Lynda Dodd
ldodd.bsky.social
Lynda Dodd
@ldodd.bsky.social
Law & Politics - Princeton
Pinned
David Cole on the role of civil society as the "ultimate protector" defending democracy and the Constitution:

"I have faith in [civil society's] power and resilience."

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Case Against Despair in Trump’s Second Term
David Cole, the former legal director of the ACLU, believes that civil society helped protect the Constitution before and will do so again.
www.theatlantic.com
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Seriously, every word of this @sifill.bsky.social piece is the analysis and inspiration we all need as we start 2026.

open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
The Year America Broke Open
It would be silly to pretend that 2025 was not among the most challenging years this country has faced in modern times.
open.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Yes, agreed - my first book of 2026. It's great. ⤵️
Really enjoying @lkatfield.bsky.social’s new book because A) It’s not unsympathetic to conservative thought and B) doesn’t treat “Trumpist intellectual” as an oxymoron but does bring a feminist perspective grounded in the classics that the guys she covers think they own. It’s a rare mix.
January 1, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
If you don't think this will affect mail-in ballots you're not paying attention.
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 10:35 PM
More on the challenges for democracy in 2026 ⤵️

Gift link ➡️ www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Chief Justice John Roberts has been working to neuter the Voting Rights Act since the beginning of his career—and he may soon achieve his goal, David Daley argues.
John Roberts’s Dream Is Finally Coming True
The Chief Justice has been working to neuter the Voting Rights Act since the beginning of his career.
bit.ly
December 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
This episode is so good - especially the second half about the Roberts Courts and why we should worry about the law of democracy in 2026.
December 28, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Just in time for Christmas: a great interview with an absolute legend.

Theda Skocpol and Edwin Amenta on her career, US politics, the erosion of democracy, and most of all, what to do about it.

sociologica.unibo.it/article/view...
View of Theda Skocpol in Conversation with Edwin Amenta on Sociology, Political Science, Higher Education, and U.S. Politics | Sociologica
sociologica.unibo.it
December 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Love. Not ICE.
ICE’s cruelty is tearing our neighbors apart during the holiest time of the year.

As faithful Americans, we demand that ICE stop attacking our neighbors.

Watch our new ad with @protectdemocracy.org and then head over to LoveNotICE.org to add your name to our letter.

#LoveNotICE
December 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Praying for all the students, staff, and their families and loved ones. So, so awful.
Today was the second day of final exams for Brown University students. Instead of finishing the semester strong, thousands were forced to shelter-in-place while an active shooter stormed the campus. Reports say at least two people were killed, and eight others are in critical, but stable, condition.
December 14, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Not surprising, yet still dismaying to read. ⤵️

The best way for young people in our digital age to build reading stamina is for schools to require and encourage reading whole books. Not just novels - history, science, and all types of nonfiction too!

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/u...
Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.
www.nytimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Indiana Republicans have withstood immense pressure from Trump — and ignored threats on their lives — to defeat his plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, dealing him one of his most significant political setbacks since his return to the White House.
Indiana GOP rejects Trump’s map in major blow to his gerrymandering push
The GOP-controlled state Senate voted down a bill that would have wiped out Indiana’s two Democratic-held seats in the House.
www.politico.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Indiana Republican State Senator Greg Goode, a key swing vote who Trump attacked by name and was victim of swatting attempt, indicates he's voting no on mid-decade gerrymandering. Increases likelihood bill will fail. He denounces "Threats of primaries. Threats of violence. Acts of violence."
December 11, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
The dark money group Heritage Action says Trump threatened to strip all federal funding from Indiana if state senate rejects 9-0 gerrymandered map today. This is height of autocracy. Trump & his allies using political and economic terrorism to force state legislature to vote for rigged map
December 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
The Illinois Bivens Act is now law - people can sue under state law for ICE’s constitutional violations. Which state is next? When the feds fall down on their obligations to protect people’s rights, it is time for states to step up.

gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker...
Gov. Pritzker Signs Bill to Protect Immigrants from Unjust Federal Actions
HB 1312 enacts protections for immigrants as the Trump Administration terrorizes Illinois communities
gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
As SCOTUS hears another case today that could further destroy campaign finance regulation, consider this astonishing fact: political spending by billionaires has increased 160-fold since Citizens United decision www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
This is all John Roberts’ fault
Trump owes his corrupt and abusive reign to one man.
www.motherjones.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Read @michellegoldberg.bsky.social “Much has been made about the rebirth of gutter antisemitism and racism within the conservative movement. There’s been less public alarm about the resurgence of unapologetic misogyny.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/o...
Opinion | Republican Women Suddenly Realize They’re Surrounded by Misogynists
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
Thank you to @indivisiblequeens.bsky.social and the hundreds of New Yorkers who gathered to protest the Trump regime's arrest and forced separation of six-year-old immigrant Yuanxin Zheng from his father. #KidsArentPawns
We had an incredible rally today in Astoria! Thank you to all of the elected officials, parents, teachers and IWQ members who spoke today. It was incredible to see so many community members come together and demand justice! #kidsarentpawns

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/n...
Hundreds Rally for Boy, 6, Who Was Separated From His Father by ICE
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
I was going to just share an excerpt of this great @donmoyn.bsky.social piece, but there are too many excerpts worth sharing. Just read the whole thing. If you care about governance, democracy, and the rule of law, these issues are crucial. open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
At will? Whose will?
Removing independent agency heads is part of a broader assault on a nonpartisan government
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
A leaked memo by U.S. AG Pam Bondi directs the FBI to compile a list of groups that may be labeled “domestic terrorism” organizations based on political views related to immigration, gender and U.S. policy. Bondi’s effort targets “not just the left,” but “anyone who isn’t a Trump supporter.”
Journalist Reveals FBI Is Offering a “Bounty” for Reporting “Anti-Trump Thought”
A leaked DOJ memo directs the FBI to review records from the past five years, says Ken Klippenstein.
buff.ly
December 8, 2025 at 10:45 PM
If you're interested in learning more about conservatives' increasingly vocal attacks on empathy, this episode, which also includes an excellent interview with Tim Whitaker, is well worth your time. ⤵️
New "Standing Room Only"! Today's episode is about Allie Beth Stuckey and the war on empathy.

And boy, she's big mad about it. She did at least two videos about me. And we address them here — and will have more later.

youtu.be/l45PAQ02B5o?...
Allie Beth Stuckey loses it over “toxic empathy” criticism
YouTube video by Salon
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 3:40 AM
"Like the racist 'great replacement' theory and other strains of white nationalism, the opposition to women’s suffrage has entered the mainstream as the Republican party has radicalized."
December 5, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has cleared the way for Texas to use a new congressional map that could help Republicans win five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. A lower court found the map is likely unconstitutional for discriminating based on race
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
25A608 Order
www.documentcloud.org
December 4, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three democratic appointees, #SCOTUS puts Texas's new House maps back into effect for (and, presumably, through) the 2026 midterms.

The three Democratic appointees, in an opinion by Justice Kagan, dissent.

I'll post the ruling shortly.
December 4, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
STILL MISSING!!
The first grader has been separated from his dad for almost a week, following ICE abducting them for the third time this year! ICE refuses to disclose the 6 yr old’s location.
WHERE IS YUANXIN?

Call your Reps & ask them to pressure ICE/DHS to reunite Fei & Yuanxin & release them!
December 3, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
ICE Arrested and Separated Chinese Father From 6-Year-Old Son, Advocates Say
The father and son were detained at an ICE check-in on Nov. 26, advocates say. The son’s location is currently unknown, while the father is being held at an upstate ICE facility.
www.thecity.nyc
December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Lynda Dodd
For the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, I spoke with advocates about how this law is crucial–and the ways in which disability education can be made better as its under attack from the Trump administration at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
This disability education law turned 50 today. Disability advocates want more.
"Our civil rights are not up for negotiations," Rep. Lateefah Simon said.
www.motherjones.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:56 PM