Laura Moyer
@moyer.bsky.social
Courts scholar, runner, mountain person, all things October
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Did you know gov shutdowns aren’t in the Constitution, any law, or Court ruling?
They exist because of a 1980 OLC memo—a lawyer’s opinion that everyone just went along with. Before 1980, funding gaps didn’t cause shutdowns.
What one memo created, another can undo. How the next D admin can undo it:
They exist because of a 1980 OLC memo—a lawyer’s opinion that everyone just went along with. Before 1980, funding gaps didn’t cause shutdowns.
What one memo created, another can undo. How the next D admin can undo it:
Why America’s Government Shutdowns Exist and How to End Them
One Legal Memo Created The Shutdown Era. Another Can End It.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Did you know gov shutdowns aren’t in the Constitution, any law, or Court ruling?
They exist because of a 1980 OLC memo—a lawyer’s opinion that everyone just went along with. Before 1980, funding gaps didn’t cause shutdowns.
What one memo created, another can undo. How the next D admin can undo it:
They exist because of a 1980 OLC memo—a lawyer’s opinion that everyone just went along with. Before 1980, funding gaps didn’t cause shutdowns.
What one memo created, another can undo. How the next D admin can undo it:
Reposted by Laura Moyer
"Why American-style polarisation is spreading across the West"
Two words: algorithms and incentives. Mostly incentives. Until we modify or eliminate incentives, all we can do is watch as the fabric of society is pulled apart, strand by strand. www.ft.com/content/5060...
Two words: algorithms and incentives. Mostly incentives. Until we modify or eliminate incentives, all we can do is watch as the fabric of society is pulled apart, strand by strand. www.ft.com/content/5060...
November 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
"Why American-style polarisation is spreading across the West"
Two words: algorithms and incentives. Mostly incentives. Until we modify or eliminate incentives, all we can do is watch as the fabric of society is pulled apart, strand by strand. www.ft.com/content/5060...
Two words: algorithms and incentives. Mostly incentives. Until we modify or eliminate incentives, all we can do is watch as the fabric of society is pulled apart, strand by strand. www.ft.com/content/5060...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
At least 15 incumbents lost in the state legislative elections in New Jersey & Virginia, with 6 New Jersey contests still uncalled as of 5:30 pm EST on 11/5. That’s the most general election incumbent defeats in an odd year since 21 were defeated in 2011. All 15 defeated incumbents were Republicans.
November 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM
At least 15 incumbents lost in the state legislative elections in New Jersey & Virginia, with 6 New Jersey contests still uncalled as of 5:30 pm EST on 11/5. That’s the most general election incumbent defeats in an odd year since 21 were defeated in 2011. All 15 defeated incumbents were Republicans.
Reposted by Laura Moyer
An official with the National Transportation Safety Board says the left engine fell off the Louisville UPS plane as it was attempting to take off, before crashing just beyond the runway. www.lpm.org/news/2025-11...
Federal agency investigating Louisville UPS plane crash says engine fell off on takeoff
An official with the National Transportation Safety Board says the left engine fell off the UPS plane as it was attempting to take off, before crashing just beyond the runway.
www.lpm.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:28 PM
An official with the National Transportation Safety Board says the left engine fell off the Louisville UPS plane as it was attempting to take off, before crashing just beyond the runway. www.lpm.org/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
For about two hours last night, Sabit Aliyev and his co-workers were trapped by flames from the UPS plane crash in Louisville. “It was like really loud. This explosion and flames all over. It was.. [the] heat was so bad, you can feel it from a distance,” he said.
November 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM
For about two hours last night, Sabit Aliyev and his co-workers were trapped by flames from the UPS plane crash in Louisville. “It was like really loud. This explosion and flames all over. It was.. [the] heat was so bad, you can feel it from a distance,” he said.
