Joe Ross
@profjvross.bsky.social
Political Science & General Education at work, but this is a personal account.
I like travel, puzzles, board games, and state courts, mostly in that order.
I like travel, puzzles, board games, and state courts, mostly in that order.
Reposted by Joe Ross
You know what feels good? Walking into the Tarlton law library at the University of Texas law school to do a little research and seeing this glorious portrait of Heman Sweatt. Sweatt v Painter was a pivotal case in desegregating public education. The case, and Mr. Sweat, deserve this recognition.
December 15, 2025 at 6:47 PM
You know what feels good? Walking into the Tarlton law library at the University of Texas law school to do a little research and seeing this glorious portrait of Heman Sweatt. Sweatt v Painter was a pivotal case in desegregating public education. The case, and Mr. Sweat, deserve this recognition.
Reposted by Joe Ross
Mantra:
Learn to use AI. Do not use AI to learn.
Learn to use AI. Do not use AI to learn.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Mantra:
Learn to use AI. Do not use AI to learn.
Learn to use AI. Do not use AI to learn.
Reposted by Joe Ross
Expand the court, yes, but also make the court into rotating terms drawn from the circuits, panels of 5-7 justices that are determined after cert is granted so petitioners don't know their judges in advance and so can enforce ethics recusals.
The Supreme Court is clearly off the rails, and talk of expanding the Court is increasing again.
I talked to @leahlitman.bsky.social about everything SCOTUS for my newsletter
I talked to @leahlitman.bsky.social about everything SCOTUS for my newsletter
Leah Litman on an unhinged SCOTUS and expanding the Court
Leah Litman on what's happening with the Supreme Court and how Democrats should respond.
madness.ghost.io
September 22, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Expand the court, yes, but also make the court into rotating terms drawn from the circuits, panels of 5-7 justices that are determined after cert is granted so petitioners don't know their judges in advance and so can enforce ethics recusals.
Reposted by Joe Ross
My five things are:
1. Multimember districts with proportional distribution of House seats by party.
2. Expand the House.
3. Guarantee voting rights for all (DC and PR included)
4. Reduce authority of the Senate.
5. Increase pay and professional staff for House members.
2/3
1. Multimember districts with proportional distribution of House seats by party.
2. Expand the House.
3. Guarantee voting rights for all (DC and PR included)
4. Reduce authority of the Senate.
5. Increase pay and professional staff for House members.
2/3
August 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
My five things are:
1. Multimember districts with proportional distribution of House seats by party.
2. Expand the House.
3. Guarantee voting rights for all (DC and PR included)
4. Reduce authority of the Senate.
5. Increase pay and professional staff for House members.
2/3
1. Multimember districts with proportional distribution of House seats by party.
2. Expand the House.
3. Guarantee voting rights for all (DC and PR included)
4. Reduce authority of the Senate.
5. Increase pay and professional staff for House members.
2/3
Reposted by Joe Ross
Everything is awful, but a new paper with @profjvross.bsky.social provides new evidence that state court chief justices are much more like academic department chairs than ideologically-driven seekers of policy outcomes.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Opinion Self-Assignment on State Supreme Courts - Meghan E. Leonard, Joseph V. Ross, 2025
The assignment of a majority opinion author is a pivotal moment in the judicial decision-making process, yet nearly all our understanding of the assignment deci...
journals.sagepub.com
August 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Everything is awful, but a new paper with @profjvross.bsky.social provides new evidence that state court chief justices are much more like academic department chairs than ideologically-driven seekers of policy outcomes.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Joe Ross
I have a little bit of time to kill so I’m going to start a thread on the Spanish Inquisition that I probably won’t finish today.
I’m trying to tell an interesting story to people who might not know a lot about this stuff and also I don’t work here so I’ll probably be making some generalizations.
I’m trying to tell an interesting story to people who might not know a lot about this stuff and also I don’t work here so I’ll probably be making some generalizations.
August 6, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I have a little bit of time to kill so I’m going to start a thread on the Spanish Inquisition that I probably won’t finish today.
I’m trying to tell an interesting story to people who might not know a lot about this stuff and also I don’t work here so I’ll probably be making some generalizations.
I’m trying to tell an interesting story to people who might not know a lot about this stuff and also I don’t work here so I’ll probably be making some generalizations.
Reposted by Joe Ross
Context for gerrymandering debate
“How responsive/congruent is state policy with state public opinion” is one of the most studied poli sci questions
Red & blue states both passed more 'extreme' policy in recent decades. Blue state policy shifts were aligned with state opinion. Red states’ weren’t
“How responsive/congruent is state policy with state public opinion” is one of the most studied poli sci questions
Red & blue states both passed more 'extreme' policy in recent decades. Blue state policy shifts were aligned with state opinion. Red states’ weren’t
August 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Context for gerrymandering debate
“How responsive/congruent is state policy with state public opinion” is one of the most studied poli sci questions
Red & blue states both passed more 'extreme' policy in recent decades. Blue state policy shifts were aligned with state opinion. Red states’ weren’t
“How responsive/congruent is state policy with state public opinion” is one of the most studied poli sci questions
Red & blue states both passed more 'extreme' policy in recent decades. Blue state policy shifts were aligned with state opinion. Red states’ weren’t
Reposted by Joe Ross
Buffoonery aside, I think a lot of Americans can't process that multiple generations of Germans renounce and revile past actions rather than treat them as an aspect of of their culture that must be maintained.
MERZ: Tomorrow is the D Day anniversary, when the Americans ended a war in Europe
TRUMP: That was not a pleasant day for you? This is not a great day
MERZ: This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship
TRUMP: That was not a pleasant day for you? This is not a great day
MERZ: This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship
June 5, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Buffoonery aside, I think a lot of Americans can't process that multiple generations of Germans renounce and revile past actions rather than treat them as an aspect of of their culture that must be maintained.
Reposted by Joe Ross
NEW: ALA salutes Dr Carla Hayden for her exceptional service to the nation as the Librarian of Congress. We are deeply disappointed in Dr Hayden's abrupt & unjust dismissal last night, an insult to the scope & breadth of her work.
Read ALA Pres. Cindy Hohl's statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...
Read ALA Pres. Cindy Hohl's statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...
![The American Library Association praises servic of Dr. Carla Hayden, decries 'unjust dismissal' of Librarian of Congress. [Image of Dr. Carla Hayden standing in the stacks in a library]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q5qyswhppr7tiskw43xhcv7f/bafkreicwqv4vszkknu4dvsdfhmrzzmtscjx5eg64gykfmrgynrnhup6sai@jpeg)
May 9, 2025 at 6:22 PM
NEW: ALA salutes Dr Carla Hayden for her exceptional service to the nation as the Librarian of Congress. We are deeply disappointed in Dr Hayden's abrupt & unjust dismissal last night, an insult to the scope & breadth of her work.
Read ALA Pres. Cindy Hohl's statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...
Read ALA Pres. Cindy Hohl's statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...
Reposted by Joe Ross
Dr. Hayden has been such a transformative and inspiring Librarian for the past decade. If you haven't had the privilege to spend time with LC staff, you may not realize what a sea change she brought to our national library. One of the all-time greats. A huge loss for millions and millions.
BREAKING: President Donald Trump abruptly fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
The dismissal was disclosed in statements from three top House Democrats and confirmed by a separate person familiar with the matter.
The dismissal was disclosed in statements from three top House Democrats and confirmed by a separate person familiar with the matter.
President Donald Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
President Donald Trump has abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
bit.ly
May 9, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Dr. Hayden has been such a transformative and inspiring Librarian for the past decade. If you haven't had the privilege to spend time with LC staff, you may not realize what a sea change she brought to our national library. One of the all-time greats. A huge loss for millions and millions.
Reposted by Joe Ross
The key is not limiting the actions of lawmakers, but structuring a party system so the radicals who would welcome authoritarianism are kept out of coalitions of power. At least for now, we see this working in Germany's hybrid party-list PR / plurality vote system
one thing i keep thinking about is how there is simply no way to design a constitutional system that can resist authoritarian incursion if participants in that system do not actually care that much
March 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The key is not limiting the actions of lawmakers, but structuring a party system so the radicals who would welcome authoritarianism are kept out of coalitions of power. At least for now, we see this working in Germany's hybrid party-list PR / plurality vote system
Reposted by Joe Ross
The biggest reason why I dislike the idea of respectability in dress is because it conflates the *appearance* of virtue with *actual* virtue. Wearing a suit doesn't make you respectful, intelligent, or capable, just as wearing a leather jacket doesn't make you rugged.
March 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The biggest reason why I dislike the idea of respectability in dress is because it conflates the *appearance* of virtue with *actual* virtue. Wearing a suit doesn't make you respectful, intelligent, or capable, just as wearing a leather jacket doesn't make you rugged.
Reposted by Joe Ross
The exchange between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office today in which our country attacked the victim in defense of a brutal aggressor has to be one of the most shameful moments in Modern American history.
February 28, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The exchange between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office today in which our country attacked the victim in defense of a brutal aggressor has to be one of the most shameful moments in Modern American history.
Reposted by Joe Ross
It is not within our modern constitutional tradition for the Executive Branch to make no apparent effort to conform its behavior to law. This is an incredibly dangerous development, indeed a "crisis" in any reasonable sense of that word, regardless of what courts do. (fin)
February 13, 2025 at 6:43 PM
It is not within our modern constitutional tradition for the Executive Branch to make no apparent effort to conform its behavior to law. This is an incredibly dangerous development, indeed a "crisis" in any reasonable sense of that word, regardless of what courts do. (fin)
Reposted by Joe Ross
I teach NYT v. Sullivan in my intro class because it's important for them to know this ruling is what gives them the right to broadly criticize public officials without worrying about being harassed via lawsuit by the rich and powerful. It would be devastating to free speech to overturn Sullivan.
Trump megadonor Steve Wynn has filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, which protects the media's ability to aggressively cover public officials. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
February 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I teach NYT v. Sullivan in my intro class because it's important for them to know this ruling is what gives them the right to broadly criticize public officials without worrying about being harassed via lawsuit by the rich and powerful. It would be devastating to free speech to overturn Sullivan.
Reposted by Joe Ross
saw this circulating on Instagram the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it. “Who cares anymore what particular knot they used in the binding?” is such a perfectly expressed repudiation of the “economic anxiety” framing
February 7, 2025 at 3:22 AM
saw this circulating on Instagram the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it. “Who cares anymore what particular knot they used in the binding?” is such a perfectly expressed repudiation of the “economic anxiety” framing
Reposted by Joe Ross
Auschwitz was at the end of a long process. It did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred was gradually developed by humans. From ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred was gradually developed by humans. From ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Auschwitz was at the end of a long process. It did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred was gradually developed by humans. From ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred was gradually developed by humans. From ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
Reposted by Joe Ross
My dad was tortured by the Gestapo for 4 days and thrown in a concentration camp for being in the Norwegian Resistance. Growing up, he would tell me things he learned in the Resistance. I thought, I'm never going to need this stuff. Here's some of those things #Thread
November 19, 2024 at 6:51 PM
My dad was tortured by the Gestapo for 4 days and thrown in a concentration camp for being in the Norwegian Resistance. Growing up, he would tell me things he learned in the Resistance. I thought, I'm never going to need this stuff. Here's some of those things #Thread
Reposted by Joe Ross
We didn’t have any semblance of a democracy until 1965 for those that forget.
The “Americans think democracy can’t end in America because they’ve never seen it end here” is hilarious because uh my Black ass southern parents were basically full adults before experiencing democracy in America so there’s that
December 4, 2024 at 4:30 AM
We didn’t have any semblance of a democracy until 1965 for those that forget.
Reposted by Joe Ross
forgive and forget, but "did you support the iraq war" remains an almost perfect predictor of "are you an asshole over 20 years later"
December 3, 2024 at 9:19 AM
forgive and forget, but "did you support the iraq war" remains an almost perfect predictor of "are you an asshole over 20 years later"
Reposted by Joe Ross
Reposted by Joe Ross
I didn’t leave X because people there had different opinions and ideologies, I left because it stopped being fun. I get on social media to chat with people who think thinking is fun. X stopped being a place where that was true.
December 1, 2024 at 3:45 PM
I didn’t leave X because people there had different opinions and ideologies, I left because it stopped being fun. I get on social media to chat with people who think thinking is fun. X stopped being a place where that was true.
Reposted by Joe Ross
I’m sorry, I know we’re all distracted and busy but you don’t get to try and sneak “swang” by us today.
November 5, 2024 at 3:15 PM
I’m sorry, I know we’re all distracted and busy but you don’t get to try and sneak “swang” by us today.