David Froomkin
@dfroomkin.bsky.social
Assistant professor, University of Houston Law Center. I write about democracy and the separation of powers. ssrn.com/author=3062912
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David Froomkin
@dfroomkin.bsky.social
· Jul 29
politicalsciencenow.com
I am very honored that my dissertation has been selected by the American Political Science Association to receive the 2025 Leonard D. White Award for the best dissertation in the field of public administration. What a time to be thinking about why we should have a separation of powers!
Reposted by David Froomkin
As a newly-minted BA, I got a job offer to tutor the child of a billionaire and his wife.
(Which I turned down. In the interview, the wife asked if I was Jewish, then said "but you look Asian!" She also told me that my hourly rate was too high.)
That couple has been in every Epstein files wave.
(Which I turned down. In the interview, the wife asked if I was Jewish, then said "but you look Asian!" She also told me that my hourly rate was too high.)
That couple has been in every Epstein files wave.
bring back shame
February 1, 2026 at 7:59 PM
As a newly-minted BA, I got a job offer to tutor the child of a billionaire and his wife.
(Which I turned down. In the interview, the wife asked if I was Jewish, then said "but you look Asian!" She also told me that my hourly rate was too high.)
That couple has been in every Epstein files wave.
(Which I turned down. In the interview, the wife asked if I was Jewish, then said "but you look Asian!" She also told me that my hourly rate was too high.)
That couple has been in every Epstein files wave.
It is maddening that Republicans are fearmongering about Somalis in the US, because Republicans right now are trying to turn the US into Somalia. They don't care about what is actually bad about living in Somalia; for them the point is just racism.
February 1, 2026 at 9:04 PM
It is maddening that Republicans are fearmongering about Somalis in the US, because Republicans right now are trying to turn the US into Somalia. They don't care about what is actually bad about living in Somalia; for them the point is just racism.
I said six months ago that people were worried the US would turn into Hungary—but things are getting a lot worse here, a lot more quickly.
Steve Levitsky, the co-author of How Democracies Die, on the dangerous place we have reached as Trump escalates:
“Orbán doesn’t arrest journalists,” he said. “And in Hungary if you walk the streets of Budapest or other Hungarian cities, you will not find heavily armed masked men abducting people."
“Orbán doesn’t arrest journalists,” he said. “And in Hungary if you walk the streets of Budapest or other Hungarian cities, you will not find heavily armed masked men abducting people."
February 1, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I said six months ago that people were worried the US would turn into Hungary—but things are getting a lot worse here, a lot more quickly.
Reposted by David Froomkin
If he does this, and isn't impeached and removed, it's a Rubicon moment where we are no longer a republic. Sorry, I don't care how much Republicans like his policies or fear his wrath, you can't just let a president cut checks to himself from the Treasury.
Trump on his multiple suits against the federal government: "I'm supposed to work out a settlement with myself ... We could make it a substantial amount, nobody would care, because it's gonna go to numerous, very good charities."
February 1, 2026 at 11:22 AM
If he does this, and isn't impeached and removed, it's a Rubicon moment where we are no longer a republic. Sorry, I don't care how much Republicans like his policies or fear his wrath, you can't just let a president cut checks to himself from the Treasury.
Reposted by David Froomkin
Reminder to Texans that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day to register to vote in the March elections
February 1, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Reminder to Texans that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day to register to vote in the March elections
Reposted by David Froomkin
Just to restate the obvious: We've permitted a few people to get too rich and too powerful. (1) We need to actively take that wealth and power away. (2) We need to, in an ongoing way, aggressively prevent that from happening ever again.
We can quibble over the details. But that's the basic mission.
We can quibble over the details. But that's the basic mission.
January 30, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Just to restate the obvious: We've permitted a few people to get too rich and too powerful. (1) We need to actively take that wealth and power away. (2) We need to, in an ongoing way, aggressively prevent that from happening ever again.
We can quibble over the details. But that's the basic mission.
We can quibble over the details. But that's the basic mission.
Reposted by David Froomkin
Reposted by David Froomkin
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents border patrol officers at the National Border Patrol Council, calls on Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller to resign or be fired
January 27, 2026 at 2:07 AM
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents border patrol officers at the National Border Patrol Council, calls on Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller to resign or be fired
Trump 1.0 appointed very conservative Cabinet officials—several of whom now call Trump a fascist. Trump 2.0 looked for people with weak moral character rather than any particular policy convictions.
I had completely forgotten that Elaine Chao had been Secretary of Transportation during Trump's first term. And now Duffy. If that's not a clear indicator of where this administration is compared to the first, I don't know what is.
January 26, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Trump 1.0 appointed very conservative Cabinet officials—several of whom now call Trump a fascist. Trump 2.0 looked for people with weak moral character rather than any particular policy convictions.
While we're abolishing ICE, can we abolish the rest of DHS?
January 26, 2026 at 4:33 PM
While we're abolishing ICE, can we abolish the rest of DHS?
Reposted by David Froomkin
This administration is cooked. Literally no one is scared of them.
January 25, 2026 at 5:20 PM
This administration is cooked. Literally no one is scared of them.
