Quinn Yeargain
@yeargain.bsky.social
1855 Professor of the Law of Democracy at Michigan State. Contributor to The Downballot. I teach, write, and post about state constitutional law, institutional development, and criminal law. I write (infrequently) at guaranteedrepublics.substack.com.
This is great news—and the decision relies on the state constitution’s right to “health care freedom,” which I wrote about last year: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
January 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM
This is great news—and the decision relies on the state constitution’s right to “health care freedom,” which I wrote about last year: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
January 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
In 2022, the June special election for NE-01 took place under the new lines, even though the special was ostensibly to fill the seat under the old lines. I wonder if Newsom will attempt to call the special under the new lines, which would be a Democratic pickup.
Punchbowl News & Fox News are reporting that U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican, has died.
LaMalfa represents a currently ruby red district (CA-01) that is becoming pretty reliably blue under the state's new map. There'll be a special to replace him under current lines.
LaMalfa represents a currently ruby red district (CA-01) that is becoming pretty reliably blue under the state's new map. There'll be a special to replace him under current lines.
January 6, 2026 at 2:54 PM
In 2022, the June special election for NE-01 took place under the new lines, even though the special was ostensibly to fill the seat under the old lines. I wonder if Newsom will attempt to call the special under the new lines, which would be a Democratic pickup.
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
I’m usually at a moderate level of annoyance with the NYT but this is fucking outrageous. The US president doesn’t get to fucking pick another country’s leader, & headlines shouldn’t present it as just a normal decision, like picking a nominee for a mid-level federal agency. It’s not our colony!
January 5, 2026 at 10:06 PM
I’m usually at a moderate level of annoyance with the NYT but this is fucking outrageous. The US president doesn’t get to fucking pick another country’s leader, & headlines shouldn’t present it as just a normal decision, like picking a nominee for a mid-level federal agency. It’s not our colony!
I appreciate Lexis reminding me that they'll be at AALS to talk about Protégé™ in Lexis+ AI®, because I wanted to tell them how much I disapprove of their decision to unleash their full suite of AI garbage on law students without any meaningful consultation from faculty. Now I can!
January 5, 2026 at 10:05 PM
I appreciate Lexis reminding me that they'll be at AALS to talk about Protégé™ in Lexis+ AI®, because I wanted to tell them how much I disapprove of their decision to unleash their full suite of AI garbage on law students without any meaningful consultation from faculty. Now I can!
![panel 1: "I've made a robot that screams!"
panel 2: [robot screaming]
panel 3: another person asking: "why?"
panels 4-5: first person thinking
artist credit: https://gunshowcomic.com/513](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q3dycka5ce2gybcbau5gfehd/bafkreig2pfv3ssz6qra2asbakcmdhq7dikgwkqh5xylecdti6ukumanguq@jpeg)
I really don't understand what facts he thinks he needs here
Asked if he supports Congress using its power of the purse to hold Trump accountable for Venezuela, Chuck Schumer replies: "Let's first get the facts."
January 4, 2026 at 5:22 PM
I really don't understand what facts he thinks he needs here
Republicans screamed bloody murder when federal agents went to Mar-a-Lago to retrieve classified documents that Donald Trump had illegally held onto, but executing an arrest warrant in a foreign country with the full force of the military and killing civilians is totally fine
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary?
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
RUBIO: It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country. This was an arrest operation.
January 4, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Republicans screamed bloody murder when federal agents went to Mar-a-Lago to retrieve classified documents that Donald Trump had illegally held onto, but executing an arrest warrant in a foreign country with the full force of the military and killing civilians is totally fine
New York City is the Caracas of America
You’ll appreciate the 4 dimensional chess of it all when they install Eric Adams as the regional governor.
January 3, 2026 at 5:44 PM
New York City is the Caracas of America
he's having a hard time containing his glee
January 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
he's having a hard time containing his glee
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
it's darkly humorous to listen to Trump and his cronies reference the fact that Maduro was indicted in SDNY as evidence he's a dictator and overall bad guy
January 3, 2026 at 3:43 PM
it's darkly humorous to listen to Trump and his cronies reference the fact that Maduro was indicted in SDNY as evidence he's a dictator and overall bad guy
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
Me, pantsless, to the employees of the Home Depot paint department
January 3, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Me, pantsless, to the employees of the Home Depot paint department
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
American history is just 'you let a motherfucker shenan once and sure enough they'll shenan again' ad infinitum
Actions need to have consequences
Actions need to have consequences
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
January 3, 2026 at 4:04 PM
American history is just 'you let a motherfucker shenan once and sure enough they'll shenan again' ad infinitum
Actions need to have consequences
Actions need to have consequences
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
January 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
I really think that the bloodthirsty weirdos in this administration don’t grasp how many people in this country, whether they voted for Trump or not, will wake up to this news with a “what the fuck” reaction
January 3, 2026 at 1:50 PM
I really think that the bloodthirsty weirdos in this administration don’t grasp how many people in this country, whether they voted for Trump or not, will wake up to this news with a “what the fuck” reaction
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
Right. This isn’t just unlawful. It’s fundamentally anti-constitutional, anti-republican (small r), and simply wrong.
