Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
@rlheppner.bsky.social
Law Prof at Duquesne Kline Law (Civ Pro, Fed Courts) • Former Appellate Attorney • English PhD (Modernism) • Posts too infrequently to have a brand. • Overeducated, overtired, underwhelmed. • see also id. @ 🐘, 🧵 • he/him
Feeling pretty good about this new year!
January 1, 2026 at 5:39 AM
Feeling pretty good about this new year!
For 2026, I resolve to Discourse so hard, but only when I’m right.
December 31, 2025 at 9:42 PM
For 2026, I resolve to Discourse so hard, but only when I’m right.
Aimed at mail-in voting, no doubt. But this is going to mess with so many legal rules and conventions. So long “mailbox rule!”
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.
share.google
December 30, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Aimed at mail-in voting, no doubt. But this is going to mess with so many legal rules and conventions. So long “mailbox rule!”
Make a Bond movie academic
ABD No
ABD No
Make a Bond movie academic
Write Another Day
Write Another Day
Make a Bond movie academic
Tenure is Forever
Tenure is Forever
December 27, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Make a Bond movie academic
ABD No
ABD No
The nine scariest words in the English language: “I’m your AI doctor and I’m here to help.”
MechaHitler, M.D.
December 26, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The nine scariest words in the English language: “I’m your AI doctor and I’m here to help.”
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
BREAKING: Federal judge in Pittsburgh blocks DOJ's invasive trans care subpoena.
The latest loss for DOJ, regarding the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's patients, also brings news that DOJ has started scaling back its requests following its many losses.
New, at Law Dork:
The latest loss for DOJ, regarding the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's patients, also brings news that DOJ has started scaling back its requests following its many losses.
New, at Law Dork:
Breaking: Federal judge in Pittsburgh blocks DOJ's invasive trans care subpoena
The latest loss for DOJ, regarding the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's patients, also brings news that DOJ has started scaling back its requests following its many losses.
www.lawdork.com
December 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM
BREAKING: Federal judge in Pittsburgh blocks DOJ's invasive trans care subpoena.
The latest loss for DOJ, regarding the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's patients, also brings news that DOJ has started scaling back its requests following its many losses.
New, at Law Dork:
The latest loss for DOJ, regarding the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's patients, also brings news that DOJ has started scaling back its requests following its many losses.
New, at Law Dork:
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
Pumpkin Spice Originalism
December 20, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Pumpkin Spice Originalism
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
A little game I like to play this time of year: Can I grade this exam before I get the next marketing email from a law school?
December 17, 2025 at 5:06 PM
A little game I like to play this time of year: Can I grade this exam before I get the next marketing email from a law school?
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
this is one of the most psychotic things Trump has ever posted
December 15, 2025 at 2:52 PM
this is one of the most psychotic things Trump has ever posted
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
December 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
I guess the increased issue-salience and the political advantages from this utterly predictable outcome should be coming any day now. Right?
December 11, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I guess the increased issue-salience and the political advantages from this utterly predictable outcome should be coming any day now. Right?
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
You see, it’s not that he was there as an appellate judge. He was appearing in his capacity as candidate for Associate Justice.
“I can’t understand how he could possibly think it appropriate to go there,” said Edward Whelan, a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and a prominent conservative legal commentator. “You can argue about whether the rules clearly prohibit what he did, but he showed terrible judgment.”
Judge Emil Bove Faces Ethics Complaint for Attending Trump Rally
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:49 PM
You see, it’s not that he was there as an appellate judge. He was appearing in his capacity as candidate for Associate Justice.
How is the Presidency “the most politically accountable” branch when second-teem presidents in are not facing any future election?
December 10, 2025 at 11:33 PM
How is the Presidency “the most politically accountable” branch when second-teem presidents in are not facing any future election?
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
"there's a new serif in town"
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri
The secretary of state called it a "wasteful" diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
www.huffpost.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
"there's a new serif in town"
Listening to Slaughter, I keep thinking that all the unitary-executive talk about Congress taking over the President’s power ignores that the President already had a say when the law setting up an agency was enacted. Congress didn’t do it unilaterally.
December 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Listening to Slaughter, I keep thinking that all the unitary-executive talk about Congress taking over the President’s power ignores that the President already had a say when the law setting up an agency was enacted. Congress didn’t do it unilaterally.
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
SCOTUS rulings that rely on Congress to fix problems aren’t restoring the balance of power or empowering Congress—not when Congress is (as the article recognizes) ineffectual and broken. They’re just making it so no-one can fix anything—which is just great if you hate the government doing things.
That explains it: All of these SCOTUS decisions aggrandizing the President are actually a stealth campaign to empower and reinvigorate Congress. Yeah, that must be it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...
Opinion | Actually, the Supreme Court Has a Plan
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:06 PM
SCOTUS rulings that rely on Congress to fix problems aren’t restoring the balance of power or empowering Congress—not when Congress is (as the article recognizes) ineffectual and broken. They’re just making it so no-one can fix anything—which is just great if you hate the government doing things.
I mean…
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December 4, 2025 at 3:54 AM
I mean…
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Good luck, Waymo.
December 4, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Good luck, Waymo.
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
I will be traveling on this famous Altoona curve today!
November 29, 2025 at 4:59 PM
I will be traveling on this famous Altoona curve today!
Reposted by Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well:
The entire business model of R1 public universities rests on 4 revenue sources:
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
November 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well: