Movement Law Lab
@movementlawlab.bsky.social
Bringing the power of lawyers to social movements.
Pinned
What You Need to Know if the National Guard Is Deployed to Your State by the Trump Regime — Movement Law Lab
Learn your rights when the National Guard is deployed to your city. This guide explains the law, including the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act, and provides critical information on…
www.movementlawlab.org
Armed federal agents in Chicago. National Guard deployments in Portland and Memphis. These are not public safety measures, they are intimidation tactics.
Lawyers & communities, you need to know your rights. Here’s a resource on how you can prepare: www.movementlawlab.org/nationalguard
Lawyers & communities, you need to know your rights. Here’s a resource on how you can prepare: www.movementlawlab.org/nationalguard
The U.S. refused to participate in the UN review of its human rights record. The 1st country to ever do so.
The refusal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. to account.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
The refusal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. to account.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
A MLL mini Report-Back from 59th Session of the UNHRC — Movement Law Lab
All 193 UN member states submit reports on their human rights records every 4.5 to 5 years. The reports are reviewed by other member states, which provide non-binding recommendations based on…
www.movementlawlab.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The U.S. refused to participate in the UN review of its human rights record. The 1st country to ever do so.
The refusal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. to account.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
The refusal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. to account.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
Trump’s NSPM-7 memo weaponizes the carceral system against civil society, social movements, and philanthropy. This isn’t about crime. It’s about silencing opposition and defunding resistance.
Movement lawyers: it’s time to build legal defense with movements NOW.
www.aclu.org/news/nationa...
Movement lawyers: it’s time to build legal defense with movements NOW.
www.aclu.org/news/nationa...
How NSPM-7 Seeks to Use "Domestic Terrorism" to Target Nonprofits and Activists | ACLU
What President Donald Trump’s latest memorandum targeting civil society does, does not, and cannot do.
www.aclu.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Trump’s NSPM-7 memo weaponizes the carceral system against civil society, social movements, and philanthropy. This isn’t about crime. It’s about silencing opposition and defunding resistance.
Movement lawyers: it’s time to build legal defense with movements NOW.
www.aclu.org/news/nationa...
Movement lawyers: it’s time to build legal defense with movements NOW.
www.aclu.org/news/nationa...
Brazil's successful holding to account of the perpetrators of the attack on their democracy is a stark contrast to what played out in the U.S. Read more about how Brazil handled those who attacked democracy and what the U.S. should learn from it: substack.com/home/post/p-...
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Brazil's successful holding to account of the perpetrators of the attack on their democracy is a stark contrast to what played out in the U.S. Read more about how Brazil handled those who attacked democracy and what the U.S. should learn from it: substack.com/home/post/p-...
“Judge Young’s ruling comes at what might be an inflection point in the fight against authoritarianism and the fight for Palestinian rights, showing just how inextricably bound together those two fights are.”
jacobin.com/2025/10/pale...
jacobin.com/2025/10/pale...
Palestinian Rights and Free Speech Rights Are Closely Linked
A recent successful court case brought by university professors against the Trump administration’s ideological deportations is an important win for supporters of Palestinian liberation and opponents…
jacobin.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“Judge Young’s ruling comes at what might be an inflection point in the fight against authoritarianism and the fight for Palestinian rights, showing just how inextricably bound together those two fights are.”
jacobin.com/2025/10/pale...
jacobin.com/2025/10/pale...
Calling all lawyers! Nonprofits under attack need your help NOW.
Volunteer with the Nonprofit Legal Defense Network to provide FREE legal support through risk assessment clinics. Help movement orgs identify gaps before the government finds them.
Sign up ➡️
Volunteer with the Nonprofit Legal Defense Network to provide FREE legal support through risk assessment clinics. Help movement orgs identify gaps before the government finds them.
Sign up ➡️
Nonprofit Legal Defense Network Clinics
Work with Nonprofits to Complete a Risk Assessment
wetheaction.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Calling all lawyers! Nonprofits under attack need your help NOW.
Volunteer with the Nonprofit Legal Defense Network to provide FREE legal support through risk assessment clinics. Help movement orgs identify gaps before the government finds them.
Sign up ➡️
Volunteer with the Nonprofit Legal Defense Network to provide FREE legal support through risk assessment clinics. Help movement orgs identify gaps before the government finds them.
