Laurent Pech | Lightnews

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d

So, first of all, of course it was Trump.

But even if they were telling the truth, "We give staffers who post videos of the Obamas as apes access to the agenda-setting, decree-sending, market-moving account of the president of the United States" is not the exculpatory statement they think it is.

Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 3d

WaPo has nothing on front page online on racist video. They are enablers.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3d

We all shit on the Times about headlines, but this is top of the home page and is admirably clear.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...

Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes

www.nytimes.com

Blake Emerson @blakeprof.bsky.social · 3d

You’ve got to see the video and the “immigration enforcement” as one picture: gutter racism, running the government, symbolically and practically.

Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 3d

Those are the hardest working scare quotes in the business.

What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3d

“.. while the song ‘The Lions Sleeps Tonight’ plays in the background.”

@lbc.co.uk
www.lbc.co.uk/article/trum...

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 3d

Acc to my own records, this is the 15th ruling on the merits re Poland's rule of law "deforms" finding against Poland consecutively since the ECtHR issued its first rule of law crisis related ruling in Xero Flor in May 2021.

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 3d

Very good judgment which takes full account of all relevant CJEU rulings, including one issued before Christmas re 🦘 "constitutional court" analysed here with @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social, in response to previous gov's nonsense about constitutional identity etc

verfassungsblog.de/commission-v...

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 3d

Poland's #ruleoflaw crisis (2015-23): Latest (excellent) ECtHR ruling finding in this instance several violations (access to court; privacy; free speech) on account of several arbitrary measures targeting Judge Morawiec with view of intimidating/silencing her. Her illegal suspension lasted 238 days

European Court of Human Rights @echr.coe.int · 4d

⚖️Morawiec v. Poland
➡️Decision suspending judge from duties discouraged her, and other judges, from speaking out against judicial reforms
🔗 tinyurl.com/25xftf8h

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 4d

Luttig: It doesn’t matter what the Supreme Court does from this point forward. For two years, the Supreme Court has authorized the absolute lawlessness and unconstitutional activity of this president.

European Court of Human Rights @echr.coe.int · 4d

⚖️Morawiec v. Poland
➡️Decision suspending judge from duties discouraged her, and other judges, from speaking out against judicial reforms
🔗 tinyurl.com/25xftf8h

Verfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 4d

Immunising the Venice Commission against autocratic contamination.

ADAM BODNAR and LAURENT PECH (@profpech.bsky.social) on compromised appointments and missing accountability mechanisms in a rule-of-law institution – and why urgent institutional reform is needed.

verfassungsblog.de/immunising-t...

Quote: It is at the very least inconsistent to warn against rule of law regression and violations while failing to police one’s own membership.

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 4d

What fresh (rule of law) hell is this?

@tinekestrik.bsky.social
@michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social
@verfassungsblog.de

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 5d

In Hungary, the government has cited the Ukraine war emergency to issue a decree halting lawsuits against it. This means that ongoing court cases can now be shut down by decree.
Elections are coming.
Judge for yourself.
#ruleoflaw 👋

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 5d

"It is at the very least inconsistent to warn against rule of law regression and violations while failing to police one’s own membership. We are where we are because too many in senior positions who had and have the power to act have failed to do so."

Important piece by Bodnar and Pech:

Immunising the Venice Commission Against Autocratic Contamination

verfassungsblog.de

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 5d

In Hungary, the government has cited the Ukraine war emergency to issue a decree halting lawsuits against it. This means that ongoing court cases can now be shut down by decree.
Elections are coming.
Judge for yourself.
#ruleoflaw 👋

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

My latest @verfassungsblog.de post co-authored this time with Adam Bodnar and for once, dedicated to a non-EU body: The European Commission for Democracy through Law - better known as the Venice Commission

verfassungsblog.de/immunising-t...

