Jesse
@jessemerle.bsky.social
Lawyer in social enterprise and impact investing:
-Director @ Lookout PBC (2024 Pulitzer Winner).
-Counsel @ Kiva Capital.
-Lecturer @ Berkeley Law.
Married to a Dirty Immigration Lawyer.
-Director @ Lookout PBC (2024 Pulitzer Winner).
-Counsel @ Kiva Capital.
-Lecturer @ Berkeley Law.
Married to a Dirty Immigration Lawyer.
Pinned
Jesse
@jessemerle.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Bluesky is a Public Benefit Corporation and people here seem to have a lot of odd ideas about what that means. I teach about PBCs at Berkeley Law, so please send me any questions you have, and I will do my best to answer them. 🦋👋
The Absurdity of Roberts
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 9:21 PM
The Absurdity of Roberts
Good change cannot happen unless you move the capital markets
mainstream investors like Fidelity and BlackRock are investors in xAI.
For the last few days on X, people (mainly women, and sometimes children) have had nonconsensual images of them in swimsuits (or much worse) requested by users and created by Grok.
Musk's only apparent response thus far has been to crack jokes about it.
Musk's only apparent response thus far has been to crack jokes about it.
January 2, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Good change cannot happen unless you move the capital markets
Diabolical assignment decision by @apnews.com
I’m sorry but the author of this article is truly named… *R.J. Rico* … ??? 👀
January 1, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Diabolical assignment decision by @apnews.com
I’m sorry but the author of this article is truly named… *R.J. Rico* … ??? 👀
January 1, 2026 at 10:04 PM
I’m sorry but the author of this article is truly named… *R.J. Rico* … ??? 👀
I’ve been thinking about this a bit in the context of raising kids… having good manners is not the same as being a good person, but those can get confused!
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
January 1, 2026 at 9:38 PM
I’ve been thinking about this a bit in the context of raising kids… having good manners is not the same as being a good person, but those can get confused!
Yes! Local papers must invest in their journalists to thrive
Young journalists are open to working for rural news outlets but are concerned about “social life, salary, lack of belief in career advancement potential, remoteness from family members and lack of knowledge of jobs available.” www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/can-...
Can rural newsrooms win over Gen Z? - Editor and Publisher
Journalism students across the United States and Canada are rethinking what a career in rural news might look like. In a new cross-border study, reporter Tandy Lau examines their hopes and anxieties —...
www.editorandpublisher.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Yes! Local papers must invest in their journalists to thrive
It’s officially pronounced *public artEEst*
Artist boycott of The Kennedy Center continues to grow
“Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled-they are selfish, intolerant, & have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all ppl” — Roma Daravi
“Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn’t courageous or principled-they are selfish, intolerant, & have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all ppl” — Roma Daravi
December 31, 2025 at 6:12 AM
It’s officially pronounced *public artEEst*
In 2025 I am a pretty reluctant news consumer. So much of the news is traumatic that staying informed is painful.
But local journalism is different, and I routinely enjoy reading about policy successes and community building in my hometown paper.
Support local news!
But local journalism is different, and I routinely enjoy reading about policy successes and community building in my hometown paper.
Support local news!
December 27, 2025 at 10:59 PM
In 2025 I am a pretty reluctant news consumer. So much of the news is traumatic that staying informed is painful.
But local journalism is different, and I routinely enjoy reading about policy successes and community building in my hometown paper.
Support local news!
But local journalism is different, and I routinely enjoy reading about policy successes and community building in my hometown paper.
Support local news!
Yes, and well done by the UC Berkeley Human Rights Initiative
watching the CECOT 60 Minutes segment that CBS suppressed, it’s striking that Weiss specifically called out as unnecessary some of the most rigorous investigative work in the segment, including an explanation of how it was done (by human rights researchers)
December 22, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Yes, and well done by the UC Berkeley Human Rights Initiative
A lot of people are dying in ICE custody
Today I received FOUR death notifications for people in ICE custody. That's 30 deaths since Trump took office. It's appalling & unacceptable.
ICE is required—by law—to ensure detainees are safe & their basic needs are met. It's clear this isn't the case. We NEED answers.
ICE is required—by law—to ensure detainees are safe & their basic needs are met. It's clear this isn't the case. We NEED answers.
December 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
A lot of people are dying in ICE custody
These two exemplify high-quality journalism. While I’ve never met John, I have learned so much from him over the years that his presence feels personal to me. I’ve become a fan of Maurice’s reporting recently, and I look forward to following him. Thank you for being such admirable public voices.
December 19, 2025 at 6:00 PM
These two exemplify high-quality journalism. While I’ve never met John, I have learned so much from him over the years that his presence feels personal to me. I’ve become a fan of Maurice’s reporting recently, and I look forward to following him. Thank you for being such admirable public voices.
Their theory really and truly is that it’s only ok to enhance your sex organs
December 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Their theory really and truly is that it’s only ok to enhance your sex organs
Criminiminals!
If you (like me) need something to laugh about tonight... here you go.
December 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Criminiminals!
And he gets the name right!
