Peter Orlowicz
@peterorlowicz.bsky.social
Admin law atty, IL native, Navy veteran, sometimes appellate lawyer, board game aficionado, ethics enthusiast, railroad law-talkin' guy (he/him). Personal account, as always.
Pinned
Peter Orlowicz
@peterorlowicz.bsky.social
· Jul 14
Well, new platform means new people, so I may as well introduce myself. I'm a lawyer in Chicago, though I live in the western suburbs, and I'm just over 10 years into practice. This is a personal account, but my day job is Senior Counsel for the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, a federal agency.
Actually, it's not to make sure people aren't "dependent on government handouts." Plenty of people are dependent on social security as retirees, or survivors, or disabled folks, and that's exactly what those benefits are for. The purpose of SNAP benefits is to keep people from starving to death. 1/
"The purpose of entitlements is not to spend as much as possible," the Editorial Board writes.
"It is to make sure the truly vulnerable get the help they need without becoming dependent on government handouts. Scrutinizing food stamp rolls is a small step in that direction."
"It is to make sure the truly vulnerable get the help they need without becoming dependent on government handouts. Scrutinizing food stamp rolls is a small step in that direction."
Opinion | Scrutinizing food stamp rolls will ensure the truly needy get benefits
Amid Minnesota fraud scandal, Democratic governors are refusing to share SNAP details with the feds.
wapo.st
January 5, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Actually, it's not to make sure people aren't "dependent on government handouts." Plenty of people are dependent on social security as retirees, or survivors, or disabled folks, and that's exactly what those benefits are for. The purpose of SNAP benefits is to keep people from starving to death. 1/
Yay traqueros!
A National Museum of Mexican Art exhibition highlights the little-known history of Mexican railroad workers. https://bit.ly/4qdoFRq
The legacy of America's traqueros - Chicago Reader
“Rieles y Raíces,” at the National Museum of Mexican Art, connects the historical experiences of traqueros to contemporary conversations.
bit.ly
January 4, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Yay traqueros!
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
Another galling example of this: It's been said that Trump's hatred of the "deep state" is rooted in hatred of its "warmongering." But Trump hates the deep state because it tried to hold him accountable for his crimes and because a professional civil service is a barrier to authoritarian corruption!
January 4, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Another galling example of this: It's been said that Trump's hatred of the "deep state" is rooted in hatred of its "warmongering." But Trump hates the deep state because it tried to hold him accountable for his crimes and because a professional civil service is a barrier to authoritarian corruption!
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
"Trump is a usurper. He is not, right now, the lawful president, because the same law that creates the office of president also disqualifies Trump from holding any office, high or low." www.liberalcurrents.com/mamdani-teac...
Mamdani Teaches Us How to Speak the Language of Illegitimacy
How should that next Democratic government act on the belief that Trump's second term was lawless and illegitimate?
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:43 PM
"Trump is a usurper. He is not, right now, the lawful president, because the same law that creates the office of president also disqualifies Trump from holding any office, high or low." www.liberalcurrents.com/mamdani-teac...
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
I was wondering what Mamdani's first executive order would be, and I'm not disappointed by this.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
January 1, 2026 at 11:07 PM
I was wondering what Mamdani's first executive order would be, and I'm not disappointed by this.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
chicago
sorry sorry im trying to delete it
sorry sorry im trying to delete it
Mamdani: Where else can you hear the sound of the steel pan, savor the smell of sancocho, and pay $9 for coffee on the same block? Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?
January 1, 2026 at 9:45 PM
chicago
sorry sorry im trying to delete it
sorry sorry im trying to delete it
Happy New Year. Hopefully you have a reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5P...
Counting Crows - A Long December (Official Video)
YouTube video by CountingCrowsVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 1, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Happy New Year. Hopefully you have a reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5P...
"You're the most normal UChicago Law graduate I've ever worked with."
Forget insults, what’s the most unhinged *compliment* you’ve ever received?
December 31, 2025 at 2:17 PM
"You're the most normal UChicago Law graduate I've ever worked with."
The relevant legal citation is, of course, 5 C.F.R. 2635.702(c).
Would love to share, but the amount of lawyers that would rain down on us for mentioning a brand name of a product under our jurisdiction in a post that could be construed as an "endorsement" would raise Ben Franklin from the grave.
December 30, 2025 at 9:43 PM
The relevant legal citation is, of course, 5 C.F.R. 2635.702(c).
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science
Putting this one on repeat www.ru.nl/en/research/...
‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University
Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...
www.ru.nl
December 28, 2025 at 10:24 PM
‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science
This is equally true for government procurement.
One of the things I need to add to this is that you need to be careful about people NOT IN YOUR INDUSTRY reading your contract. A good lawyer who understands contract but is not a publishing industry professional will flag for you that there are things they don't understand!
I don't know how many times it needs to be said that you absolutely should not let fucking "AI" anywhere near your legal contracts, either in creating them or evaluating them, but apparently it needs to be said at least one more time, so allow me to say it again, here, right now
December 28, 2025 at 6:52 PM
This is equally true for government procurement.
Managed not to get fired or be forced into doing anything blatantly unethical or illegal.
Quote this with what you have accomplished in 2025, no matter how big or small
Reading & writing has kept me alive this year.
Somehow, it’s been my most productive year as an author.
Here’s a guide to what I’ve published in 2025, in case you’ve lost track.
Individual links below but it’s all on itch: danifinn.itch.io
And elsewhere: books2read.com/ap/nAApPp/Da...
1/
Somehow, it’s been my most productive year as an author.
Here’s a guide to what I’ve published in 2025, in case you’ve lost track.
Individual links below but it’s all on itch: danifinn.itch.io
And elsewhere: books2read.com/ap/nAApPp/Da...
1/
December 28, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Managed not to get fired or be forced into doing anything blatantly unethical or illegal.
BattleMechs that were created for the MechWarrior PC games are perfectly legitimate additions to the BattleTech canon. (This does not apply to MechAssault.)
Here is the high res version of today's third panel minus text that I posted last week.
photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pR2...
photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pR2...
December 27, 2025 at 1:25 AM
BattleMechs that were created for the MechWarrior PC games are perfectly legitimate additions to the BattleTech canon. (This does not apply to MechAssault.)
Played family games on Christmas Eve, and lost Castle Panic by the narrowest of margins (one troll left on the board with one hit point left after the last tower fell.)
December 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Played family games on Christmas Eve, and lost Castle Panic by the narrowest of margins (one troll left on the board with one hit point left after the last tower fell.)
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
The USPS faces a tight squeeze. With fewer people using the mail, it’s lost more and more money: $9 billion in the 12 months ending in September alone.
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
I think we should force agencies to use the names they were legally given. I'm trad like that.
There’s no such thing as the Gulf of America, the Department of War, or the Trump Kennedy Center. They exist only in a deranged old man’s head. Watch how fast these signs get torn down once he’s done.
December 24, 2025 at 6:34 AM
I think we should force agencies to use the names they were legally given. I'm trad like that.
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
Inside the federal government as Trump and DOGE pushed it past its breaking point in 2025, as told by some of the more than 1,200 federal workers @hannahnatanson.bsky.social and @merylkornfield.bsky.social have spoken to this year
The year Trump broke the federal government
How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation’s sprawling bureaucracy.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Inside the federal government as Trump and DOGE pushed it past its breaking point in 2025, as told by some of the more than 1,200 federal workers @hannahnatanson.bsky.social and @merylkornfield.bsky.social have spoken to this year
FUCK YES EVERYTHING IS BETTER IN BRASS BAND
If you must put on Christmas music, may I recommend one of the many New Orleans Christmas music playlists floating around? Everything is better in brass band.
December 20, 2025 at 11:41 PM
FUCK YES EVERYTHING IS BETTER IN BRASS BAND
Well, that's certainly interesting. I don't remember the last time I saw a Hatch Act complaint against a state or local official. @jesspish.bsky.social osc.gov/News/Pages/O...
OSC Files Hatch Act Complaints Alleging Political Coercion, Misuse of Office in Chesapeake Sheriff’s Campaign
osc.gov
December 19, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Well, that's certainly interesting. I don't remember the last time I saw a Hatch Act complaint against a state or local official. @jesspish.bsky.social osc.gov/News/Pages/O...
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
Excited to see my baby nephew tomorrow and to have him open presents!
I am thinking about the end of my year professionally. I met with one of my mentees today, and it got me thinking about how much I miss our LLD Q&As. So, if you’re a young law student or “lady lawyer”, reply or DM with questions
I am thinking about the end of my year professionally. I met with one of my mentees today, and it got me thinking about how much I miss our LLD Q&As. So, if you’re a young law student or “lady lawyer”, reply or DM with questions
Lots going on—and holidays can be hard in a normal year. So we thought we’d check in with the #LadyLawyerDiaries fam. How’s everyone doing? Any fun trips or gatherings? Favorite holiday stories for the LLD annals?
a girl wearing glasses and a shirt that says ' t ' on it
Alt: a girl wearing glasses and a shirt that sitting in bleachers, she holds up a sign with the words “you ok?”
media.tenor.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Excited to see my baby nephew tomorrow and to have him open presents!
I am thinking about the end of my year professionally. I met with one of my mentees today, and it got me thinking about how much I miss our LLD Q&As. So, if you’re a young law student or “lady lawyer”, reply or DM with questions
I am thinking about the end of my year professionally. I met with one of my mentees today, and it got me thinking about how much I miss our LLD Q&As. So, if you’re a young law student or “lady lawyer”, reply or DM with questions
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
More than a half-dozen federal employees from departments including Justice, Veterans Affairs, State and Agriculture who quit or lost their jobs during President Trump's second term are running for Congress as Democrats.
www.reuters.com/world/us/the...
www.reuters.com/world/us/the...
They quit government to protest Trump. Now they are running for Congress to stop him.
Some quit their jobs to protest Donald Trump. Others fell victim to his administration's wrecking ball. Now, they seek elected office and hope to flip the balance of Congress in the Democrats' favor.
www.reuters.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:44 PM
More than a half-dozen federal employees from departments including Justice, Veterans Affairs, State and Agriculture who quit or lost their jobs during President Trump's second term are running for Congress as Democrats.
www.reuters.com/world/us/the...
www.reuters.com/world/us/the...
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
NB: When I, a professor of law, profess that an act is unlawful, I am not doing it to inform the lawbreaker, but rather to inform you, the reader.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
December 18, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NB: When I, a professor of law, profess that an act is unlawful, I am not doing it to inform the lawbreaker, but rather to inform you, the reader.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
It almost goes without saying, but this is illegal. The name "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" is established by law and the board doesn't have the power to change it. 20 USC 3 §§ 76h - 76s.
Kennedy Center to be renamed Trump-Kennedy Center —Karoline Leavitt x.com/PressSec/sta...
December 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
It almost goes without saying, but this is illegal. The name "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" is established by law and the board doesn't have the power to change it. 20 USC 3 §§ 76h - 76s.
Reposted by Peter Orlowicz
What a chart.
"This line goes down to nearly -10%"
"This line goes down to nearly -10%"
Trump says that 100% of jobs added this year were in the private sector. That's true — but only because he's overseen a massive drop in government employees. The rate of new job addition is way under 2024. www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
December 18, 2025 at 2:49 PM
What a chart.
"This line goes down to nearly -10%"
"This line goes down to nearly -10%"