Immunising the Venice Commission Against Autocratic Contamination

verfassungsblog.de

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

Keep up the excellent work! 💪

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

NGOs are being blacklisted in the open by Orban's Soviet-style "SPO" and yet the @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @ec.europa.eu has repeatedly - and irresponsibly IMO - failed to apply for interim measures in its pending infringement action

@tinekestrik.bsky.social @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social

Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 5d

🇭🇺⚖️ Our court case against X attracted the most predictable attention possible - of the Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office, the institution of Hungarian authorities entrusted with "defending Hungarian state", but if you ask me, it's actually about going after NGOs critical of Orban. 1/

Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 5d

🇭🇺⚖️ Our court case against X attracted the most predictable attention possible - of the Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office, the institution of Hungarian authorities entrusted with "defending Hungarian state", but if you ask me, it's actually about going after NGOs critical of Orban. 1/

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

💯

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

Remember US VP Vance attacking European Commissars? Meanwhile, in the real world, Trump regime's "free speech" champions are embracing administrative subpoenas to silence critics...

www.aclu.org/press-releas...

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 5d

💪

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 6d

Individual journalists might thrive, but the press as a collective actor - and as understood in constitutions - cannot survive without a minimum of professional solidarity.

Don’t just ask the next question after yet another obscene attack on a female reporter.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---

TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 6d

And yet @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @ec.europa.eu is telling us there is no need for interim measures…

Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 6d

New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.

The chatbot still produces sexualized images —

even when told the subjects don’t consent.

even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.

even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.

www.reuters.com/business/des...

Exclusive: Despite new curbs, Elon Musk’s Grok at times produces sexualized images - even when told subjects didn’t consent

Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people even when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent, Reuters has found.

www.reuters.com

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 6d

This is just not serious from
Comm. Reminds me of Comm v Hungary asylum case where Court imposed a lump sum & penalty payment representing 191 and 61 times the initial amounts sought by the Comm. 🥜 fines are no deterrent but rather encourage more violations

verfassungsblog.de/rule-of-law-...

Rule of Law Chickens Coming Home to Roost

verfassungsblog.de

Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 6d

New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.

The chatbot still produces sexualized images —

even when told the subjects don’t consent.

even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.

even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.

www.reuters.com/business/des...

Exclusive: Despite new curbs, Elon Musk’s Grok at times produces sexualized images - even when told subjects didn’t consent

Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people even when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent, Reuters has found.

www.reuters.com

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 6d

Dear @ec.europa.eu @consilium.europa.eu @europarl.europa.eu @eucourtofjustice.bsky.social, what will it take for you to reconsider your presence on “X”?

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 6d

"The specialized J3 section of the Paris prosecutor's office has been investigating cases since November 2025 involving "complicity in the possession of images of minors of a pedopornographic nature" and "complicity in the organized distribution, offering, or making available" of such content."

Les locaux de X en France perquisitionnés, la justice veut entendre Elon Musk en audition libre

Une perquisition est « diligentée dans les locaux français » de la plateforme X par la section de lutte contre la cybercriminalité du parquet de Paris, a annoncé ce dernier mardi sur les réseaux socia...

www.lemonde.fr

Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 6d

Even the headline here is a capitulation. Why use the softer framing when he literally said, verbatim, "we should take over the voting"?

Trump calls on Republicans to ‘nationalize’ future elections | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump called on Republicans to “nationalize the voting” in an interview airing Monday with Dan Bongino, the former deputy director of the FBI.

edition.cnn.com

Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 6d

This is what a lot of other governments across the world should have been doing...

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 6d

"The specialized J3 section of the Paris prosecutor's office has been investigating cases since November 2025 involving "complicity in the possession of images of minors of a pedopornographic nature" and "complicity in the organized distribution, offering, or making available" of such content."

Les locaux de X en France perquisitionnés, la justice veut entendre Elon Musk en audition libre

Une perquisition est « diligentée dans les locaux français » de la plateforme X par la section de lutte contre la cybercriminalité du parquet de Paris, a annoncé ce dernier mardi sur les réseaux socia...

www.lemonde.fr

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 6d

"The specialized J3 section of the Paris prosecutor's office has been investigating cases since November 2025 involving "complicity in the possession of images of minors of a pedopornographic nature" and "complicity in the organized distribution, offering, or making available" of such content."

Les locaux de X en France perquisitionnés, la justice veut entendre Elon Musk en audition libre

Une perquisition est « diligentée dans les locaux français » de la plateforme X par la section de lutte contre la cybercriminalité du parquet de Paris, a annoncé ce dernier mardi sur les réseaux socia...

www.lemonde.fr

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 6d

Meanwhile in Ireland…

@tjmcintyre.com
@johnnyryan.bsky.social

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