Another #Groups pic for #Birdoftheday. This is one I've shared before, but this is a different crop. Canada geese goslings being overlooked by a parent, from back in May of this year.
#birds #photography
#birds #photography
December 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
And he gets the name right!
Yeah, this is a real thing
Deleting DEI - www.propublica.org/article/dele... - Ellis Simani, @propublica.org (with a quote from me and reference to one of my blog posts) #nonprofits #DEI #Form990
Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax Forms
As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statem...
www.propublica.org
December 17, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Yeah, this is a real thing
Exactly. Just returned from a great international legal conference in cdmx!
I keep having to justify why I want to go to conferences outside the USA and the simple answer is "Many of the people it would be helpful to talk to are no longer able to enter the USA"
December 10, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Exactly. Just returned from a great international legal conference in cdmx!
The GWOT has returned to our shores
They're using the confinement box, one of the most horrific methods of CIA torture in the post-9/11 black sites, against migrants now. This is the direct result of the lack of consequences for the architects of the torture program. Either there will be criminal penalties for this or it will expand.
Torture Techniques from CIA Black Sites Were Used at Alligator Alcatraz
Amnesty International, interviewing migrant detainees, identifies use of the confinement box. There can be no denying it is a torture prison
www.forever-wars.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The GWOT has returned to our shores
After this debate, I continue to think the best argument for shareholder primacy is Rick Alexander’s concept of the universal shareholder (The Shareholder Commons).
And the best argument against is inequality.
And the best argument against is inequality.
About to step into a debate about shareholder primacy at Haas right now which reminds me that this article is very good 👇
The Legitimation of Shareholder Primacy is now published in the Journal of Corporation Law!
Unlike the draft version that's been online for a while, this final version includes a discussion of SB 21 and other recent developments.
Read it again, for the first time:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Unlike the draft version that's been online for a while, this final version includes a discussion of SB 21 and other recent developments.
Read it again, for the first time:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
December 6, 2025 at 11:17 PM
After this debate, I continue to think the best argument for shareholder primacy is Rick Alexander’s concept of the universal shareholder (The Shareholder Commons).
And the best argument against is inequality.
And the best argument against is inequality.
Anyone who has ever fact-checked one of his pieces can tell you a story ;)
I wrote about a piece Grim edited that had massive, major factual errors in it (and which kicked off the idiocy about there being a "censorship industrial complex") and his response was to mock me and insist the only fact check that was needed was for my article exposing the problems of his.
Grim called me “insane” for saying Democrats shouldn’t recruit candidates with Nazi tattoos and now that I see who he takes seriously, that take makes a lot of sense
December 4, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Anyone who has ever fact-checked one of his pieces can tell you a story ;)
Reminds me of that old bumper sticker you sometime see on fiddle cases:
Real Musicians Have Day Jobs
Real Musicians Have Day Jobs
If we can only have art from people who "aren't in it for the money" that means we can only have art from privileged middle-class dilettantes. Making art being a viable career is responsible for nearly all worthwhile art, and if it's not a viable career any more we will get drastically less of it.
December 4, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reminds me of that old bumper sticker you sometime see on fiddle cases:
Real Musicians Have Day Jobs
Real Musicians Have Day Jobs
Heartbreaking footage like this is coming out each and everyday
In Phoenix, Arizona, ICE agents violently abducted and disappeared a father in front of his wife and infant. The agents also physically restrained the distraught mother while she held the baby.
December 1, 2025
December 1, 2025
December 4, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Heartbreaking footage like this is coming out each and everyday
For the record
Violent crime is plummeting in Oakland, according to preliminary police data.
oaklandside.org/2025/12/03/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/12/03/o...
Violent crime in Oakland is way down for the second year in a row
Despite a recent high-profile shooting, 2025 is on pace to see the fewest homicides in over a decade. Robberies have fallen by over half in two years.
oaklandside.org
December 3, 2025 at 10:58 PM
For the record
About to step into a debate about shareholder primacy at Haas right now which reminds me that this article is very good 👇
The Legitimation of Shareholder Primacy is now published in the Journal of Corporation Law!
Unlike the draft version that's been online for a while, this final version includes a discussion of SB 21 and other recent developments.
Read it again, for the first time:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Unlike the draft version that's been online for a while, this final version includes a discussion of SB 21 and other recent developments.
Read it again, for the first time:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
December 2, 2025 at 7:53 PM
About to step into a debate about shareholder primacy at Haas right now which reminds me that this article is very good 👇
Couldn’t survive as a public charity but can’t survive as an independent for-profit either huh?
this is great framing
November 28, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Couldn’t survive as a public charity but can’t survive as an independent for-profit either huh?
Almost like it’s time for a way to deprioritize Shareholder Value… :)
It’s so cool to have hitched your wagon 20 years ago to an industry that was booming beyond anyone’s expectations and have it turn out to be stripmined and utterly hollowed out by Shareholder Value, and every other industry you could slot into has been, surprise, hollowed out by Shareholder Value
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Almost like it’s time for a way to deprioritize Shareholder Value… :)