Rachel Levinson-Waldman
@rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social
Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice. Raised in Austin TX; in DC for last 20+ years; MA/WA/IL/CA/NZ in between. Owner of extremely cute dog.
Pinned
State Department unveils social media screening rules for all student visa applicants
Applicants will be vetted for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”
www.politico.com
I have so much to say about this and no time to say it... www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
My take on the appellate courts' rulings in the Nat'l Guard cases, & why SCOTUS should follow the approach of the 7th Circuit (which held that the deployment was untethered to the facts), not the 9th Circuit (which accepted the admin's alternate reality): www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Appeals Courts Split on Domestic Military Deployments
The Supreme Court must now recognize how excessive judicial deference to the president can endanger Americans’ fundamental liberties.
www.brennancenter.org
October 27, 2025 at 8:57 PM
My take on the appellate courts' rulings in the Nat'l Guard cases, & why SCOTUS should follow the approach of the 7th Circuit (which held that the deployment was untethered to the facts), not the 9th Circuit (which accepted the admin's alternate reality): www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
This is an incredibly important read. www.justsecurity.org/122643/antif...
Designating Antifa as FTO Could Threaten Civil Liberties
Trump's plan to designate Antifa as an FTO has implications extending beyond anti-fascist activists to the architecture of US civil society.
www.justsecurity.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
This is an incredibly important read. www.justsecurity.org/122643/antif...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
The Supreme Court is considering a case that could reshape American democracy and threaten decades of progress on fair representation. bit.ly/4qeZmz4
A Bizarro Take on the 14th Amendment for the Voting Rights Act
The justices consider tossing a decades-old tool to fight racial discrimination when it comes to fair representation.
www.brennancenter.org
October 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The Supreme Court is considering a case that could reshape American democracy and threaten decades of progress on fair representation. bit.ly/4qeZmz4
Important thread below 🧵👇
By a 2-1 opinion, the Ninth Circuit just held that the president can federalize the National Guard forces and deploy them when protesters shine flashlights in the eyes of ICE officers. It’s one of the most dangerous and legally flawed court decisions I’ve seen this year. 1/23
October 21, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Important thread below 🧵👇
This is a terrific piece, with really important insights on the state of defense AI contracting. Here's a tl;dr - but you should read the whole thing!
October 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
This is a terrific piece, with really important insights on the state of defense AI contracting. Here's a tl;dr - but you should read the whole thing!
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
Read this 🧵 from @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social ⬇️
Great piece from @dell.bsky.social at @wired.com about ICE's newest foray into social media monitoring: the agency is putting out feelers for contractors who can do on-site, open source intel 24/7 for ICE's Targeting Operations Division (TOD). 1/ www.wired.com/story/ice-so...
ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team
Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.
www.wired.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Read this 🧵 from @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social ⬇️
Thanks Dan! (I think….)
Very troubling thread ==>
Great piece from @dell.bsky.social at @wired.com about ICE's newest foray into social media monitoring: the agency is putting out feelers for contractors who can do on-site, open source intel 24/7 for ICE's Targeting Operations Division (TOD). 1/ www.wired.com/story/ice-so...
October 6, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Thanks Dan! (I think….)
Great piece from @dell.bsky.social at @wired.com about ICE's newest foray into social media monitoring: the agency is putting out feelers for contractors who can do on-site, open source intel 24/7 for ICE's Targeting Operations Division (TOD). 1/ www.wired.com/story/ice-so...
ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team
Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.
www.wired.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Great piece from @dell.bsky.social at @wired.com about ICE's newest foray into social media monitoring: the agency is putting out feelers for contractors who can do on-site, open source intel 24/7 for ICE's Targeting Operations Division (TOD). 1/ www.wired.com/story/ice-so...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
Make sure to check out this very important expert brief from
@brennancenter.org by Nasser Eledroos & @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social. ⬇️
@brennancenter.org by Nasser Eledroos & @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social. ⬇️
The Trump administration plans to continuously monitor the 50+ million U.S. visas-holders for "anti-American" social media posts that could get them deported. The threat will chill free speech, which the First Amendment protects regardless of citizenship.
bit.ly/4823Brc
bit.ly/4823Brc
“Continuous Vetting” of All Visa Holders Is Impossible, but the Threat Alone Chills Free Speech
Government claims of AI-powered surveillance create an illusion of total oversight that encourages self-censorship without actually improving security.
www.brennancenter.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Make sure to check out this very important expert brief from
@brennancenter.org by Nasser Eledroos & @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social. ⬇️
@brennancenter.org by Nasser Eledroos & @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social. ⬇️
I was glad to work together with brilliant technologist and policy advocate Nasser Eledroos on this piece. Give it a read - it's more salient day by day.
The Trump administration is escalating its surveillance of tens of millions of *legal* immigrants, forcing them to refrain from expressing opinions that someone might deem “anti-American.” It’s a clear attack on free speech and the First Amendment. bit.ly/4823Brc
“Continuous Vetting” of All Visa Holders Is Impossible, but the Threat Alone Chills Free Speech
Government claims of AI-powered surveillance create an illusion of total oversight that encourages self-censorship without actually improving security.
www.brennancenter.org
October 1, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I was glad to work together with brilliant technologist and policy advocate Nasser Eledroos on this piece. Give it a read - it's more salient day by day.
This is absolutely horrific. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
Live Updates: 4 Dead, 8 Wounded in Michigan Church Attack
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:52 AM
This is absolutely horrific. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
This is truly outrageous. But also, follow @51st.news! 51st.news/house-republ...
Cosplaying as D.C. Council, House Republicans advance dozen-plus bills targeting city they don’t represent
The party of limited government is treading heavily on D.C.
51st.news
September 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM
This is truly outrageous. But also, follow @51st.news! 51st.news/house-republ...
Thread 🧵👇👇
The Trump administration’s plan to use 600 military lawyers as temporary immigration judges, with some starting as soon as this week, will deprive immigrants of a fair hearing and further erode the line between military personnel and civilian government. 1/14
September 6, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Thread 🧵👇👇
Thread 🧵 👇
THREAD: This morning, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump's use of National Guardsmen and Marines to support federal law enforcement in and around Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. (1/22) www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-t...
Judge rules Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles violated federal law
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his challenge to President Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles.
www.cbsnews.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Thread 🧵 👇
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
The Trump administration is pressuring states to hand over sensitive information about voters. The Brennan Center is tracking the DOJ’s requests and how states respond. bit.ly/3JFbKaB
Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information
The Trump administration is pressing state officials to provide sensitive information about voters.
www.brennancenter.org
August 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The Trump administration is pressuring states to hand over sensitive information about voters. The Brennan Center is tracking the DOJ’s requests and how states respond. bit.ly/3JFbKaB
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
Curious about what's happening with #gerrymandering #Texas? You REALLY should look at this amazing #teachersguide #curriculum for #FaultLinesintheConstitution @PeachtreePub 2025. It's coming to your state, too. cynthialevinson.com/wp-content/u...
cynthialevinson.com
August 25, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Curious about what's happening with #gerrymandering #Texas? You REALLY should look at this amazing #teachersguide #curriculum for #FaultLinesintheConstitution @PeachtreePub 2025. It's coming to your state, too. cynthialevinson.com/wp-content/u...
So we have a gremlin now. Our shower has a Bluetooth-enabled speaker (ridic but fun). It has refused to connect for a year. Tonight it suddenly started broadcasting radio channels that aren’t playing anywhere in our house. Multiple mins of random talking + music that could not be disabled. NOT WANT.
August 24, 2025 at 3:55 AM
So we have a gremlin now. Our shower has a Bluetooth-enabled speaker (ridic but fun). It has refused to connect for a year. Tonight it suddenly started broadcasting radio channels that aren’t playing anywhere in our house. Multiple mins of random talking + music that could not be disabled. NOT WANT.
Back in April, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was going to begin looking for "antisemitic activity" in the social media of applicants for a range of immigration benefits, including foreign students and most green card applicants. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...
DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | USCIS
Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying imm...
www.uscis.gov
August 21, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Back in April, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was going to begin looking for "antisemitic activity" in the social media of applicants for a range of immigration benefits, including foreign students and most green card applicants. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
The @brennancenter.org obtained a letter the @nyccomptroller.bsky.social and @advocate.nyc.gov
sent to the Mayor on Tuesday asking an important question: What’s going on with the NYPD Inspector General’s office?
sent to the Mayor on Tuesday asking an important question: What’s going on with the NYPD Inspector General’s office?
www.brennancenter.org
August 21, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The @brennancenter.org obtained a letter the @nyccomptroller.bsky.social and @advocate.nyc.gov
sent to the Mayor on Tuesday asking an important question: What’s going on with the NYPD Inspector General’s office?
sent to the Mayor on Tuesday asking an important question: What’s going on with the NYPD Inspector General’s office?
Terrific new piece out from immigration experts @margyoh.bsky.social & Doug Rand, analyzing the new travel ban and exposing it for what it is: primarily a Muslim and African ban. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Trump’s Entry Bans Aren’t Really About National Security
His proclamation uses cherry-picked justifications to block immigrants from Muslim and African countries.
www.brennancenter.org
August 15, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Terrific new piece out from immigration experts @margyoh.bsky.social & Doug Rand, analyzing the new travel ban and exposing it for what it is: primarily a Muslim and African ban. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
Learn more about the history of the foreign policy provision in the INA this new bill seeks to repeal & how the Trump administration has been using the provision to attempt to ideologically deport students in this @lawfaremedia.org article. ⬇️ 🗃️
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
August 14, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Learn more about the history of the foreign policy provision in the INA this new bill seeks to repeal & how the Trump administration has been using the provision to attempt to ideologically deport students in this @lawfaremedia.org article. ⬇️ 🗃️
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
Important thread below! If you're wondering about the law, policy, and legal norms relevant to President Trump's announcements today, @josephanunn.bsky.social is one to follow.
THREAD: This morning, President Trump and members of his cabinet announced a set of sweeping, unprecedented, and unwarranted actions to impose federal control over local policing in Washington, D.C.
August 11, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Important thread below! If you're wondering about the law, policy, and legal norms relevant to President Trump's announcements today, @josephanunn.bsky.social is one to follow.
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
@lizagoitein.bsky.social @josephanunn.bsky.social @stevevladeck.bsky.social and I have been arguing for reforming the #DC #National Guard, which is "outdated and dangerous."
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
2022 Update: Good Governance Paper No. 6: Domestic Military Operations
At one-year mark of Biden administration, top experts revisit proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government.
www.justsecurity.org
August 11, 2025 at 5:11 PM
@lizagoitein.bsky.social @josephanunn.bsky.social @stevevladeck.bsky.social and I have been arguing for reforming the #DC #National Guard, which is "outdated and dangerous."
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
Re-upping two articles via @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/79971/2022-u...
www.justsecurity.org/74098/why-d-...
Reposted by Rachel Levinson-Waldman
BREAKING: Eight former New York judges, including the former Chief Judge and Chief Administrative Judge, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in United States v. New York. Allowing ICE to make warrantless civil arrests at courthouses undermines the proper functioning of state courts.
United States v. State of New York
The Brennan Center, along with co-counsel Levine Lee, filed an amicus brief on behalf of former New York judges and justices in defense of New York’s Protect Our Courts Act. The brief argues that allo...
www.brennancenter.org
August 11, 2025 at 7:18 PM
BREAKING: Eight former New York judges, including the former Chief Judge and Chief Administrative Judge, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in United States v. New York. Allowing ICE to make warrantless civil arrests at courthouses undermines the proper functioning of state courts.