched the numbers today and about half of the drugs on there have cheaper generics available already. www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/t...
February 6, 2026 at 11:09 PM
So about TrumpRx: We crunched the numbers today and about half of the drugs on there have cheaper generics available already. www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/t...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
February 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
This may be my last story for the Post. Here is an archive version, free to all. archive.is/2026.02.06-2...
February 7, 2026 at 1:56 AM
This may be my last story for the Post. Here is an archive version, free to all. archive.is/2026.02.06-2...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Nice shot/chaser setup here from NYT
February 7, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Nice shot/chaser setup here from NYT
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
‘Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, talking often about her weeks in Texas and the workers who watched over her.
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
February 7, 2026 at 1:48 AM
‘Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, talking often about her weeks in Texas and the workers who watched over her.
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Metry and her husband of 4 years go to DHS to get their I-130 in motion. "Good news" a DHS employee told them, the form to start her naturalization was approved.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
EXCLUSIVE: Terez Metry was 13 when her family fled to Tennessee from Egypt in 2011. Then, they left her behind. She only recently discovered she had an order of removal from 2011. But she was following the legal path to citizenship. On Monday, at a routine DHS meeting, Metry was detained.
Immigration process turns sour for an Antioch woman - Nashville Banner
Terez Metry, a dental assistant in Middle Tennessee with no criminal history, was detained by ICE during an interview as she followed legal steps toward citizenship.
nashvillebanner.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Metry and her husband of 4 years go to DHS to get their I-130 in motion. "Good news" a DHS employee told them, the form to start her naturalization was approved.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Watch them justify this by asking if people would prefer that they shot the husband, as if those are the only two options.
Metry and her husband of 4 years go to DHS to get their I-130 in motion. "Good news" a DHS employee told them, the form to start her naturalization was approved.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
DHS employee asks the husband to follow him through a secure door. When it locks behind him, ICE detains his wife to deport her.
EXCLUSIVE: Terez Metry was 13 when her family fled to Tennessee from Egypt in 2011. Then, they left her behind. She only recently discovered she had an order of removal from 2011. But she was following the legal path to citizenship. On Monday, at a routine DHS meeting, Metry was detained.
February 7, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Watch them justify this by asking if people would prefer that they shot the husband, as if those are the only two options.