Sign up ➡️
By withdrawing from global human rights standards, the U.S. is continuing a much longer trajectory of avoiding scrutiny and accountability by the international community. Not only that, authoritarians around the world are also taking note so they can do the same.
This week, the U.S. gov’t was meant to be reviewed at the UN as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, a peer-to-peer assessment of every country’s human rights record. The U.S. is set to become the first country ever to avoid review after withdrawing in August.
November 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
By withdrawing from global human rights standards, the U.S. is continuing a much longer trajectory of avoiding scrutiny and accountability by the international community. Not only that, authoritarians around the world are also taking note so they can do the same.
MMA instructors watching for ICE at school drop-off. Whistles with codes. Cyclists following ICE vehicles. Volunteers delivering groceries to families too afraid to leave home. Real safety is solidarity against ICE’s terrorization of communities.
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:17 PM
MMA instructors watching for ICE at school drop-off. Whistles with codes. Cyclists following ICE vehicles. Volunteers delivering groceries to families too afraid to leave home. Real safety is solidarity against ICE’s terrorization of communities.
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
Brazil faced a coup attempt in 2023, similar to Jan 6. But their judicial response was swift.
Bolsonaro: 27+ years for election interference & conspiracy to undermine democracy.
What can U.S. democracy defenders learn from Brazil?
Learn about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Bolsonaro: 27+ years for election interference & conspiracy to undermine democracy.
What can U.S. democracy defenders learn from Brazil?
Learn about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
What Democracy Defenders in the U.S. Can Learn from Brazil’s Trial with Democracy
Written by Movement Law Lab, Felipe Mesel
substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Brazil faced a coup attempt in 2023, similar to Jan 6. But their judicial response was swift.
Bolsonaro: 27+ years for election interference & conspiracy to undermine democracy.
What can U.S. democracy defenders learn from Brazil?
Learn about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Bolsonaro: 27+ years for election interference & conspiracy to undermine democracy.
What can U.S. democracy defenders learn from Brazil?
Learn about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...
The U.S. refused to participate in the UN review of its human rights record. The 1st country to do so.
The withdrawal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. accountable.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
The withdrawal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. accountable.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
A MLL mini Report-Back from 59th Session of the UNHRC — Movement Law Lab
All 193 UN member states submit reports on their human rights records every 4.5 to 5 years. The reports are reviewed by other member states, which provide non-binding recommendations based on…
www.movementlawlab.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
The U.S. refused to participate in the UN review of its human rights record. The 1st country to do so.
The withdrawal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. accountable.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
The withdrawal gives cover to authoritarians worldwide & sends a message: no one can hold the U.S. accountable.
Rejecting scrutiny is rejecting democracy.
www.movementlawlab.org/blog/a-mll-m...
Chicago, Portland, DC, Memphis, LA, Bay Area: communities are organizing resistance to National Guard deployments.
Get our National Guard resource and community primer. More deployments expected. NOW is the time to connect with local orgs.
static1.squarespace.com/static/6421f...
Get our National Guard resource and community primer. More deployments expected. NOW is the time to connect with local orgs.
static1.squarespace.com/static/6421f...
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Chicago, Portland, DC, Memphis, LA, Bay Area: communities are organizing resistance to National Guard deployments.
Get our National Guard resource and community primer. More deployments expected. NOW is the time to connect with local orgs.
static1.squarespace.com/static/6421f...
Get our National Guard resource and community primer. More deployments expected. NOW is the time to connect with local orgs.
static1.squarespace.com/static/6421f...
Our first Resistance Docket is out. Get resources, analysis, and opportunities to resist authoritarianism. Subscribe to Movement Law Lab’s newsletter.
Sign up to receive it here: www.movementlawlab.org/email-sign-up
Sign up to receive it here: www.movementlawlab.org/email-sign-up
Sign Up and Receive Updates from Movement Law Lab — Movement Law Lab
Stay connected with us by signing up.
www.movementlawlab.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Our first Resistance Docket is out. Get resources, analysis, and opportunities to resist authoritarianism. Subscribe to Movement Law Lab’s newsletter.
Sign up to receive it here: www.movementlawlab.org/email-sign-up
Sign up to receive it here: www.movementlawlab.org/email-sign-up
Reposted by Movement Law Lab
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Officers with the Memphis Safe Task Force, created by President Donald Trump to target violent crime, conduct a traffic stop on Summer Avenue near N.
mlk50.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
7 million people, the largest single-day protest in American history.
This isn’t “anti-American” dissent. Protesters reclaimed patriotism from authoritarians who think it means loyalty to a king.
This is the people power the law should defend.
jacobin.com/2025/10/trum...
This isn’t “anti-American” dissent. Protesters reclaimed patriotism from authoritarians who think it means loyalty to a king.
This is the people power the law should defend.
jacobin.com/2025/10/trum...
Patriotism Against Authoritarianism
Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies featured millions of Americans claiming patriotic imagery against authoritarianism and toward progressive ends. That’s a good thing.
jacobin.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
7 million people, the largest single-day protest in American history.
This isn’t “anti-American” dissent. Protesters reclaimed patriotism from authoritarians who think it means loyalty to a king.
This is the people power the law should defend.
jacobin.com/2025/10/trum...
This isn’t “anti-American” dissent. Protesters reclaimed patriotism from authoritarians who think it means loyalty to a king.
This is the people power the law should defend.
jacobin.com/2025/10/trum...
Reposted by Movement Law Lab
NEW: A federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Oregon, ruling that the president's actions violated federal law and the Constitution. A permanent block is expected to be issued this week.
In Blow to Trump’s Power Grab, Federal Judge Blocks Troop Deployment In Oregon
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:14 PM
NEW: A federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Oregon, ruling that the president's actions violated federal law and the Constitution. A permanent block is expected to be issued this week.
Reposted by Movement Law Lab
📽️ WATCH: The U.S. government doesn’t track how often immigration agents detain citizens. So ProPublica did.
We found more than 170 incidents since the start of Trump’s second term. Americans have been kicked, dragged and held for days without access to lawyers.
➡️ Full story: propub.li/3LjuAVS
We found more than 170 incidents since the start of Trump’s second term. Americans have been kicked, dragged and held for days without access to lawyers.
➡️ Full story: propub.li/3LjuAVS
November 3, 2025 at 2:02 AM
📽️ WATCH: The U.S. government doesn’t track how often immigration agents detain citizens. So ProPublica did.
We found more than 170 incidents since the start of Trump’s second term. Americans have been kicked, dragged and held for days without access to lawyers.
➡️ Full story: propub.li/3LjuAVS
We found more than 170 incidents since the start of Trump’s second term. Americans have been kicked, dragged and held for days without access to lawyers.
➡️ Full story: propub.li/3LjuAVS
In just a few weeks, we're joining a delegation of movement lawyers and movement organizers at the People's Summit, along with @terradedireitos.bsky.social. Communities should be at the forefront of shaping climate change and environmental policy, not corporations. #COP30
November 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM
In just a few weeks, we're joining a delegation of movement lawyers and movement organizers at the People's Summit, along with @terradedireitos.bsky.social. Communities should be at the forefront of shaping climate change and environmental policy, not corporations. #COP30
Censorship of political speech (including revoking visas) chills dissent everywhere and is a key element of the authoritarian playbook– and we need to recognize it as such.
theintercept.com/2025/10/15/s...
theintercept.com/2025/10/15/s...
He Tweeted Charlie Kirk “Won’t Be Remembered as a Hero.” The State Dept. Revoked His Visa.
Nota Baloyi is one of several people who lost a visa to visit the U.S. because he spoke ill of Charlie Kirk on social media.
theintercept.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Censorship of political speech (including revoking visas) chills dissent everywhere and is a key element of the authoritarian playbook– and we need to recognize it as such.
theintercept.com/2025/10/15/s...
theintercept.com/2025/10/15/s...
Reposted by Movement Law Lab
In remarks to a private audience in 2023, Russell Vought, who is Trump’s budget chief and the intellectual force behind Trump’s unprecedented power grab, said he championed the term “invasion” because it “unlocked” extraordinary presidential powers.
(Published May)
By @mtredden.bsky.social
(Published May)
By @mtredden.bsky.social
The “Invasion” Invention: The Far Right’s Long Legal Battle to Make Immigrants the Enemy
The Trump administration is using the claim that immigrants have “invaded” the country to justify possibly suspending habeas corpus, part of the constitutional right to due process. A faction of the f...
www.propublica.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:40 PM
In remarks to a private audience in 2023, Russell Vought, who is Trump’s budget chief and the intellectual force behind Trump’s unprecedented power grab, said he championed the term “invasion” because it “unlocked” extraordinary presidential powers.
(Published May)
By @mtredden.bsky.social
(Published May)
By @mtredden.bsky.social
Operation Midway Blitz terrorizes families, but ICE raids are met by rapid response & neighbor defense: from whistles & photos to resistance. Safety comes from networks of care. Active organizers send a mesage: ICE isn’t welcome & collective power is our protection!
inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
“They’re Not Welcome”: How Chicago Residents Are Resisting Trump’s ICE Invasion of the City
As ICE wreaks chaos and violence in neighborhoods across Chicago, teams of rapid responders are protecting residents and challenging Trump’s attempted occupation by fighting fear through solidarity.
inthesetimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Operation Midway Blitz terrorizes families, but ICE raids are met by rapid response & neighbor defense: from whistles & photos to resistance. Safety comes from networks of care. Active organizers send a mesage: ICE isn’t welcome & collective power is our protection!
inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
ICE expands surveillance to control activists & immigrants, deploys new technology for “security”. Organizers build collective defense, educate communities, & advocate for rights. Power is growing through the networks that protect our communities from intrusive control.
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
MSN
Iris scanners, facial recognition apps, phone-hacking software and cellphone location data are among the agency’s recent technological purchases.
www.msn.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM
ICE expands surveillance to control activists & immigrants, deploys new technology for “security”. Organizers build collective defense, educate communities, & advocate for rights. Power is growing through the networks that protect our communities from intrusive control.
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
Authoritarians fear art because it inspires & mobilizes. Creatives lead resistance, energize movements & fuel hope for collective liberation. Art is more than expression. It’s infrastructure for change. It helps movements break barriers & reimagine futures.
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/16/a...
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/16/a...
Cultural resistance to Trump begins to form, with artists leading the charge
As president attempts to reshape US society, nationwide campaigns and protest projects are taking root
www.theartnewspaper.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Authoritarians fear art because it inspires & mobilizes. Creatives lead resistance, energize movements & fuel hope for collective liberation. Art is more than expression. It’s infrastructure for change. It helps movements break barriers & reimagine futures.
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/16/a...
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/16/a...
Law can be twisted into a weapon. The Trump admin has used it to target dissent, pardon insurrectionists, and criminalize protest. This is the authoritarian playbook, but organizers challenge the system by pushing for justice beyond courtrooms.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on Trump and the law: a restraint on the executive is morphing into its weapon | Editorial
Editorial: The indictment of critics including John Bolton rings alarm bells as the US president expands his power and seeks to use the justice system to exact revenge
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Law can be twisted into a weapon. The Trump admin has used it to target dissent, pardon insurrectionists, and criminalize protest. This is the authoritarian playbook, but organizers challenge the system by pushing for justice beyond courtrooms.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
They "have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them. One of those women had the door of her home blown off."
“If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, they promptly let the individual go.” -Justice Brett Kavanaugh
The reality: 1/
The reality: 1/
ICE detained 170+ U.S. citizens this year. This is an abuse fueled by unchecked power. Safety & dignity depend on collective defense.
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
October 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM
They "have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them. One of those women had the door of her home blown off."
“If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, they promptly let the individual go.” -Justice Brett Kavanaugh
The reality: 1/
The reality: 1/
ICE detained 170+ U.S. citizens this year. This is an abuse fueled by unchecked power. Safety & dignity depend on collective defense.
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And…
www.propublica.org
October 28, 2025 at 2:03 PM
“If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, they promptly let the individual go.” -Justice Brett Kavanaugh
The reality: 1/
The reality: 1/
ICE detained 170+ U.S. citizens this year. This is an abuse fueled by unchecked power. Safety & dignity depend on collective defense.
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And…
www.propublica.org
October 27, 2025 at 9:02 PM
ICE detained 170+ U.S. citizens this year. This is an abuse fueled by unchecked power. Safety & dignity depend on collective defense.
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
www.propublica.org/article/immi...