David Colarusso
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davidcolarusso.com
David Colarusso
@davidcolarusso.com
2.7K followers 1.2K following 1.7K posts
Co-director @suffolkLITLab.org (Legal Innov. & Tech). Attorney & science educator by training & practice. Data scientist, craftsman, & writer by experience. No mannels.

My bots: @icymilaw.org, @news.bot.suffolklitlab.org & @lolscotus.bsky.social
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davidcolarusso.com
David Colarusso @davidcolarusso.com · Sep 5
One of my favorite things about working at Suffolk is how frequently I get to walk through the Boston Public Garden. Here’s a painting based on a picture I took before class this week.
A finished watercolor and ink illustration depicts a collection of the swan boats in front of a bridge at the Boston Public Garden. The boats are painted green and red, with swan figures at their backs and rows of empty brown seats in front of them. The bridge has stone towers topped with lamps and elegant railings, leading to a staircase on the right side. Behind the bridge, lush trees in shades of green, gold, and purple fill the background under a bright blue sky. The ink outlines add sharp definition to the architectural details, foliage, and reflections in the water. The date “9/5/25” is written in the lower left corner, and a hand holds the sketchbook open against a wooden surface. A photo of the iconic swan boats docked in the Boston Public Garden lagoon. The green boats, each with a large white swan figure at the back and rows of wooden passenger seats, are reflected in the calm water. Behind them stands the elegant pedestrian suspension bridge with stone towers, white railings, and globe-topped lampposts. Lush greenery fills the background, including a large weeping willow and other trees, all under a bright blue, cloudless sky. A watercolor painting in a sketchbook shows a scenic park scene with a set of swan boats in the water. The boats are painted red and white with swan-shaped figures. Behind it stands a bridge with stone towers on either side, surrounded by lush greenery. Trees in shades of green, gold, and purple rise in the background under a bright blue sky, their colors reflected in the rippling water below. The painting is surrounded by the artist’s tools: an open watercolor palette with pans of vibrant colors, a brush, and a mixing tray with green, yellow, and purple washes.
davidcolarusso.com
11yo is writing an epistolary story but formatted as text messages instead of letters. Query, do we still call this epistolary fiction or is there some “better” word? Right and wrong answers welcome. Hivemind go!
December 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
davidcolarusso.com
My family gets me. They really get me. I don’t think I had fully grasped the size of a Galaxy Class starship—3,600 pieces! Consequently, this was a combined Christmas & birthday gift, with multiple gifters. Much fun will be had. Note: the communicator was a stocking stuffer/foreshadowing.
A smiling adult stands indoors beside a decorated Christmas tree, holding a large LEGO Star Trek set box. The box shows the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D spacecraft in gray and blue tones against a black background, with LEGO and Star Trek logos visible along the bottom edge. The person wears a red hoodie with a metallic Star Trek–style insignia pin on the chest. To the left, a lit Christmas tree is filled with colorful ornaments, including angels, snowmen, animals, and shiny baubles, with multicolored string lights woven through the branches.
December 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Talking with my mom about my newfound love of Emily Dickerson, and she quoted most of a poem from memory (originally learned over 50 years ago). See
A Bird, came down the Walk - (359)
A Bird, came down the Walk -  He did not know I saw - He bit an Angle Worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw,    And then, he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass - And then hopped sidewise to the Wall...
www.poetryfoundation.org
December 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
davidcolarusso.com
I think this stalking stuffer may be foreshadowing. Stay tuned.
A close-up shows a shiny metallic Star Trek–The Next Generation communicator pin resting on textured red fabric. The emblem features a pointed, arrowhead-like shape layered over a circular backing, finished in reflective gold and silver tones. The polished surface mirrors warm lights and faint reflections of a room and holiday decorations, creating a mirror-like effect.
December 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
davidcolarusso.com
It’s time. Happy Christmas Eve y’all. 🍿🎄
A hand holds a DVD labeled “DIE HARD – Disc 1,” shown close up against an open DVD binder. The disc has a gritty, gray metal-textured design with the title printed in large yellow letters and small rivet-like dots around the edge. The person’s left hand grips the disc at the side; a gold ring is visible on one finger. In the background, other Die Hard discs are partially visible in clear plastic sleeves, including artwork showing characters and action scenes from the movies.
December 25, 2025 at 1:10 AM
davidcolarusso.com
7yo asked why I cut holes in the top, and I got to explain about what happens if you don’t. She took that in and remarked that they looked pretty too. Which was the perfect hook for me to agree and talk about symmetry. ;)

