Paul Gowder
@gowder.io
Prof @ Northwestern law, political theorist, cat parent. Black lives matter.
Profile, pubs, etc: https://gowder.io
All my books (rule of law, racial justice, platform governance) are downloadable in free open access pdf @ https://books.gowder.io
Profile, pubs, etc: https://gowder.io
All my books (rule of law, racial justice, platform governance) are downloadable in free open access pdf @ https://books.gowder.io
Pinned
Paul Gowder
@gowder.io
· Oct 14
Senator Hale, 1851, dropping truth bombs about the Fugitive Slave Act that apply just as well to Trump's efforts to send troops do "mass deportation" against the will of the people (Cong. Globe, 31st Congress, session 2, p. 598)
Reposted by Paul Gowder
this weekend, good friend told me his father - US Citizen - got stopped recently on the Hill by police (not MPD, thought it was Capitol police)
Had his ID but cop called ICE anyway - no reason for the stop or calling ICE except he's latino
A Kavanaugh stop right near Kavanaugh's work place
Had his ID but cop called ICE anyway - no reason for the stop or calling ICE except he's latino
A Kavanaugh stop right near Kavanaugh's work place
February 9, 2026 at 6:28 PM
this weekend, good friend told me his father - US Citizen - got stopped recently on the Hill by police (not MPD, thought it was Capitol police)
Had his ID but cop called ICE anyway - no reason for the stop or calling ICE except he's latino
A Kavanaugh stop right near Kavanaugh's work place
Had his ID but cop called ICE anyway - no reason for the stop or calling ICE except he's latino
A Kavanaugh stop right near Kavanaugh's work place
Reposted by Paul Gowder
unions, folks: they're real good
The Ford worker who heckled Trump during a visit to the company's plant still has his job and "has no discipline on his record," a union official said
Ford worker who heckled Trump keeps job, 'no discipline' for incident
The United Auto Workers union said TJ Sabula remains employed and called out the president for making an obscene gesture toward the worker.
www.detroitnews.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:49 PM
unions, folks: they're real good
Reposted by Paul Gowder
I'm just a liberal squish, but I think America should not have concentration camps.
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:17 PM
I'm just a liberal squish, but I think America should not have concentration camps.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
Reposted by Paul Gowder
“who is in the circle of people who deserve freedom” is a question many fail.
February 9, 2026 at 2:54 PM
“who is in the circle of people who deserve freedom” is a question many fail.
Also what LOL I'm pretty sure those on the left and pro-freedom corner of that square the libertarians love to put people on warned the libertarians about allying with racists who want antidiscrimination law overturned
I feel like I'm losing my goddamnned mind.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.
Opinion | Libertarians Tried to Warn You About Trump
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Also what LOL I'm pretty sure those on the left and pro-freedom corner of that square the libertarians love to put people on warned the libertarians about allying with racists who want antidiscrimination law overturned
Reposted by Paul Gowder
1/ There has never been a more concentrated distillation of my teaching than this lesson: Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You. It is the apotheosis of what I do. I very much hope you enjoy it, share it, and make bits of it your own.
Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You — Suffolk LIT Lab
TL;DR: I built a bunch of highly-modular online simulations you can use with your students. They cover automation bias, the false positive paradox, competing definitions of fairness, disparate impact ...
suffolklitlab.org
February 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
1/ There has never been a more concentrated distillation of my teaching than this lesson: Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You. It is the apotheosis of what I do. I very much hope you enjoy it, share it, and make bits of it your own.
HLS class of 2000 kicking ass out there
Rep. Joaquin Castro says ICE should be disbanded after warrantless entry guidance, fatal shootings, and lack of accountability. “When you become that lawless, I don’t think you should have a role in immigration enforcement.”
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
Rep. Joaquin Castro Says Congress Should ‘Disband’ ICE
“I think that we have to build up a separate organization from scratch,” the Democrat from Texas said.
www.notus.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:12 PM
HLS class of 2000 kicking ass out there
Reposted by Paul Gowder
Rep. Joaquin Castro says ICE should be disbanded after warrantless entry guidance, fatal shootings, and lack of accountability. “When you become that lawless, I don’t think you should have a role in immigration enforcement.”
