Walter Olson
@walterolson.bsky.social
Writer on law etc.; Cato Institute. Election law, Maryland civic stuff, cooking. Blogged at Overlawyered back when. No kings, no tyrants.
Reposted by Walter Olson
Keep seeing the misinformation that this was Liam on here--has been reported that it was not
A Reddit user identifies the boy who took a Grammy from Bad Bunny in the halftime show as five-year-old model Lincoln Fox and says that he was meant to represent Bad Bunny as a child www.instagram.com/the_lincfox/... www.reddit.com/user/BabySea...
February 9, 2026 at 2:47 AM
Keep seeing the misinformation that this was Liam on here--has been reported that it was not
"Plato Understood Why Masking Would Turn ICE Agents Into Devils." No names, no identifiability, no prospect of social consequences = setting the stage for humanity's worst instincts to run wild [@rosenzweigp.bsky.social]
Plato Understood Why Masking Would Turn ICE Agents Into Devils
The Republic explained that social scrutiny was necessary for human virtue
www.theunpopulist.net
February 8, 2026 at 11:49 PM
"Plato Understood Why Masking Would Turn ICE Agents Into Devils." No names, no identifiability, no prospect of social consequences = setting the stage for humanity's worst instincts to run wild [@rosenzweigp.bsky.social]
Reposted by Walter Olson
Every U.S. state has extensive safeguards in place to bolster election integrity: bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/un...
United in Security: How Every State Protects Your Vote in 2026 • Bipartisan Policy Center
In collaboration with the R Street Institute and the Institute for Responsive Government, we detail the security and integrity protections that make American elections strong, resilient, and trustwort...
bipartisanpolicy.org
February 7, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Every U.S. state has extensive safeguards in place to bolster election integrity: bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/un...
Even if you don't stick around for the interview with former Alberta premier Jason Kenney, this @davidfrum.bsky.social podcast opens strongly with a discussion of the newly revealed Trump family/United Arab Emirates $$$ connection
Trump vs. Canada
Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on annexation threats, the unraveling of U.S.-Canada relations, and how Trump is forcing allies to rethink democracy, defense, and immigration. Plus: the Trump fami...
www.theatlantic.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:25 PM
Even if you don't stick around for the interview with former Alberta premier Jason Kenney, this @davidfrum.bsky.social podcast opens strongly with a discussion of the newly revealed Trump family/United Arab Emirates $$$ connection
Yet another norm worth reasserting if the nightmare ever ends: "American Presidents Shouldn't Endorse Foreign Political Candidates" [Welch, Reason]
American presidents shouldn't endorse foreign political candidates
Trump's endorsements of Viktor Orbán and Sanae Takaichi, like Clinton's support for Boris Yeltsin or Obama's opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu, do not make America great.
reason.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Yet another norm worth reasserting if the nightmare ever ends: "American Presidents Shouldn't Endorse Foreign Political Candidates" [Welch, Reason]
Contra Foucault, the modern West did not invent long-term incarceration: Adam Gopnik in the @newyorker.com reviews a book by Matthew Larsen and Mark Letteney on prisons in the ancient Mediterranean
The Ancient Roots of Doing Time
The historical and archeological record upends the widespread belief that long-term incarceration belongs to the modern state.
www.newyorker.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Contra Foucault, the modern West did not invent long-term incarceration: Adam Gopnik in the @newyorker.com reviews a book by Matthew Larsen and Mark Letteney on prisons in the ancient Mediterranean
Reposted by Walter Olson
Reposted by Walter Olson
Proud to play a role in helping get this together for @justsecurity.org. It provides you with details from the sworn declarations filed in support of the ACLU's lawsuit in Minnesota, Hussen v. Noem. The details of abuses by federal agents across the 29 declarations we looked at are chilling.
Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Alleged Constitutional Violations
The ACLU and partners sued over alleged racial profiling and unlawful arrests in Minnesota. Read sworn declarations and case details.
www.justsecurity.org
February 5, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Proud to play a role in helping get this together for @justsecurity.org. It provides you with details from the sworn declarations filed in support of the ACLU's lawsuit in Minnesota, Hussen v. Noem. The details of abuses by federal agents across the 29 declarations we looked at are chilling.
