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
I am very excited for Bad Bunny and a little bit dreading what awful racist shit the awful racist man in the partially destroyed White House will say about it.
And it’s insane that we even have to consider how awful and racist the president will be in response to a Super Bowl halftime show.
And it’s insane that we even have to consider how awful and racist the president will be in response to a Super Bowl halftime show.
February 8, 2026 at 2:10 PM
I am very excited for Bad Bunny and a little bit dreading what awful racist shit the awful racist man in the partially destroyed White House will say about it.
And it’s insane that we even have to consider how awful and racist the president will be in response to a Super Bowl halftime show.
And it’s insane that we even have to consider how awful and racist the president will be in response to a Super Bowl halftime show.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
My latest on Substack on why understanding who is in the Epstein files matters for accountability, even if they don't warrant criminal charges. asharangappa.substack.com/p/when-shame...
When Shame Sanctions Are Necessary
The punishment needs to fit the "crime."
asharangappa.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:47 PM
My latest on Substack on why understanding who is in the Epstein files matters for accountability, even if they don't warrant criminal charges. asharangappa.substack.com/p/when-shame...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
On the bright side: ecancer.org/en/news/2598...
Discovery of molecular switch that reverses cancerous transformation at the critical moment of transition - ecancer
Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho’s research team has recently been highlighted for their work on developing an original technology for cancer reversal treatment t
ecancer.org
February 8, 2026 at 1:32 PM
On the bright side: ecancer.org/en/news/2598...
There was one day when you lost 10% of your subscribers. Yet somehow that data didn't provide a big enough hint for what you should or shouldn't be doing with your paper?
Jeff Bezos' statement, his first since last week's layoffs: "The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
February 8, 2026 at 1:57 PM
There was one day when you lost 10% of your subscribers. Yet somehow that data didn't provide a big enough hint for what you should or shouldn't be doing with your paper?
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
The current president has made almost 4 billion dollars since he was voted in office 🙃 This episode breaks down how he made that money and how it compares to other presidents.
www.npr.org/2026/02/08/n...
www.npr.org/2026/02/08/n...
How the Presidency is Making Trump Richer : Up First from NPR
Before President Donald Trump’s first term, he was in a “tight spot” financially, according to New Yorker writer David Kirkpatrick. At the start of his second term, Kirkpatrick says, Trump was in an “...
www.npr.org
February 8, 2026 at 1:30 PM
The current president has made almost 4 billion dollars since he was voted in office 🙃 This episode breaks down how he made that money and how it compares to other presidents.
www.npr.org/2026/02/08/n...
www.npr.org/2026/02/08/n...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
MY KIDS: so why are there muppets in the AUDIENCE
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
February 8, 2026 at 6:22 AM
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
maybe it was better when cars were simpler and broke all the time. it gave a lot of guys something to do
February 8, 2026 at 1:36 PM
maybe it was better when cars were simpler and broke all the time. it gave a lot of guys something to do
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
I did convey how over the course of US history the protection & coverage of legal citizenship shifted arbitrarily to cover & uncover different groups based on politics. But I could only explain it via a book that took me 16 years to write. Pre-order now for March 24 delivery. More: shorturl.at/qZXae
February 7, 2026 at 12:39 PM
I did convey how over the course of US history the protection & coverage of legal citizenship shifted arbitrarily to cover & uncover different groups based on politics. But I could only explain it via a book that took me 16 years to write. Pre-order now for March 24 delivery. More: shorturl.at/qZXae
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
I went to college in Northfield. It makes me so sad and angry to know that my friends' communities are being terrorized by our own government.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
As immigration crackdown spreads beyond Minneapolis, the small town of Northfield resists
Much of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is concentrated in Minneapolis and surrounding cities. But federal agents are making arrests across Minnesota and community members are banding...
www.mprnews.org
February 8, 2026 at 1:32 PM
I went to college in Northfield. It makes me so sad and angry to know that my friends' communities are being terrorized by our own government.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
The media moved on when trump said he had a new tone because as the constitution states the president is the editor in chief of all news outlets
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The media moved on when trump said he had a new tone because as the constitution states the president is the editor in chief of all news outlets
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
A simple proposal for federal judges frustrated that Trump Regime isn’t freeing people in response to habeas corpus orders:
Order that DHS bring each individual to court for their habeas hearing. If the judge grants habeas, the petitioner walks out free.
