Carolyn Shapiro
@cshaplaw.bsky.social
Law prof at Chicago-Kent College of Law; co-director of CK Institute on the Supreme Court; Of Counsel, Schnapper-Casteras, PLLC; former IL Solicitor General.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
"By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors."
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:25 PM
"By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors."
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Trump on Democrats: "They should say 'great job.' They shouldn't say, 'Oh gee, maybe it's not constitutional.' You know, the same old stuff that we've been hearing for years and years and years."
January 3, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Trump on Democrats: "They should say 'great job.' They shouldn't say, 'Oh gee, maybe it's not constitutional.' You know, the same old stuff that we've been hearing for years and years and years."
Thread
from the perspective of Venezuelans, I suppose last night's military operation doesn't really look very different from Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989, or countless other US military actions
what makes this feel different from vantage points outside of Latin America is that the US is no longer
1/
what makes this feel different from vantage points outside of Latin America is that the US is no longer
1/
January 3, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Thread
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Do people know that there are almost 1 million Muslims in NYC? Where are the stories about how Muslims are feeling about the first Muslim Mayor in NYC?
January 3, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Do people know that there are almost 1 million Muslims in NYC? Where are the stories about how Muslims are feeling about the first Muslim Mayor in NYC?
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
We have American problems which require American solutions. Some will be trivial, some will require us to remember the great undertakings of our past. We can, we have – we will – do great things. It takes but a leader to arouse the patriotic spirit.
It's striking that progressives like Tim Walz and Zohran Mamdani evoke the middle American attitude that, "Yes, we can fix these social problems because we're Americans and it's the right thing to do!" While the "America first" right only emulates failed and failing nation-states elsewhere.
January 1, 2026 at 11:06 PM
We have American problems which require American solutions. Some will be trivial, some will require us to remember the great undertakings of our past. We can, we have – we will – do great things. It takes but a leader to arouse the patriotic spirit.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
These dumb takes always go one way.
They never run a photo of a billionaire in Central Park, calling out a capitalist for hypocritically enjoying a public park like some kind of commie
They never run a photo of a billionaire in Central Park, calling out a capitalist for hypocritically enjoying a public park like some kind of commie
January 1, 2026 at 5:57 PM
These dumb takes always go one way.
They never run a photo of a billionaire in Central Park, calling out a capitalist for hypocritically enjoying a public park like some kind of commie
They never run a photo of a billionaire in Central Park, calling out a capitalist for hypocritically enjoying a public park like some kind of commie
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
It passed unanimously. Override the veto.
NEW: President Trump's first veto of his second term kills a unanimous bill to fund a major drinking water project in Colorado. Trump had threatened punishment for Colorado for imprisoning his ally Tina Peters. www.9news.com/article/news...
Trump vetoes bill to fund Arkansas Valley conduit in Colorado
President Trump vetoed a bill to fund a pipeline project to bring clean drinking water to communities on the Eastern Plains between Pueblo and Lamar.
www.9news.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:55 AM
It passed unanimously. Override the veto.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
The right energy to reflect back on 2025: @michellegoldberg.bsky.social "it's become, over the past year, easier to imagine the moment when [Trump's] mystique finally evaporates, when few want to defend him anymore or admit that they ever did..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/o...
Opinion | Trump Is Getting Weaker, and the Resistance Is Getting Stronger
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:25 PM
The right energy to reflect back on 2025: @michellegoldberg.bsky.social "it's become, over the past year, easier to imagine the moment when [Trump's] mystique finally evaporates, when few want to defend him anymore or admit that they ever did..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/o...
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Two stories side by side in WashPost
December 26, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Two stories side by side in WashPost
Is there any conceivable congressional authorization for this?
Trump on Christmas: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria.”
December 25, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Is there any conceivable congressional authorization for this?
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
“it’s a wonderful life” (1946) remains the best christmas film about the importance of mutual aid during the decline of capitalism.
December 21, 2024 at 10:10 PM
“it’s a wonderful life” (1946) remains the best christmas film about the importance of mutual aid during the decline of capitalism.
When I was in grade school, I read (and re-read and re-read) a biography of Marie Curie. One of my favorite books at the time. Amazing woman.
メリクリ(meri-kuri), the Japanese abbreviation for Merry Christmas, sounds a lot like “Marie Curie,” so I’m officially treating it as a physics holiday too 🧪⚛️🎄
December 25, 2025 at 2:26 PM
When I was in grade school, I read (and re-read and re-read) a biography of Marie Curie. One of my favorite books at the time. Amazing woman.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
The USPS faces a tight squeeze. With fewer people using the mail, it’s lost more and more money: $9 billion in the 12 months ending in September alone.
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
"Like Amazon Prime, but with human beings."
December 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"Like Amazon Prime, but with human beings."
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Camps where tens of thousands of politically disfavored people will be concentrated.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses
The Trump administration wants to build seven large-scale deportation hubs to speed up deportations, internal ICE documents show.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Camps where tens of thousands of politically disfavored people will be concentrated.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
"ICE officials are also investigating the couple for other crimes. They were found with a substantial amount of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 'What are those luxury goods doing in their possession?' asked the ICE spokesman, taking a moment to adjust his mask."
