Holly Brewer
@earlymodjustice.bsky.social
Pinned
Holly Brewer
@earlymodjustice.bsky.social
· Mar 20
In The New Republic, historian Holly Brewer compares the Court's decision to Godden v. Hales, a 1686 case affirming that James II was above the law – which was only repudiated when James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. newrepublic.com/article/1833...
The issue at stake in 1686 was whether the king was bound by the law.
How are we back here again?
How are we back here again?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
What are they hiding?
Look at this new outrage. To open govt, we're retroactively letting 8 Senators sue for $500K each over having had their J6 phone toll records looked at. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Spending Bill Would Pave Way for Senators to Sue Over Phone Searches
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
What are they hiding?
The 8 democrats gave away another concession.
This one begs important questions:
Why did Republican Senators insist on this protection?
Why are they so terrified that the public prosecutor and thus potentially the public… might discover something about their actions on January 6?
This one begs important questions:
Why did Republican Senators insist on this protection?
Why are they so terrified that the public prosecutor and thus potentially the public… might discover something about their actions on January 6?
Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches
Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
The 8 democrats gave away another concession.
This one begs important questions:
Why did Republican Senators insist on this protection?
Why are they so terrified that the public prosecutor and thus potentially the public… might discover something about their actions on January 6?
This one begs important questions:
Why did Republican Senators insist on this protection?
Why are they so terrified that the public prosecutor and thus potentially the public… might discover something about their actions on January 6?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
In response to this claim that the "strategy didn't work."
The people were on our side. We were building momentum to help save our democracy. We could have won - the premium increase notices were just starting.
And giving in now will embolden him. Things will likely get worse.
The people were on our side. We were building momentum to help save our democracy. We could have won - the premium increase notices were just starting.
And giving in now will embolden him. Things will likely get worse.
November 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
In response to this claim that the "strategy didn't work."
The people were on our side. We were building momentum to help save our democracy. We could have won - the premium increase notices were just starting.
And giving in now will embolden him. Things will likely get worse.
The people were on our side. We were building momentum to help save our democracy. We could have won - the premium increase notices were just starting.
And giving in now will embolden him. Things will likely get worse.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
BREAKING: We won!
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
November 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
BREAKING: We won!
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.
pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Happy news: My new book -- Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction -- now has a cover and is available for preorder! The book is a concise history of humanitarianism in an international and global perspective, from the 18th century to the present. More info here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Happy news: My new book -- Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction -- now has a cover and is available for preorder! The book is a concise history of humanitarianism in an international and global perspective, from the 18th century to the present. More info here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
The president pardoned alleged co-conspirators for crimes related to the 2020 election. This emphasizes the importance of state prosecutions after failed presidential auto-coups in our constitutional system, which I argued here in the Wisconsin Law Review: repository.law.wisc.edu/s/uwlaw/item...
November 10, 2025 at 1:33 PM
The president pardoned alleged co-conspirators for crimes related to the 2020 election. This emphasizes the importance of state prosecutions after failed presidential auto-coups in our constitutional system, which I argued here in the Wisconsin Law Review: repository.law.wisc.edu/s/uwlaw/item...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
seems to me that those democrats inclined not to fight perceive themselves as living through a somewhat ordinary cycle of presidential overreach and backlash and not something much more significant and dangerous
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
seems to me that those democrats inclined not to fight perceive themselves as living through a somewhat ordinary cycle of presidential overreach and backlash and not something much more significant and dangerous
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I’ve voted 7 times to reopen the government in a way that holds Trump accountable for his lawlessness and prevents a health care crisis.
I’m prepared to work toward a compromise, but this “deal” before us does not come close to meeting those terms. Voting NO.
Full statement:
I’m prepared to work toward a compromise, but this “deal” before us does not come close to meeting those terms. Voting NO.
Full statement:
November 10, 2025 at 12:48 AM
I’ve voted 7 times to reopen the government in a way that holds Trump accountable for his lawlessness and prevents a health care crisis.
I’m prepared to work toward a compromise, but this “deal” before us does not come close to meeting those terms. Voting NO.
Full statement:
I’m prepared to work toward a compromise, but this “deal” before us does not come close to meeting those terms. Voting NO.
Full statement:
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable.
We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.
A vote for this bill is a mistake.
We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.
A vote for this bill is a mistake.
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable.
We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.
A vote for this bill is a mistake.
We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.
A vote for this bill is a mistake.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Agree with this.
About to publish something on the airplane mess. But this too is ON THE REPUBS. It is not a reason to cave. Dems, it is a time to keep standing up.
About to publish something on the airplane mess. But this too is ON THE REPUBS. It is not a reason to cave. Dems, it is a time to keep standing up.
Opening the government with no concessions from GOP merely to alleviate airline cancellations - when Congress has been dragging its feet for years on chronic FAA staffing issues - is a lame ass choice.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
November 9, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Agree with this.
About to publish something on the airplane mess. But this too is ON THE REPUBS. It is not a reason to cave. Dems, it is a time to keep standing up.
About to publish something on the airplane mess. But this too is ON THE REPUBS. It is not a reason to cave. Dems, it is a time to keep standing up.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Reposted by Holly Brewer
With ICE and other extremist groups trying to claim #Tolkien, this old post still holds up:
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
Reading Tolkien during the Insurrection
I happened to be reading the final three chapters of The Lord of the Rings this week as supporters of an incompetent president attempted an insurrection in America. I am going through the book with…
luke-shelton.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
With ICE and other extremist groups trying to claim #Tolkien, this old post still holds up:
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Did Hobbits ruin the Shire?
Listen to this Rohan Beacon podcast hosted by Grima Wormtongue to learn the shocking truth!
Listen to this Rohan Beacon podcast hosted by Grima Wormtongue to learn the shocking truth!
November 9, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Did Hobbits ruin the Shire?
Listen to this Rohan Beacon podcast hosted by Grima Wormtongue to learn the shocking truth!
Listen to this Rohan Beacon podcast hosted by Grima Wormtongue to learn the shocking truth!
Reposted by Holly Brewer
After a week in which Dems exceeded expectations in elections, Trump's popularity continues to tank, the GOP largely abandoned the task of governing (just as Thanksgiving travel approaches), I'm a bit surprised to see many more stories highlighting weakness in the Dem than in the GOP coalition.
This NYT framing is ludicrously overstated. Sure, there are primaries. But if anything, the results showed a lot of Dems that there's a way to unify the factions around anti-Trump and affordability politics (as I try to argue in the piece/thread below).
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
After a week in which Dems exceeded expectations in elections, Trump's popularity continues to tank, the GOP largely abandoned the task of governing (just as Thanksgiving travel approaches), I'm a bit surprised to see many more stories highlighting weakness in the Dem than in the GOP coalition.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
The president seems to have been briefed on how the tariffs oral argument at SCOTUS went:
November 9, 2025 at 1:48 PM
The president seems to have been briefed on how the tariffs oral argument at SCOTUS went:
Reposted by Holly Brewer
When it comes to doing their jobs and serving the American people, the Trump government and the Republican Congress are AWOL, evading their basic constitutional responsibilities. When it comes to harassing and terrorizing them, however, they are are avid in asserting extra-constitutional powers.
Sean Duffy: "We have a number of people who want to get home for the holidays, they want to see their family. Listen, many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane."
November 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
When it comes to doing their jobs and serving the American people, the Trump government and the Republican Congress are AWOL, evading their basic constitutional responsibilities. When it comes to harassing and terrorizing them, however, they are are avid in asserting extra-constitutional powers.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
For the past 5 years, my kid has been in an after school board game and role playing game club (Game Master's Table) and I'm regularly blown away by how good it is.
Check out this description on their website. The wild thing is, it's totally accurate. And the kids are 8-13 year olds.
Check out this description on their website. The wild thing is, it's totally accurate. And the kids are 8-13 year olds.
November 9, 2025 at 4:25 PM
For the past 5 years, my kid has been in an after school board game and role playing game club (Game Master's Table) and I'm regularly blown away by how good it is.
Check out this description on their website. The wild thing is, it's totally accurate. And the kids are 8-13 year olds.
Check out this description on their website. The wild thing is, it's totally accurate. And the kids are 8-13 year olds.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Lee Zeldin announces on Fox that there will be "severe" layoffs at the EPA if the shutdown continues
November 9, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
On the men whom the Trump admin sent to an El Salvador prison w/out trials.
“Several [forensic] doctors … said the men’s testimonies, along with photographs of what they described as their injuries, were consistent and credible, providing ‘compelling evidence’ to support accusations of torture.”
“Several [forensic] doctors … said the men’s testimonies, along with photographs of what they described as their injuries, were consistent and credible, providing ‘compelling evidence’ to support accusations of torture.”
November 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
On the men whom the Trump admin sent to an El Salvador prison w/out trials.
“Several [forensic] doctors … said the men’s testimonies, along with photographs of what they described as their injuries, were consistent and credible, providing ‘compelling evidence’ to support accusations of torture.”
“Several [forensic] doctors … said the men’s testimonies, along with photographs of what they described as their injuries, were consistent and credible, providing ‘compelling evidence’ to support accusations of torture.”
Reposted by Holly Brewer
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
About a half-dozen states were able to pay out full food stamp benefits before an emergency Supreme Court order halted efforts.
Here’s why Utahns haven’t gotten any SNAP payments despite families in some states seeing full benefits
About a half-dozen states were able to pay out full food stamp benefits before an emergency Supreme Court order halted efforts.
www.sltrib.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:36 PM
About a half-dozen states were able to pay out full food stamp benefits before an emergency Supreme Court order halted efforts.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Reading the WSJ on-line and in their article on Trump and affordability they're throwing some serious shade with this photo/caption:
November 8, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reading the WSJ on-line and in their article on Trump and affordability they're throwing some serious shade with this photo/caption: