Heidi Kitrosser
@heidikitrosser.bsky.social
Law professor focusing on constitutional law, especially free speech, the separation of powers, and government secrecy. Friend to all dogs and cats. Champion procrastinator.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Crazy ICE experiences yesterday! Four ICE vehicles boxed me in outside my own house after following me home and trying to have me arrested. Watch the video for details!
February 19, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Crazy ICE experiences yesterday! Four ICE vehicles boxed me in outside my own house after following me home and trying to have me arrested. Watch the video for details!
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Extra “kudos” to those who caved pre-emptively to this now defunct directive
February 19, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Extra “kudos” to those who caved pre-emptively to this now defunct directive
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Two female ICE agents popped the hood of their car and knocked on the door of a mechanic born in Mexico. He went out to help.
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
ICE drawdown? Indications point to steady enforcement activity outside the Twin Cities
Some people who observe ICE activity are skeptical about a large scale drawdown of agents in the state. There are indications that activity has decreased in the Twin Cities, but has continued outside ...
www.mprnews.org
February 19, 2026 at 1:42 AM
Two female ICE agents popped the hood of their car and knocked on the door of a mechanic born in Mexico. He went out to help.
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
So Bree hinted at this story a few days ago, but I want to circle back now that I have permission to share it.
WHISTLES OUT: A WHISTLE CREW MYSTERY
WHISTLES OUT: A WHISTLE CREW MYSTERY
and the lady in our inbox who caused us to go into a Whistles Out: a Benoit Blanc Mystery spiral for half the day because she had rallied so many people to request whistles to the same town that we thought it was a scam, but no she just convinced like 700 people to mobilize and we love her so much
February 19, 2026 at 2:37 AM
So Bree hinted at this story a few days ago, but I want to circle back now that I have permission to share it.
WHISTLES OUT: A WHISTLE CREW MYSTERY
WHISTLES OUT: A WHISTLE CREW MYSTERY
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Worth remembering that this is supposed to be a civil, non-punitive form of detention, and that this legal fiction is what allows it to happen without criminal trials
I just can’t stop thinking abt federal agents raiding the cells of incarcerated children to confiscate their drawings & letters. This is Nazi shit.
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
February 19, 2026 at 12:53 AM
Worth remembering that this is supposed to be a civil, non-punitive form of detention, and that this legal fiction is what allows it to happen without criminal trials
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I just can’t stop thinking abt federal agents raiding the cells of incarcerated children to confiscate their drawings & letters. This is Nazi shit.
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
February 18, 2026 at 8:58 PM
I just can’t stop thinking abt federal agents raiding the cells of incarcerated children to confiscate their drawings & letters. This is Nazi shit.
Mr. Muppet Goes to Washington
One Muppet After Another
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover, and The Muppets
February 18, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Mr. Muppet Goes to Washington
It’s a Wonderful Muppet
Dances with Muppets
One Muppet After Another
February 18, 2026 at 11:14 PM
It’s a Wonderful Muppet
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
A very detailed explanation of how FBI bamboozled a magistrate into authorizing a raid on Fulton County’s election offices by omitting critical information that would have totally undermined any probable cause claim. Pretty clear-cut case of calculated deception of the courts.
Fulton Co elections expert: “In all 5 areas identified by ... the [search warrant] affidavit, there are a multitude of false or misleading statements or omissions. ... Once ... corrected, the affidavit loses any basis in reality.”
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 18, 2026 at 4:00 AM
A very detailed explanation of how FBI bamboozled a magistrate into authorizing a raid on Fulton County’s election offices by omitting critical information that would have totally undermined any probable cause claim. Pretty clear-cut case of calculated deception of the courts.
In so many ways, this administration is at war with reality.
NEC Director Kevin Hassett calls for @newyorkfed.org researchers to be "disciplined" for a study that shows US companies bear nearly 90% of the Trump tariff burden.
Indeed, the NY Fed conclusion differs from the Kiel Institute, which estimates 94%; and the CBO, which estimates 95%...
Indeed, the NY Fed conclusion differs from the Kiel Institute, which estimates 94%; and the CBO, which estimates 95%...
February 18, 2026 at 4:05 PM
In so many ways, this administration is at war with reality.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
February 18, 2026 at 1:14 PM
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
This was a coordinated campaign begun in earnest with WWII that took shape in tree 1950s (see Nicole Hemmer's work).
I don't know what to do but just keep repeating it so I don't go insane: the rise & eventual total domination of RW media is the single most significant political development of my lifetime and the entirely of the US political & media elite resolutely refuse to discuss or even acknowledge it.
February 18, 2026 at 1:55 PM
This was a coordinated campaign begun in earnest with WWII that took shape in tree 1950s (see Nicole Hemmer's work).
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
The 2-month-old baby in ICE detention was so sick he was hospitalized and unresponsive last night. Despite that, today, he and his entire family were deported. Now we don’t know where they are or if the baby is receiving healthcare.
After a discussion with their attorney, I have confirmed that Juan, his 16-month-old sister, his mom, and his dad have been deported.
February 18, 2026 at 1:45 AM
The 2-month-old baby in ICE detention was so sick he was hospitalized and unresponsive last night. Despite that, today, he and his entire family were deported. Now we don’t know where they are or if the baby is receiving healthcare.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I spent my childhood inside of American concentration camps. I know one when I see one. And that is what ICE is building.
February 17, 2026 at 9:00 PM
I spent my childhood inside of American concentration camps. I know one when I see one. And that is what ICE is building.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I just posted my article, “Presidentialism at the Highest Ebb: Executive Power in the Age of Trump,” on @ssrn.bsky.social. The paper is forthcoming in the Dayton Law Review.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
February 17, 2026 at 11:30 PM
I just posted my article, “Presidentialism at the Highest Ebb: Executive Power in the Age of Trump,” on @ssrn.bsky.social. The paper is forthcoming in the Dayton Law Review.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
In this thread, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro says 2-month-old baby Juan Nicolás was sent back to Dilley — the main immigration detention facility for families in the U.S. — just hours after he was “unresponsive” while hospitalized for bronchitis
I have an update on Juan Nicolás, the 2-month-old baby detained at Dilley, and his mother.
February 17, 2026 at 7:48 PM
In this thread, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro says 2-month-old baby Juan Nicolás was sent back to Dilley — the main immigration detention facility for families in the U.S. — just hours after he was “unresponsive” while hospitalized for bronchitis
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Springsteen planned his opening show in Minneapolis.
We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair — the cavalry is coming! Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be taking the stage this spring from Minneapolis to California to Texas to Washington, D.C. for the Land of Hope And Dreams American Tour.
February 17, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Springsteen planned his opening show in Minneapolis.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
polycrisis is the perfect framework to understand the mutually causal realtionship between antipress authoritarianism, oligarchism, and journalism's broken political economy. You can't understand the censorship of CBS outside of the context of the absence of robust public media or ownership controls
I have an essay out today that examines and proposes interventions against the cascading layers of "media capture" that lead to this kind of egregious censorship: lpeproject.org/blog/the-ame...
February 17, 2026 at 5:56 PM
polycrisis is the perfect framework to understand the mutually causal realtionship between antipress authoritarianism, oligarchism, and journalism's broken political economy. You can't understand the censorship of CBS outside of the context of the absence of robust public media or ownership controls
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I appreciate this thoughtful review by @leahlitman.bsky.social of my article on the 1A law of jawboning. Jawboning is the dominant mode of speech reg of the Trump admin. So it is impt to understand the signif (if underenforced) constraints the 1A imposes.... conlaw.jotwell.com/throwing-the...
Throwing the Supreme Court/Free Speech A Bone - Constitutional Law
Genevieve Lakier, Enforcing the First Amendment in an Era of Jawboning, __ Univ. Chi. L. Rev. __ (forthcoming, 2026), available at SSRN (Mar. 01, 2025).Leah LitmanToo often, our “free speech culture” ...
conlaw.jotwell.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:19 PM
I appreciate this thoughtful review by @leahlitman.bsky.social of my article on the 1A law of jawboning. Jawboning is the dominant mode of speech reg of the Trump admin. So it is impt to understand the signif (if underenforced) constraints the 1A imposes.... conlaw.jotwell.com/throwing-the...
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
have you or someone you know had to find care for your pet after being detained by ICE? are you in hiding and worried about vet care? i am working on a story about what happens to pets during the ICE surge. DM me or email sstroozas@mpr.org
February 17, 2026 at 5:19 PM
have you or someone you know had to find care for your pet after being detained by ICE? are you in hiding and worried about vet care? i am working on a story about what happens to pets during the ICE surge. DM me or email sstroozas@mpr.org
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I’m thrilled, yes, & also stunned and bewildered, to announce that my job talk paper, Religion as Public Law, will be published in the Yale Law Journal next year. 1/6
February 17, 2026 at 4:49 PM
I’m thrilled, yes, & also stunned and bewildered, to announce that my job talk paper, Religion as Public Law, will be published in the Yale Law Journal next year. 1/6
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I wrote about the time Jesse Jackson brought the movement to Sesame Street. [giftie] www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...
When Jesse Jackson Came to ‘Sesame Street’: ‘I Am! Somebody!’
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:06 PM
I wrote about the time Jesse Jackson brought the movement to Sesame Street. [giftie] www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
Bari Weiss built her career in part by whining about how the left was supposedly censoring conservatives. “The Free Press” - the unironic title of her publication - ran numerous pieces about a “censorship-industrial complex.”
Now, under her watch, we get to see real censorship - and hypocrisy.
Now, under her watch, we get to see real censorship - and hypocrisy.
Stephen Colbert blasted Brendan Carr after FCC scrutiny led CBS to pull an interview with Texas State Rep James Talarico. Instead, 'The Late Show' posted it to YouTube.
Colbert Says CBS Pulled Guest Over FCC Scrutiny; Posts Interview to YouTube Instead
Stephen Colbert blasted Brendan Carr after FCC scrutiny led CBS to pull an interview with Texas State Rep James Talarico. Instead, 'The Late Show' posted it to YouTube.
dlvr.it
February 17, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Bari Weiss built her career in part by whining about how the left was supposedly censoring conservatives. “The Free Press” - the unironic title of her publication - ran numerous pieces about a “censorship-industrial complex.”
Now, under her watch, we get to see real censorship - and hypocrisy.
Now, under her watch, we get to see real censorship - and hypocrisy.
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
I remember this airing live and thinking "Whoa, an Important Person is honoring Dr. Seuss by being funny!" Repeatedly emphasizing "I" in "Sam I Am" is the kind of joke only an experienced orator would even think to make
February 17, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I remember this airing live and thinking "Whoa, an Important Person is honoring Dr. Seuss by being funny!" Repeatedly emphasizing "I" in "Sam I Am" is the kind of joke only an experienced orator would even think to make
Reposted by Heidi Kitrosser
We don't need to look to another country for a comparison. All Black people, including free Black people before the Reconstruction Amendments had to produce proof of how they became free on demand. Whites routinely presumed someone with Black skin o be enslaved w/ the burden on African Americans. 1/
" In a free society, the burden cannot be on us to prove our legal status on demand. Otherwise, we’d be a country where everyone — citizens and non-citizens alike — must be prepared at all times to prove their legal right to be here. We’d be a cliched “papers, please” dystopia..."
New at The Watch:
The Democrats' demands to "reform" Trump's immigration thugs aren't reforms at all. They're already the law, the Constitution, and widely accepted police practices. And in a free society, they'd never be negotiable.
The Democrats' demands to "reform" Trump's immigration thugs aren't reforms at all. They're already the law, the Constitution, and widely accepted police practices. And in a free society, they'd never be negotiable.
February 17, 2026 at 3:11 PM
We don't need to look to another country for a comparison. All Black people, including free Black people before the Reconstruction Amendments had to produce proof of how they became free on demand. Whites routinely presumed someone with Black skin o be enslaved w/ the burden on African Americans. 1/