Reposted by Walter Olson
I'm always happy to learn that there's still a significant portion of the country who wants the US to be the US.
February 8, 2026 at 12:38 AM
I'm always happy to learn that there's still a significant portion of the country who wants the US to be the US.
The Pew Research Center has published a new survey of Americans' opinions on immigration enforcement. Four highlights:
* "61% say it is unacceptable for officers to wear face coverings that hide their identities while working." /1
* "61% say it is unacceptable for officers to wear face coverings that hide their identities while working." /1
February 8, 2026 at 12:23 AM
The Pew Research Center has published a new survey of Americans' opinions on immigration enforcement. Four highlights:
* "61% say it is unacceptable for officers to wear face coverings that hide their identities while working." /1
* "61% say it is unacceptable for officers to wear face coverings that hide their identities while working." /1
"If this had happened in the United States, they’d probably have sued the toy manufacturer claiming the dinosaur was defective in some way. Not that I want to give them any ideas."
The type of dinosaur allegedly used in the attack remains unclear.
Judge Finds for 11-Year-Old in Toy-Dinosaur-Assault Case
Assault *with* a toy dinosaur, not upon one.
www.loweringthebar.net
February 7, 2026 at 11:51 PM
"If this had happened in the United States, they’d probably have sued the toy manufacturer claiming the dinosaur was defective in some way. Not that I want to give them any ideas."
Reposted by Walter Olson
Missouri has filed a lawsuit seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2030 Census and apportionment. Remarkably, Missouri is also seeking a "redo" of the 2020 enumeration "if necessary." No idea how that would even be possible at this stage.
electionlawblog.org?p=154059
electionlawblog.org?p=154059
"Missouri Attorney General Hanaway Files Suit Against U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau To Cease Counting Illegal Aliens, Requests Census Recount" #ELB
You can find Missouri’s AG’s press release here. The complaint is here. This is yet another attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial apportionment. The first Trump administration ...
electionlawblog.org
January 30, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Missouri has filed a lawsuit seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2030 Census and apportionment. Remarkably, Missouri is also seeking a "redo" of the 2020 enumeration "if necessary." No idea how that would even be possible at this stage.
electionlawblog.org?p=154059
electionlawblog.org?p=154059
"After three years of tinkering, Isbell sowed his first fields with Koshihikari, quite likely the first planting outside Japan." Deft account of how one family brought sushi rice culture to Arkansas, with detours into water stewardship and migratory fowl habitat [T. Edward Nickens, Garden & Gun]
How One Arkansas Family Is Rewriting the Rules of Rice Farming
In flooded fields amid a waterfowler’s paradise, the Isbells are reimagining how to use the land—and gaining the attention of sake brewers worldwide
gardenandgun.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:31 PM
"After three years of tinkering, Isbell sowed his first fields with Koshihikari, quite likely the first planting outside Japan." Deft account of how one family brought sushi rice culture to Arkansas, with detours into water stewardship and migratory fowl habitat [T. Edward Nickens, Garden & Gun]
Reposted by Walter Olson
They also never return to the status ante quo. They always require people to haul the jumper back up to the bridge.
February 7, 2026 at 11:10 PM
They also never return to the status ante quo. They always require people to haul the jumper back up to the bridge.
A case for cautious optimism on the extent to which the federal courts are containing Trump's power grabs. I'll remember the bungee cord image, bearing in mind, as Goldsmith observes, that bungee cords put under great stress sometimes snap back and sometimes break.
My take, building on arguments by James Comey, on the extraordinary degree to which federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have successfully checked the Trump administration in the last year.
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
The Federal Court Snapback
The judiciary, including the Supreme Court, is standing up to the president
open.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:03 PM
A case for cautious optimism on the extent to which the federal courts are containing Trump's power grabs. I'll remember the bungee cord image, bearing in mind, as Goldsmith observes, that bungee cords put under great stress sometimes snap back and sometimes break.
Reposted by Walter Olson
Damn i remember some big lawsuits of broadcasters over editing of events showing WH figures
February 7, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Damn i remember some big lawsuits of broadcasters over editing of events showing WH figures
Social services fraud isn't some kind of one-off. "Cheating on government benefits can become part of an area’s local culture... 'It went so far beyond farmers… It was tobacco buyers, tobacco company officials, bankers, check cashers, adjusters, and chemical salesmen. Kind of a giant, tangled web.'”