ICE Detains Undocumented Parents, Newborn
They await deportation proceedings.
charlotteclymer.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
"ICE officials are also investigating the couple for other crimes. They were found with a substantial amount of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 'What are those luxury goods doing in their possession?' asked the ICE spokesman, taking a moment to adjust his mask."
Love this (and the movie).
Tis the season to watch It's A Wonderful Life, a movie that actually gets better and better as you age into it, which also means it's a good time to share this excellent reflection and what it says about the miracle of having a true partner in this world.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
www.thebulwark.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Love this (and the movie).
Thank you @akalhan.bsky.social
Check out the Kavanaugh FN 4; I think it's pretty clear that the Kavanaugh Stop thing has gotten to him:
December 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Thank you @akalhan.bsky.social
Great thread
I want to take a moment of reflection. I don’t post a lot of threads anymore (bc really who wants to read them) but this seems like a good time to make a few points about wins & losses & surviving & fighting during the Trump administration’s siege on democracy. Especially as 2025 comes to a close.
U.S. Supreme Court sides against Trump, won't lift block on National Guard deployment in Illinois
DEVELOPING from @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump...
DEVELOPING from @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump...
December 23, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Great thread
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Justice Alito seems to have missed that the government's account of the Marimar Martinez shooting has been completely discredited.
December 23, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Justice Alito seems to have missed that the government's account of the Marimar Martinez shooting has been completely discredited.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
Big ups to Marty Lederman @martylederman.bsky.social who flagged this argument that SCOTUS relied on (that regular forces refer to military forces, not federal law enforcement).
NEW: By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court blocks Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Chicago to assist immigration agents. A majority holds that he likely lacks authority to do so. Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch dissent. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
![The Government asked this Court to stay the District Court's order. After the response and reply were filed, JUSTICE BARRETT referred the application to the Court. We directed the parties to file supplemental letter briefs on an issue that the District Court had addressed but the parties' initial briefs had not: the meaning of the term "regular forces" in §12406(3). In its supplemental brief, the Government argues that the term refers to civilian law enforcement officers, such as those employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Federal Protective Service.
Respondents, echoing the District Court, maintain that the term refers to the regular forces of the United States mili-tary.
We conclude that the term "regular forces" in §12406(3) likely refers to the regular forces of the United States mili-tary. This interpretation means that to call the Guard into active federal service under §12406(3), the President must be "unable" with the regular military "to execute the laws of the United States." Because the statute requires an assessment of the military's ability to execute the laws, it likely applies only where the military could legally execute the laws. Such circumstances are exceptional: Under the Posse Comitatus Act, the military is prohibited from "execut[ing] the laws" "except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress."
18 U. S. C. §1385. So before the President can federalize the Guard under §12406(3), he likely must have statutory or constitutional authority to execute the laws with the regular military and must be "unable" with those forces to perform that function.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/bafkreiftbhzwvn3vgwhqsi7k2paizvdw4t26ailljvovso3chqupnmj364@jpeg)
December 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Big ups to Marty Lederman @martylederman.bsky.social who flagged this argument that SCOTUS relied on (that regular forces refer to military forces, not federal law enforcement).
This is very good news. Also, apparently Kavanaugh wants to clarify (or retract?) his opinion in Noem v. Perdomo. See footnote 4 of his concurrence.
December 23, 2025 at 8:26 PM
This is very good news. Also, apparently Kavanaugh wants to clarify (or retract?) his opinion in Noem v. Perdomo. See footnote 4 of his concurrence.
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
"[J]ust as Prigg left all Black people unprotected from slavecatchers, current immigration enforcement turns race or ethnicity into suspicion."
My SCOTUSblog post today - www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/the-...
The worst Supreme Court case you’ve never heard of, and what it tells us about Trump’s immigration enforcement
Cases and Controversies is a recurring series by Carolyn Shapiro, primarily focusing on the effects of the Supreme Court’s rulings, opinions, and procedures on the law, on other institutions, and on [...
www.scotusblog.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
"[J]ust as Prigg left all Black people unprotected from slavecatchers, current immigration enforcement turns race or ethnicity into suspicion."
My SCOTUSblog post today - www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/the-...
The worst Supreme Court case you’ve never heard of, and what it tells us about Trump’s immigration enforcement
Cases and Controversies is a recurring series by Carolyn Shapiro, primarily focusing on the effects of the Supreme Court’s rulings, opinions, and procedures on the law, on other institutions, and on [...
www.scotusblog.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
My SCOTUSblog post today - www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/the-...
Reposted by Carolyn Shapiro
This is critically important. Democrats need to pass it if they retake Congress. Trump will veto it. So pass it again. Campaign on it. Given current polling, corruption of the FBI, and the brutality of ICE and BP, there’s no better time to say, “Federal police are not above the law.”
Restoring Bivens rights: one bill "would allow citizens to sue for damages resulting from constitutional violations committed by federal officers," while the other "would create a cause of action against federal law enforcement agencies and police depts for constitutional violations."
These congressmen want to give you the right to sue federal law enforcement for violating your rights
The proposed bills aim to codify a 1971 Supreme Court ruling that allowed individuals to sue the feds for Fourth Amendment violations.
reason.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
This is critically important. Democrats need to pass it if they retake Congress. Trump will veto it. So pass it again. Campaign on it. Given current polling, corruption of the FBI, and the brutality of ICE and BP, there’s no better time to say, “Federal police are not above the law.”