Reposted by David Froomkin
Lifetime sentence for Bovino is the squishy moderate position.
If you are running for president you should make clear you’re gonna send Greg Bovino to prison
January 25, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Lifetime sentence for Bovino is the squishy moderate position.
I keep coming back to the thought that the worst of us are killing the best of us.
January 25, 2026 at 4:18 PM
I keep coming back to the thought that the worst of us are killing the best of us.
To borrow from Omar, the ICE thugs are carrying the guns, the Roberts six are carrying the briefcases, but it's all in the game.
January 24, 2026 at 10:16 PM
To borrow from Omar, the ICE thugs are carrying the guns, the Roberts six are carrying the briefcases, but it's all in the game.
Reposted by David Froomkin
All this chaos leaves opaque one of the most basic & important political questions: how much of the people's money is the government spending, & on what?
The inability to meaningfully answer this question in the present info environment is good evidence of fundamental constitutional breakdown.
The inability to meaningfully answer this question in the present info environment is good evidence of fundamental constitutional breakdown.
January 24, 2026 at 4:57 PM
All this chaos leaves opaque one of the most basic & important political questions: how much of the people's money is the government spending, & on what?
The inability to meaningfully answer this question in the present info environment is good evidence of fundamental constitutional breakdown.
The inability to meaningfully answer this question in the present info environment is good evidence of fundamental constitutional breakdown.
Reposted by David Froomkin
Immigration is a fake problem. We have politicians on the one hand who want to use immigrants as scapegoats for our real ones and politicians on the other who are too cowardly to stand against them and tell the truth. That is the entire situation. Until that changes, people will continue to die.
January 24, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Immigration is a fake problem. We have politicians on the one hand who want to use immigrants as scapegoats for our real ones and politicians on the other who are too cowardly to stand against them and tell the truth. That is the entire situation. Until that changes, people will continue to die.
Reposted by David Froomkin
When the Normative State doesn't do its bidding, the Prerogative State takes over.
Immigration authorities have taken Juan Espinoza Martinez into custody following his acquittal in a murder-for-hire plot targeting U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino.
Man acquitted of Bovino murder plot taken into ICE custody
chicago.suntimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:10 PM
When the Normative State doesn't do its bidding, the Prerogative State takes over.
Reposted by David Froomkin
My latest Substack on what we as Americans can learn about courage and resistance from Prime Minister Carney’s speech at Davos open.substack.com/pub/asharang...
We're All the Greengrocer Now
What world leaders can teach us about refusing the rituals of obedience.
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:30 PM
My latest Substack on what we as Americans can learn about courage and resistance from Prime Minister Carney’s speech at Davos open.substack.com/pub/asharang...
Trump/Miller took a bunch of racist, violent thugs, gave them military equipment and practically no training, and set them loose on an American city.
January 24, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Trump/Miller took a bunch of racist, violent thugs, gave them military equipment and practically no training, and set them loose on an American city.
Reposted by David Froomkin
It’s hard to accurately describe what is happening in Minneapolis without sounding crazy.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
January 22, 2026 at 2:12 PM
It’s hard to accurately describe what is happening in Minneapolis without sounding crazy.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.
The super-rich are the problem.
absolutely insane to see Musk feted at Davos as the icon of a boldly "optimistic" future in 2026, as if he hadn't just spent the last year buying elections for fascists, making Nazi salutes, condemning millions in Africa to death, and building "Mechahitler," and a nonconsensual porn/CSAM generator
January 22, 2026 at 4:44 PM
The super-rich are the problem.
Let's be clear about what is going on. As the ICE agents in this story admitted, they are going around kidnapping and beating up people of color (often women) for fun.
people.com/minneapolis-...
people.com/minneapolis-...
Minneapolis Pastor Says He Was Detained by ICE After Joining Protest, Told 'You're White' and 'Wouldn’t Be Any Fun Anyway' on Release
A Minneapolis pastor said he was detained by ICE after responding to nearby activity and joining a protest in the wake of an agent-involved shooting. He told Fox 9 Minneapolis that agents repeatedly q...
people.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Let's be clear about what is going on. As the ICE agents in this story admitted, they are going around kidnapping and beating up people of color (often women) for fun.
people.com/minneapolis-...
people.com/minneapolis-...
Ran Hirschl's 2004 book Towards Juristocracy seems to have had limited impact on legal scholarship, even as lawyers have become interested in juristocracy in recent years. Hirschl was way ahead of the curve. Another example of how lawyers should be paying more attention to political science.
January 18, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Ran Hirschl's 2004 book Towards Juristocracy seems to have had limited impact on legal scholarship, even as lawyers have become interested in juristocracy in recent years. Hirschl was way ahead of the curve. Another example of how lawyers should be paying more attention to political science.
Reposted by David Froomkin
hard not to notice that as trump's polls crater and gop gets crushed in election after election, news orgs are not racing around hiring progressive commenters and boasting about how they're reaching out to real americans by following the will of the volk.
January 18, 2026 at 5:58 AM
hard not to notice that as trump's polls crater and gop gets crushed in election after election, news orgs are not racing around hiring progressive commenters and boasting about how they're reaching out to real americans by following the will of the volk.