Pie is in the oven. Up next: the gingerbread house.
This image shows a kitchen prep setup for an apple pie. Several red and green apples are arranged on a wooden cutting board in the foreground. To the left is a large stainless-steel mixing bowl, and to the right are bright orange bowls—one with a clean kitchen towel I’ve dough and another containing sugar and cinnamon. A small peeler is nearby, and everything sits on a countertop with a mat beneath, suggesting the apples are about to be peeled and sliced. This image shows the next stage of baking prep, for an apple pie. A glass pie dish has been greased and sits ready in the foreground, with a stick of unsalted butter nearby. To the left, a metal bowl holds sliced apples coated with sugar and spices, a spoon resting inside. An orange bowl lined with a kitchen towel sits to the right, suggesting dough resting or draining. The setup looks organized and mid-process, just before assembling the pie. A glass pie dish filled with raw apple pie filling sits on a lightly floured silicone baking mat. Thinly sliced apples, coated in a glossy mixture of sugar and cinnamon, are layered generously inside an unbaked, pale golden pie crust with crimped edges. The apples mound slightly above the rim, showing overlapping slices and specks of spice. In the background, a wooden rolling pin dusted with flour rests horizontally, suggesting recent dough preparation. The scene captures the pie just before adding a top crust or baking, with a warm, homemade kitchen atmosphere. A homemade apple pie sits unbaked in a clear glass pie dish on a silicone baking mat. The top crust has been placed and crimped around the edges, sealing it to the bottom crust. Decorative cutouts and several vent slits are scattered across the surface, allowing steam to escape while baking. The pale, buttery dough looks slightly rough and hand-shaped, with small flakes and seams visible. A wooden rolling pin rests horizontally in the background, lightly dusted with flour, reinforcing the in-progress baking setting just before the pie goes into the oven.
December 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Well, I’ll be. It’s Outlook official.
A smartphone notification banner on a dark background shows an alert from Outlook Calendar. The Outlook app icon appears on the left, followed by the text “No meetings Tomorrow.” In the top-right corner of the notification, smaller text reads “1h ago,” indicating when the alert was received.
December 23, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Reposted by David Colarusso
annmlipton.bsky.social
for nonlawyers unfamiliar with legal citation - they are quite clearly redacting the court - but just the court - that issued particular decisions they cite.

comments/speculation suggest they automated redactions and confused victim initials with court initials
bradheath.bsky.social Brad Heath @bradheath.bsky.social · 4d
I have seen DOJ do some strange redactions before, but this is up there:
December 23, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by David Colarusso
sglassmeyer.bsky.social
don't forget to tell everyone at the end of meetings this week and next "SEE YOU NEXT YEAR."