Bonus: huge pre-hearing burden on feds.
Order that DHS bring each individual to court for their habeas hearing. If the judge grants habeas, the petitioner walks out free.
Bonus: huge pre-hearing burden on feds.
February 8, 2026 at 11:19 AM
A simple proposal for federal judges frustrated that Trump Regime isn’t freeing people in response to habeas corpus orders:
Order that DHS bring each individual to court for their habeas hearing. If the judge grants habeas, the petitioner walks out free.
Bonus: huge pre-hearing burden on feds.
Order that DHS bring each individual to court for their habeas hearing. If the judge grants habeas, the petitioner walks out free.
Bonus: huge pre-hearing burden on feds.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
And never forget. These are asylum seekers. This is what the USA is doing to the most vulnerable people on the planet who we promised to protect.
Concentration camps: stories of as many as 50 people to a cell — men and women in some cases — with no windows and limited airflow, a single camera-monitored toilet, aluminum blankets, no showers and poor quality food.
ICE detainees from Maine being held under ‘inhumane’ conditions in Mass. facility, attorneys say
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said the allegations of overcrowding and lack of access to lawyers are false.
www.pressherald.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:42 PM
And never forget. These are asylum seekers. This is what the USA is doing to the most vulnerable people on the planet who we promised to protect.
Absolutely reprehensible and potentially actionable, I'd think.
Former Washington Post journalists have launched a GoFundMe to help repatriate fired staff members who are effectively stranded in foreign countries.
One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.
Abolish the billionaire class:
One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.
Abolish the billionaire class:
Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee
Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees
www.gofundme.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:41 AM
Absolutely reprehensible and potentially actionable, I'd think.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
asking ai for medical advice: also a kind of gambling
according to a pediatric ER doctor my wife follows on Instagram they have started to see children coming in sick because their parents are asking ChatGPT what the correct dosage is on over the counter medication instead of just looking at the instructions on the bottle
One of the easiest ways to shoot down the idea that "AI" is an expert is to show how it deals with something people know about.
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
Younger readers may not get this as most appliances come pre-wired, but anyone 35+ can see these are chaotic fire hazards.
From Mastodon, AI asked how to wire a plug:
February 8, 2026 at 4:31 AM
asking ai for medical advice: also a kind of gambling
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
"Tell me you know nothing about the Muppets without telling me you know nothing about the Muppets."
February 7, 2026 at 2:20 AM
"Tell me you know nothing about the Muppets without telling me you know nothing about the Muppets."
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
Proud to play a role in helping get this together for @justsecurity.org. It provides you with details from the sworn declarations filed in support of the ACLU's lawsuit in Minnesota, Hussen v. Noem. The details of abuses by federal agents across the 29 declarations we looked at are chilling.
Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Alleged Constitutional Violations
The ACLU and partners sued over alleged racial profiling and unlawful arrests in Minnesota. Read sworn declarations and case details.
www.justsecurity.org
February 5, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Proud to play a role in helping get this together for @justsecurity.org. It provides you with details from the sworn declarations filed in support of the ACLU's lawsuit in Minnesota, Hussen v. Noem. The details of abuses by federal agents across the 29 declarations we looked at are chilling.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
This just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how to do news. Data helps, but data doesn’t tell a reporter to spend a years-long investigation into child labor or an editor to place staff in a country on the brink of war. What exactly does Bezos think WaPo’s “journalistic mission” is?
Jeff Bezos' statement, his first since last week's layoffs: "The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
February 8, 2026 at 12:39 AM
This just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how to do news. Data helps, but data doesn’t tell a reporter to spend a years-long investigation into child labor or an editor to place staff in a country on the brink of war. What exactly does Bezos think WaPo’s “journalistic mission” is?