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
Rep. Joaquin Castro Says Congress Should ‘Disband’ ICE
“I think that we have to build up a separate organization from scratch,” the Democrat from Texas said.
www.notus.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Rep. Joaquin Castro says ICE should be disbanded after warrantless entry guidance, fatal shootings, and lack of accountability. “When you become that lawless, I don’t think you should have a role in immigration enforcement.”
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
www.notus.org/democrats/ca...
Reposted by Paul Gowder
"50 percent of rural Americans disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while 50 percent approve
75 percent of men aged 18 to 29 disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while only 25 percent approve"
75 percent of men aged 18 to 29 disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while only 25 percent approve"
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trump Rages at Bad Bunny—and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness
MAGA’s hatred of the Super Bowl halftime performer reflects a hubris about what parts of the culture are “theirs.” But those assumptions are proving more wrong every day.
newrepublic.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM
"50 percent of rural Americans disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while 50 percent approve
75 percent of men aged 18 to 29 disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while only 25 percent approve"
75 percent of men aged 18 to 29 disapprove of ICE’s handling of enforcement, while only 25 percent approve"
And there should be a gigantic animatronic William T. Sherman marching down the field burning things
Next Superbowl halftime should include a recreation of the confederate surrender at Appomattox while Jefferson Davis flees the scene dressed as an old lady.
February 9, 2026 at 1:16 PM
And there should be a gigantic animatronic William T. Sherman marching down the field burning things
Reposted by Paul Gowder
*Green card application in process and work permit, married to US citizen
*Lived in US for 20 years, no criminal record
*In detention for five months with no charge, despite judge approving release
*He disputes ICE claim that he signed forms agreeing to deportation
*Lived in US for 20 years, no criminal record
*In detention for five months with no charge, despite judge approving release
*He disputes ICE claim that he signed forms agreeing to deportation
And here is my story: ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM
*Green card application in process and work permit, married to US citizen
*Lived in US for 20 years, no criminal record
*In detention for five months with no charge, despite judge approving release
*He disputes ICE claim that he signed forms agreeing to deportation
*Lived in US for 20 years, no criminal record
*In detention for five months with no charge, despite judge approving release
*He disputes ICE claim that he signed forms agreeing to deportation
Reposted by Paul Gowder
The dull-minded fucks who are running things these days are not normal. They're not a majority. They're fucking weirdos & freaks, scared of their own shadows. Humans are creative, cooperative, & curious, they like novelty & diversity, they like movement & evolution & *life*. Fuck this death cult.
February 9, 2026 at 7:08 AM
The dull-minded fucks who are running things these days are not normal. They're not a majority. They're fucking weirdos & freaks, scared of their own shadows. Humans are creative, cooperative, & curious, they like novelty & diversity, they like movement & evolution & *life*. Fuck this death cult.
The one good thing about Chicago winter: zero worries about buying groceries then leaving them in the trunk of the car for like hours while running other errands, since it's well into food-safe temperatures in there anyway
February 8, 2026 at 10:01 PM
The one good thing about Chicago winter: zero worries about buying groceries then leaving them in the trunk of the car for like hours while running other errands, since it's well into food-safe temperatures in there anyway
Reposted by Paul Gowder
Bears repeating just how weird these people are. Like properly mad-eyed, wild-haired, eating-Scotch-eggs-in-the-library weird.
Rod Dreher called Obergefell "the Waterloo of religious conservatism" and initially advocated strategic retreat to rural enclaves. Adrian Vermeule had a different idea: infiltrate liberal institutions and use the administrative state to impose a Catholic conception of the good.