Im seeing discussions about consultations with congress, authorizations of force etc. I have to say this transcends any of what I would call sub constitutional technicalities. The president has gone to war with a foreign power and, it seems, kidnapped a foreign head of state on the basis of nothing.
January 3, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Right. This isn’t just unlawful. It’s fundamentally anti-constitutional, anti-republican (small r), and simply wrong.
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
I feel like I haven’t even been properly lied to about the purposes of this war
January 3, 2026 at 9:13 AM
I feel like I haven’t even been properly lied to about the purposes of this war
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
A functioning Congress will have articles of impeachment drafted by the end of the day.
Our Congress will just go to social media to basically say “We don’t like this, but what are you gonna do?”
Our Congress will just go to social media to basically say “We don’t like this, but what are you gonna do?”
January 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
A functioning Congress will have articles of impeachment drafted by the end of the day.
Our Congress will just go to social media to basically say “We don’t like this, but what are you gonna do?”
Our Congress will just go to social media to basically say “We don’t like this, but what are you gonna do?”
In a sane world, we’d grasp the lesson of January 6: you gotta impeach and remove him immediately. No delay. No trial a month after the impeachment. Do it fucking today. No additional evidence is needed to support the charges. It’s all right there. But, of course, we learned fuck all from January 6.
January 3, 2026 at 1:36 PM
In a sane world, we’d grasp the lesson of January 6: you gotta impeach and remove him immediately. No delay. No trial a month after the impeachment. Do it fucking today. No additional evidence is needed to support the charges. It’s all right there. But, of course, we learned fuck all from January 6.
I don’t even know what to say other than that the ending of Burn After Reading seems like nonfiction
January 3, 2026 at 1:27 PM
I don’t even know what to say other than that the ending of Burn After Reading seems like nonfiction
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
[wakes up] “I’m sorry, what”
January 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM
[wakes up] “I’m sorry, what”
how original: Bari is planning a "crime is down, but it DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT DOES IT" segment
January 3, 2026 at 2:52 AM
how original: Bari is planning a "crime is down, but it DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT DOES IT" segment
"Grok says it produced CSAM as an oopsy-daisy"
ok well Hello Kitty said that Grok is not a thing capable of speaking and this is some shitty passing of the buck from the people who designed it and have insisted that there be no guardrails for it (Elon)
ok well Hello Kitty said that Grok is not a thing capable of speaking and this is some shitty passing of the buck from the people who designed it and have insisted that there be no guardrails for it (Elon)
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
January 2, 2026 at 9:03 PM
"Grok says it produced CSAM as an oopsy-daisy"
ok well Hello Kitty said that Grok is not a thing capable of speaking and this is some shitty passing of the buck from the people who designed it and have insisted that there be no guardrails for it (Elon)
ok well Hello Kitty said that Grok is not a thing capable of speaking and this is some shitty passing of the buck from the people who designed it and have insisted that there be no guardrails for it (Elon)
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
~<Every single institution> we have is counter-majoritarian:
- A hyper-gerrymanded House
- A hyper-malapportioned Senate with staggered elections
- FPTP SMDs in a continent-wide country with our urban/rural population distribution
- The EC
Stop it. We need <checks on counter-majoritarianism>
- A hyper-gerrymanded House
- A hyper-malapportioned Senate with staggered elections
- FPTP SMDs in a continent-wide country with our urban/rural population distribution
- The EC
Stop it. We need <checks on counter-majoritarianism>
Chief Justice John Roberts touted the independence of the federal judiciary as a “counter-majoritarian check” and urged Americans rattled by partisan politics to keep faith with the Constitution. https://cnn.it/3LsloyF
January 1, 2026 at 4:20 PM
~<Every single institution> we have is counter-majoritarian:
- A hyper-gerrymanded House
- A hyper-malapportioned Senate with staggered elections
- FPTP SMDs in a continent-wide country with our urban/rural population distribution
- The EC
Stop it. We need <checks on counter-majoritarianism>
- A hyper-gerrymanded House
- A hyper-malapportioned Senate with staggered elections
- FPTP SMDs in a continent-wide country with our urban/rural population distribution
- The EC
Stop it. We need <checks on counter-majoritarianism>
Reposted by Quinn Yeargain
January 1, 2026 at 5:10 PM