Reposted by Laura Moyer
I have tasted
the sandwich
that was lobbed
at my bulletproof vest
and which
you probably spent
your hard-earned
money on
forgive me
it smelled delicious
so onion-y
so mustard-y
the sandwich
that was lobbed
at my bulletproof vest
and which
you probably spent
your hard-earned
money on
forgive me
it smelled delicious
so onion-y
so mustard-y
November 4, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I have tasted
the sandwich
that was lobbed
at my bulletproof vest
and which
you probably spent
your hard-earned
money on
forgive me
it smelled delicious
so onion-y
so mustard-y
the sandwich
that was lobbed
at my bulletproof vest
and which
you probably spent
your hard-earned
money on
forgive me
it smelled delicious
so onion-y
so mustard-y
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Mike Johnson: It’s True. I Am Tuning Out The News Cycle To Focus On Self-Care
Mike Johnson: I Am Tuning Out the News Cycle to Focus on Self-Care
Don’t ask me about the news. I am protecting my mental space.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Mike Johnson: It’s True. I Am Tuning Out The News Cycle To Focus On Self-Care
Reposted by Laura Moyer
On why judicial biographies are almost always bad, unless you collect cliches. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/02/a...
Justice Barrett’s Campaign Biography
Amy Coney Barrett’s book, "Listening to the Law," claims the Supreme Court is above politics. Its very existence proves otherwise.
washingtonmonthly.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
On why judicial biographies are almost always bad, unless you collect cliches. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/02/a...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
@mgraber1.bsky.social reviews Justice Barrett’s book:
“By presenting judging as a realm of pure law, insulated from politics, the justices offer a picture so implausible that it makes the opposite claim—that judging is nothing but politics—more credible.”
“By presenting judging as a realm of pure law, insulated from politics, the justices offer a picture so implausible that it makes the opposite claim—that judging is nothing but politics—more credible.”
Justice Barrett’s Campaign Biography
Amy Coney Barrett’s book, "Listening to the Law," claims the Supreme Court is above politics. Its very existence proves otherwise.
washingtonmonthly.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:27 PM
@mgraber1.bsky.social reviews Justice Barrett’s book:
“By presenting judging as a realm of pure law, insulated from politics, the justices offer a picture so implausible that it makes the opposite claim—that judging is nothing but politics—more credible.”
“By presenting judging as a realm of pure law, insulated from politics, the justices offer a picture so implausible that it makes the opposite claim—that judging is nothing but politics—more credible.”
Huge increase in the cost of coffee = guess I'll just have to cut back on "extras" like groceries and medicine
October 29, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Huge increase in the cost of coffee = guess I'll just have to cut back on "extras" like groceries and medicine
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Why did Indiana University attack and cut its own student newspaper?
Well, in a twist of irony any English professor would call clichéd, it turns out IU did it because they were angry about the students' reporting on a FIRE report naming IU as the worst public university for free speech in the US.
Well, in a twist of irony any English professor would call clichéd, it turns out IU did it because they were angry about the students' reporting on a FIRE report naming IU as the worst public university for free speech in the US.
October 25, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Why did Indiana University attack and cut its own student newspaper?
Well, in a twist of irony any English professor would call clichéd, it turns out IU did it because they were angry about the students' reporting on a FIRE report naming IU as the worst public university for free speech in the US.
Well, in a twist of irony any English professor would call clichéd, it turns out IU did it because they were angry about the students' reporting on a FIRE report naming IU as the worst public university for free speech in the US.
Reposted by Laura Moyer
1 in 3 US community-service nonprofits lost government funding in early 2025.
These organizations run food pantries, deliver job training and offer mental health services. They provide independent living assistance, disaster relief and emergency shelter, among other services
These organizations run food pantries, deliver job training and offer mental health services. They provide independent living assistance, disaster relief and emergency shelter, among other services
1 in 3 US nonprofits that serve communities lost government funding in early 2025
Federal funding cuts are destabilizing many food pantries, homeless shelters, mental health clinics and other nonprofits, threatening the services they provide.
buff.ly
October 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
1 in 3 US community-service nonprofits lost government funding in early 2025.
These organizations run food pantries, deliver job training and offer mental health services. They provide independent living assistance, disaster relief and emergency shelter, among other services
These organizations run food pantries, deliver job training and offer mental health services. They provide independent living assistance, disaster relief and emergency shelter, among other services
Reposted by Laura Moyer
This is a very, very big protest. Heroes Square alone is really big. Orban is really in trouble
Today, Hungarians protest again. And a traveler captured an image of the crowd, snaking up Andrassy Boulevard to Heroes Square, from their RyanAir flight. Who needs drones?
October 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This is a very, very big protest. Heroes Square alone is really big. Orban is really in trouble
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Breaking News: North Carolina state senators approved a new congressional map that could give Republicans an extra seat. The state House is expected to pass it.
North Carolina State Senate Approves New Congressional Map in Effort to Add a Seat
The Trump administration has pushed Republican leaders to redraw House district maps before the midterm elections next year.
nyti.ms
October 21, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Breaking News: North Carolina state senators approved a new congressional map that could give Republicans an extra seat. The state House is expected to pass it.
Reposted by Laura Moyer
No Kings in Louisville, Kentucky: I reported extensively on the 2020 Breonna Taylor protests and I don't think I've every seen as many people protesting in downtown Louisville as I did today.
October 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM
No Kings in Louisville, Kentucky: I reported extensively on the 2020 Breonna Taylor protests and I don't think I've every seen as many people protesting in downtown Louisville as I did today.
Some Con Law humor...
Third Amendment Rights Group Celebrates Another Successful Year https://theonion.com/third-amendment-rights-group-celebrates-another-success-1819569379/
October 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Some Con Law humor...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
NEW: A professor at Rutgers University who wrote a book about “antifa” almost a decade ago is trying—and struggling—to flee the US for Europe after a weeks-long online campaign against him by far-right influencers was followed by death threats. www.wired.com/story/mark-b...
He Wrote a Book About Antifa. Death Threats Are Driving Him Out of the US
Rutgers historian Mark Bray is trying to flee to Spain after after an online campaign from far-right influencers was followed by death threats. He was turned back at the airport on his first attempt.
www.wired.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
NEW: A professor at Rutgers University who wrote a book about “antifa” almost a decade ago is trying—and struggling—to flee the US for Europe after a weeks-long online campaign against him by far-right influencers was followed by death threats. www.wired.com/story/mark-b...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
NEW: Judge Immergut issues her written second TRO, blocking the Trump admin from deploying ANY federalized National Guard troops from ANY state in Oregon. (Full hearing thread below) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
October 6, 2025 at 4:33 AM
NEW: Judge Immergut issues her written second TRO, blocking the Trump admin from deploying ANY federalized National Guard troops from ANY state in Oregon. (Full hearing thread below) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Laura Moyer
If you've done in-person research at any of the following presidential libraries in the last 8 months, can you please follow me/contact me—soon—for a story I'm working on (can be off the record)?
Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter
And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏
Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter
And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏
September 30, 2025 at 10:52 PM
If you've done in-person research at any of the following presidential libraries in the last 8 months, can you please follow me/contact me—soon—for a story I'm working on (can be off the record)?
Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter
And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏
Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter
And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏
Portland ❤️
a man in a red shirt and suspenders stands in front of a sign that says " put "
ALT: a man in a red shirt and suspenders stands in front of a sign that says " put "
media.tenor.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Portland ❤️
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Sociologist Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social (Princeton University) provides comment in the recent article, “Why Won’t America’s Business Leaders Stand Up to Donald Trump?” @newyorker.com
Why Won’t America’s Business Leaders Stand Up to Donald Trump?
From Disney’s capitulation on Jimmy Kimmel to tech moguls’ White House dinner, corporate élites are choosing self-preservation over principle.
bit.ly
September 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Sociologist Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social (Princeton University) provides comment in the recent article, “Why Won’t America’s Business Leaders Stand Up to Donald Trump?” @newyorker.com
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Huge DOGE oral history from @leahfeiger.bsky.social, @zoeschiffer.bsky.social, @telliotter.bsky.social, @knibbs.bsky.social, @makenakelly.bsky.social, @davidgilbert.bsky.social, @mollytaft.com, @aarianmarshall.bsky.social, @peard33.bsky.social, + @jakelahut.writes.news
www.wired.com/story/oral-h...
www.wired.com/story/oral-h...
The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers
WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.
www.wired.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Laura Moyer
Newborn Loses Faith In Humanity After Record 6 Days https://theonion.com/newborn-loses-faith-in-humanity-after-record-6-days-1819573929/
September 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Newborn Loses Faith In Humanity After Record 6 Days https://theonion.com/newborn-loses-faith-in-humanity-after-record-6-days-1819573929/