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
we should recognize that a lot of these overperformances would be flying under the radar were it not for @taniel.bsky.social and @boltsmag.org
Early returns in Louisiana’s special election:
The Dem candidate is leading 58.5% to 41.5%. That’s with a third of the vote in.
Context: this is a Dem-held seat but in a district TRUMP carried by 13%, so has been a big/obvious GOP target. Stay tuned.
The Dem candidate is leading 58.5% to 41.5%. That’s with a third of the vote in.
Context: this is a Dem-held seat but in a district TRUMP carried by 13%, so has been a big/obvious GOP target. Stay tuned.
February 8, 2026 at 3:03 AM
we should recognize that a lot of these overperformances would be flying under the radar were it not for @taniel.bsky.social and @boltsmag.org
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
NEW: Leqaa Kordia — who’s been in ICE detention for nearly a year, since ICE took her the same week as Mahmoud Khalil — has been hospitalized after having a seizure.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
February 8, 2026 at 3:44 AM
NEW: Leqaa Kordia — who’s been in ICE detention for nearly a year, since ICE took her the same week as Mahmoud Khalil — has been hospitalized after having a seizure.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Her whereabouts & health are now unknown.
The Trump admin alleges she supports Hamas because…she sent money to help family in Gaza.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
stuff like this is why i have trouble with the incrementalism and slow-walking from dems. this is happening *right now*
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:45 AM
stuff like this is why i have trouble with the incrementalism and slow-walking from dems. this is happening *right now*
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
This is the guy who nerfed Tumblr’s usage with the porn ban btw.
Will Lewis is resigning as WaPo CEO, former Tumblr CEO Jeff D’Onofrio is the paper’s new acting CEO and publisher, per memos to staff
February 7, 2026 at 10:48 PM
This is the guy who nerfed Tumblr’s usage with the porn ban btw.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
WaPo editorial board: As a culture war compromise, Mr. Bunny should sing a medley of Kid Rick classics
The Super Bowl halftime show, with Bad Bunny showcasing Latin music before a global television audience expected to top 100 million, will illustrate the nation’s immigration divide whether or not the reggaeton star delivers an explicit political message.
The enthusiasm — and scorn — surrounding Bad Bunny’s star turn at the Super Bowl
The halftime show will illustrate the nation’s immigration divide whether or not the reggaeton star makes an explicit message about Trump’s deportation drive.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:48 AM
WaPo editorial board: As a culture war compromise, Mr. Bunny should sing a medley of Kid Rick classics
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
They’re just shutting down freeway exits now so protesters have a harder time. Absurd.
All streets surrounding & exits leading to the Whipple Federal Building have been closed. This will be the first night AFAIK that the Feds, with help from local PD and Sheriff, have eliminated all protesters from Whipple since early January. There's been nearly 24/7 presence until now.
February 8, 2026 at 3:50 AM
They’re just shutting down freeway exits now so protesters have a harder time. Absurd.
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
yeah we’re going from “Dems are overperforming in a way that tracks with a normal midterm election favoring the opposition party” to “they overperformed by HOW MUCH that has to be a typo”
We're all desensitized to Democratic overperformances in special elections, but there does seem to have been a pretty significant shift in the past month
Dems are now overperforming the 2024 lean of red districts by, uh, 30+ points in special elections
I’m not sure “apocalyptic” is sufficient to describe how the environment is starting to look for the GOP in November
I’m not sure “apocalyptic” is sufficient to describe how the environment is starting to look for the GOP in November
February 8, 2026 at 3:41 AM
yeah we’re going from “Dems are overperforming in a way that tracks with a normal midterm election favoring the opposition party” to “they overperformed by HOW MUCH that has to be a typo”
Reposted by Cathy Gellis
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:43 AM
If ICE gets even one of these facilities fully up and running, it’ll immediately be the second-largest jail in the country behind only Rikers Island.