Federal Tobacco Subsidies
Farm subsidies are unjust, unneeded, and unaffordable. Fraud is just one of the many reasons why they should be repealed.
www.cato.org
February 7, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Social services fraud isn't some kind of one-off. "Cheating on government benefits can become part of an area’s local culture... 'It went so far beyond farmers… It was tobacco buyers, tobacco company officials, bankers, check cashers, adjusters, and chemical salesmen. Kind of a giant, tangled web.'”
Reposted by Walter Olson
“.. It is an invisible barrier to startups and new market entrants,” said Scott Lincicome .. “Why would you ever want to enter a market that you know your chief competitor is backed by the U.S. government?”
@cnbc.com @scottlincicome.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/07/t...
@cnbc.com @scottlincicome.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/07/t...
February 7, 2026 at 6:45 PM
“.. It is an invisible barrier to startups and new market entrants,” said Scott Lincicome .. “Why would you ever want to enter a market that you know your chief competitor is backed by the U.S. government?”
@cnbc.com @scottlincicome.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/07/t...
@cnbc.com @scottlincicome.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/07/t...
Reposted by Walter Olson
He committed a crime, Trump pardoned him, he committed a new crime. Law and order president? Lol.
abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireS...
abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireS...
Man pardoned in U.S. Capitol riot pleads guilty to threatening Hakeem Jeffries
A New York man has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge in connection with a death threat aimed at U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
abcnews.go.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:53 PM
He committed a crime, Trump pardoned him, he committed a new crime. Law and order president? Lol.
abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireS...
abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireS...
Reposted by Walter Olson
SCOOP: The NSA detected a phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump last spring.
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
NSA detected phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:06 PM
SCOOP: The NSA detected a phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump last spring.
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Walter Olson
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
February 7, 2026 at 7:38 PM
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
Reposted by Walter Olson
The @nytimes.com autocracy index is good. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy
Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:22 AM
The @nytimes.com autocracy index is good. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Walter Olson
The Fourth Circuit let the federal government indefinitely detain Duane Berry after charges were dismissed—an overreach that threatens liberty and constitutional limits. Cato has filed an amicus brief urging Supreme Court review. Learn more.
https://ow.ly/MmA350Yaqxu
https://ow.ly/MmA350Yaqxu
February 7, 2026 at 4:01 PM
The Fourth Circuit let the federal government indefinitely detain Duane Berry after charges were dismissed—an overreach that threatens liberty and constitutional limits. Cato has filed an amicus brief urging Supreme Court review. Learn more.
https://ow.ly/MmA350Yaqxu
https://ow.ly/MmA350Yaqxu
Trump administration is dead set letting the public take out phones and record ICE street actions. "That’s too bad. Both the U.S. Constitution and public sentiment firmly support independent efforts to publicize the conduct of government employees." [J.D. Tuccille, National Post (Canada)]
J.D. Tuccille: Embarrassed Trump administration targets phone videos of ICE abuses
Both the law and public sentiment support recording government officials
ca.news.yahoo.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Trump administration is dead set letting the public take out phones and record ICE street actions. "That’s too bad. Both the U.S. Constitution and public sentiment firmly support independent efforts to publicize the conduct of government employees." [J.D. Tuccille, National Post (Canada)]
Family money-raking: "You’d have to add two digits to the sum of Biden abuses of power, foreign entanglements, & corruption alleged in the report to get near what Trump has raked in just from the UAE." Andrew McCarthy kicks off 5-part NRO series on Trump-&-sheiks sleaze, should be worth following
The Sordid Story of Trump, the Trump–Witkoff Family Business, and the UAE | National Review
Even if crypto makes your head hurt, you’re going to be hearing a lot about this in the months to come.
www.nationalreview.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Family money-raking: "You’d have to add two digits to the sum of Biden abuses of power, foreign entanglements, & corruption alleged in the report to get near what Trump has raked in just from the UAE." Andrew McCarthy kicks off 5-part NRO series on Trump-&-sheiks sleaze, should be worth following