I live for that shit every year.
December 22, 2025 at 6:07 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Remember, if you want to make it illegal for a computer to do X given the same inputs and outputs as a person doing X, you’re likely arguing that it should be illegal for a person to do X. Be very very careful when defining your terms.
December 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
davidcolarusso.com
On this Jane Austin's 250th birthday, I would like to celebrate her penning of the only acceptable answer to the interview question, "What is you're biggest weakness?"
a man talking to a woman with the words my good opinion once lost is lost forever
Alt: Mr. Darcy saying, "My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."
media.tenor.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:35 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Walking in a winter wonderland.
A winter landscape shows a large fallen tree lying diagonally across a snowy, frozen shoreline in the foreground. The thick trunk is dusted with snow, and bare branches extend outward, some reaching toward the ice-covered water. Beyond the fallen tree, a wide, frozen lake stretches across the middle of the scene, its surface lightly textured with snow and patches of reflected light. In the background, leafless trees line the far shore, forming a dark silhouette. Above, the sun glows through a blanket of rippled, pale clouds, casting a soft golden light across the ice and sky, creating a quiet, cold, late-afternoon atmosphere.
December 16, 2025 at 2:06 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Being in a mixed marriage means you sometimes get fun fusion celebrations when the calendars line up, like having both sets of grandparents over to decorate the Christmas tree while making latkes and lighting the menorah. Happy Hanukkah!
December 15, 2025 at 12:47 AM
davidcolarusso.com
Seems like the day to re-up this. Happy 100th birthday Mr. Van Dyke!
December 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
davidcolarusso.com
One of my favorite SF series, and you can’t argue with the price.
December 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
davidcolarusso.com
I'm a firm believer we should all take the time for more poetry in our lives. I'm sharing this reading from @ellecordova.bsky.social of Emily Dickinson's I Died for Beauty because it gave me chills. Maybe you'll feel something too.
Emily Dickinson: I died for Beauty - but was scarce
YouTube video by Elle Cordova
youtube.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Draft of this leaked right before my last session of AI & the Law. The last 3 wks of that class have us acting as state legislators writing AI regs. So, we did a hard pivot, read through the EO in class, & I added an option for them to address it in their final paper. Most unstable syllabus ever!!!
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · 16d
President Donald Trump signed a highly anticipated executive order on Thursday that sets in motion a plan to establish a national regulatory framework for artificial intelligence while undercutting states’ abilities to enact their own rules.
Trump Signs Executive Order That Threatens to Punish States for Passing AI Laws
The order creates a Justice Department task force to challenge state AI laws and directs the Commerce Department to pull future broadband funding from states that pass “onerous” legislation.
www.wired.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 AM
davidcolarusso.com
If you want to stay up past your bedtime and one of your parents used to teach HS astronomy, just throw out random questions like, “Wasn’t there water on Mars, and that’s why people think there was life there? Does Earth have a second moon? Isn’t it really cold on Mars?”
December 12, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Reposted by David Colarusso
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
🚨Judge Xinis finds that, incredibly, Mr. Abrego Garcia was never ordered deported in 2019. She notes that every since this saga began all the way back in March, the government has NEVER been able to produce any evidence that the immigration judge actually issued a removal order.
B. No Order of Removal Exists for Abrego Garcia No such order of removal exists for Abrego Garcia. When Abrego Garcia was first wrongly expelled to El Salvador, the Court struggled to understand the legal authority for even seizing him in the first place. At the first hearing in Abrego I, the Court inquired of Respondents’ counsel: The Court: I want to ask, though, the very specific question, if there is a final order of removal, what . . . document got this process started? There is no warrant for his arrest by an order of removal. There is no statement of probable cause. There’s no charge. There’s no report that says that anyone saw Mr. Abrego Garcia doing anything illegal or criminal. So what is the actual document that gave these officers the authority to start this process? Counsel: That is not in the record, and the government has not put that into the record. And that’s the best I can do. Abrego I, ECF No. 33 at 21:11–22. The Court continued to press counsel about the existence of a removal order and was told plainly that none can be found: The Court: Okay. So if there’s a Title 8 removal order, there would be an order of removal that’s being executed, and we don’t have one for Mr. Abrego Garcia, right? . . . Do you have that order? . . . Is it in the record? Counsel: I do not have that order. It is not in the record. Id. at 23:7–24:4. Since that time, Respondents have never produced an order of removal despite Abrego Garcia hinging much of his jurisdictional and legal arguments on its non-existence. ECF No. 1 ¶¶ 68–69; ECF No. 32 at 10, 15–17, 27; ECF No. 87 at 11–12. Indeed, Respondents twice sponsored the testimony of ICE officials whose job it is to effectuate removal orders, and who candidly admitted to having never seen one for Abrego Garcia. See ECF No. 107 at 30:16–22 (testimony of Cantú) (“Q: Based upon your many years of experience you described to us, you know what a final order of removal looks like, right, sir? Cantú: I do. Q: And have you seen a final order of removal in regard to Mr. Abrego Garcia? Cantú: I have not.”). See also Abrego I, ECF No. 234 at 46:6–12 (testimony of interim Assistant Director for ICE Removal Operations, Thomas Giles (“Giles”)) (“Q: You have not seen the final order of removal, have you, sir? Giles: What do you mean by that? Q: I mean, you have not seen a piece of paper that represents the final order of removal vis-a-vis Mr. Abrego Garcia, correct? Giles: No, I have not.”).15 Based on this, the Court concludes that no order of removal exists.
December 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Hey, look at that. @suffolklitlab.org just hit 1,000 followers. 🥳
A close-up screenshot of a social media profile page for Suffolk LIT Lab shows that the account has reached 1K followers, highlighted with a red underline. The profile banner features an image of intricate brass mechanical components, while the profile picture displays the letters “LIT” in bold white on a dark blue background. The bio explains that the Legal Innovation & Technology Lab is part of Suffolk University Law School and focuses on building tools to help people navigate legal systems.
December 8, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by David Colarusso
rickhasen.bsky.social
They should have worked this part into the headline:

Trump Promises Executive Order to Block State A.I. Regulations www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/u...
December 8, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by David Colarusso
design-law.bsky.social
We made it to the weekend, friends! What are we watching, reading, listening to, or otherwise doing for fun (or distraction)?
December 6, 2025 at 12:10 AM
davidcolarusso.com
Looking for a Giving Tuesday non-profit? You can now support @suffolklitlab.org with individual donations.

Please consider backing the work we do helping folks navigate the legal system¹ by making a small gift here: www.givecampus.com/campaigns/70...

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¹ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
The LIT Lab logo, a white capitalized L, I, and T on a blue background.
December 2, 2025 at 2:42 PM
davidcolarusso.com
Was heartened to see them decorating the tree this morning. There was a point earlier in the year when I wondered if the tradition would continue, but I’m reminded of @adapalmer.bsky.social’s observation that cities more than nations have been the political structures that endure.
A public park scene shows workers preparing a large outdoor Christmas tree. A green lift holds a worker up near the tree’s upper branches, while another worker stands on the ground nearby. The evergreen is already wrapped in strings of lights. In the foreground, a stone plaque explains the tradition of the Nova Scotia Tree for Boston, given annually in thanks for Boston’s help after the 1917 Halifax Explosion. Surrounding trees have late autumn foliage, and tall city buildings rise in the background under a clear blue sky.
December 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
davidcolarusso.com
I hope you enjoy my latest mini.
Power, Peace, & Peril
Legislative children; Challenger's flaw; Roman infantry head covering ; Commonly precedes "it"; Corporate head ; 1A for reasoning; Zen Garden tool; Polish name for Lithuania's capitol ; Dagger (outdat...
crosshare.org
December 1, 2025 at 2:06 PM