Postliberal Christian Academics Want a Religious Coup to Replace America's Constitutional Liberalism
They see Trump as a Constantine-like figure who can help them take over America
www.theunpopulist.net
February 7, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Bears repeating just how weird these people are. Like properly mad-eyed, wild-haired, eating-Scotch-eggs-in-the-library weird.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
The current regime took a week to abolish USAID, which is three times as old and was not in the news every day for brutalizing children
“We cannot just abolish ICE!”
Bestie, you are older than ICE.
Bestie, you are older than ICE.
February 8, 2026 at 3:59 PM
The current regime took a week to abolish USAID, which is three times as old and was not in the news every day for brutalizing children
Also gotta drop a sneak preview of a paper I’m finalizing, for a symposium as we speak covering this very subject. (Gonna try and capsule it in the alt text because there’s way too much here for bluesky’s interface, alas)
Also see prior iteration here: gowder.io/decay.pdf
Also see prior iteration here: gowder.io/decay.pdf
February 8, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Also gotta drop a sneak preview of a paper I’m finalizing, for a symposium as we speak covering this very subject. (Gonna try and capsule it in the alt text because there’s way too much here for bluesky’s interface, alas)
Also see prior iteration here: gowder.io/decay.pdf
Also see prior iteration here: gowder.io/decay.pdf
Imperial boomerangs will boomerang
February 8, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Imperial boomerangs will boomerang
Reposted by Paul Gowder
The ICE that everyone is chanting should be abolished is really about the Border Patrolification of ICE. If you don’t like what you’re seeing now, you need to be at least as dedicated to addressing CBP abuse.
February 7, 2026 at 9:52 PM
The ICE that everyone is chanting should be abolished is really about the Border Patrolification of ICE. If you don’t like what you’re seeing now, you need to be at least as dedicated to addressing CBP abuse.
Prove me wrong: the dumbest design decision in the world is an oven that beeps exactly once when it's done pre-heating and has no other indicator, so that every time you use it you're left guessing whether it's still heating or you just missed the microsecond noise.
In other news, I hate my oven.
In other news, I hate my oven.
February 7, 2026 at 11:55 PM
Prove me wrong: the dumbest design decision in the world is an oven that beeps exactly once when it's done pre-heating and has no other indicator, so that every time you use it you're left guessing whether it's still heating or you just missed the microsecond noise.
In other news, I hate my oven.
In other news, I hate my oven.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
Flying to Italy with a plane load of Froot Loops and Peter Pan peanut butter.
Not only did they bring a small private army, but among the waste of taxpayer money was BRINGING A FULL PLANE OF FOOD.
To *Italy*.
To *Italy*.
February 7, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Flying to Italy with a plane load of Froot Loops and Peter Pan peanut butter.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
They’re not helping the majors get into the classes they need or writing the 1 million reports required by admin or showing up at the thinly attended colloquium. Anyway that’s who’s in the Epstein files.
February 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
They’re not helping the majors get into the classes they need or writing the 1 million reports required by admin or showing up at the thinly attended colloquium. Anyway that’s who’s in the Epstein files.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
There’s a “superstar” layer at every R1 institution I’ve been at that isn’t composed of academics in any sense I recognize. They’re there so the institution can claim them, but they use the university as a launchpad to contracts and speaking engagements. They’re not teaching the intro classes.
February 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
There’s a “superstar” layer at every R1 institution I’ve been at that isn’t composed of academics in any sense I recognize. They’re there so the institution can claim them, but they use the university as a launchpad to contracts and speaking engagements. They’re not teaching the intro classes.
Reposted by Paul Gowder
February 7, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Paul Gowder
Coming soon from me is a zine about the significance of David Walker's Appeal published in 1829. Hard to overstate how incendiary it was. It engendered a censorship frenzy in Southern states. www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ap...
Sept. 28, 1829: An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World
David Walker published An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, one of the most important documents of the 19th century.
www.zinnedproject.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Coming soon from me is a zine about the significance of David Walker's Appeal published in 1829. Hard to overstate how incendiary it was. It engendered a censorship frenzy in Southern states. www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ap...