Lawrence Whitney
@brlawrencelc.com
Chaplain | Scholar | Changemaker
https://brlawrencelc.com
https://brlawrencelc.com
Ahem. Mr. Fitzgerald et al.
CITE YOUR SOURCES!!!!
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
CITE YOUR SOURCES!!!!
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In a recent filing, defense counsel for Comey raise (I think for the first time) the fact that Dan Richman was technically no longer “at the FBI” as of June 30, 2016.
My deep-dive report on Richman’s employment status—and why it matters—from earlier this month: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/more...
My deep-dive report on Richman’s employment status—and why it matters—from earlier this month: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/more...
November 22, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Ahem. Mr. Fitzgerald et al.
CITE YOUR SOURCES!!!!
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
CITE YOUR SOURCES!!!!
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Ditto the academy, the church, etc, etc.
I will also add — and this is my personal take — the obvious point that journalist pay is generally not meritocratic when looking at the industry as a whole: the folks that make the most money are *sometimes* the "best" in their field, but, tbh, usually not.
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Ditto the academy, the church, etc, etc.
This is becoming quite the theme in American jurisprudence!
Judge is wondering why the government needs 7 months to prove its case. Says “a good prosecutor” would have discovery ready to go the day a defendant was indicted.
November 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
This is becoming quite the theme in American jurisprudence!
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
Rep. Salazar, apparently referring to socialism, says Dems have been “infiltrated by an ideology that is completely foreign to the American values — the Judeo-Christian values.”
Religion note: Myriad debates around it aside, there's a long history of U.S. Christian and Jewish support for socialism.
Religion note: Myriad debates around it aside, there's a long history of U.S. Christian and Jewish support for socialism.
November 21, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Rep. Salazar, apparently referring to socialism, says Dems have been “infiltrated by an ideology that is completely foreign to the American values — the Judeo-Christian values.”
Religion note: Myriad debates around it aside, there's a long history of U.S. Christian and Jewish support for socialism.
Religion note: Myriad debates around it aside, there's a long history of U.S. Christian and Jewish support for socialism.
I initially read this as saying “according to new research that _confirmed_ what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other,” and it turns out that checks out too!
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:18 PM
I initially read this as saying “according to new research that _confirmed_ what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other,” and it turns out that checks out too!
Always useful to have a template.
Harvard Law School Library releases first complete set of digitized Nuremberg Trials records
hls.harvard.edu/today/harvar...
hls.harvard.edu/today/harvar...
Harvard Law School Library releases first complete set of digitized Nuremberg Trials records - Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School's Nuremberg Trials Project has finalized the first complete, keyword searchable online collection of more than 750,000 pages of Nazi war tribunal documents.
hls.harvard.edu
November 21, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Always useful to have a template.
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
Do we need religion for morality to make sense?
Thinking that religion is required for morality is getting things backwards. Our moral sense preceded religions and shaped their ideas about right and wrong.
www.optimallyirrational.com/p/no-religio...
Thinking that religion is required for morality is getting things backwards. Our moral sense preceded religions and shaped their ideas about right and wrong.
www.optimallyirrational.com/p/no-religio...
No, religion isn't required for morality
Our moral sense precedes religious doctrines
www.optimallyirrational.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Do we need religion for morality to make sense?
Thinking that religion is required for morality is getting things backwards. Our moral sense preceded religions and shaped their ideas about right and wrong.
www.optimallyirrational.com/p/no-religio...
Thinking that religion is required for morality is getting things backwards. Our moral sense preceded religions and shaped their ideas about right and wrong.
www.optimallyirrational.com/p/no-religio...
The remaining MFA programs in poetry are about to have record application seasons.
This study show that using poems to jailbreak LLMs is... super effective? What the heck.
November 21, 2025 at 2:59 AM
The remaining MFA programs in poetry are about to have record application seasons.
Notably, *that* viral church raid story continues to be shared, including by some very large accounts!
NEW from @bmietana.bsky.social, @alejacorazonhm.bsky.social and me: Viral warnings of planned ICE raids on churches have pastors worried.
And yes, we did some digging about *that* viral church raids story that has been floating around. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/v...
And yes, we did some digging about *that* viral church raids story that has been floating around. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/v...
Viral warnings of planned ICE raids on churches have pastors worried
(RNS) — Rumors and viral reports about potential ICE raids have immigrant church leaders worried about their congregations. DHS says it doesn’t have plans to raid churches — but won’t rule it out.
religionnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Notably, *that* viral church raid story continues to be shared, including by some very large accounts!
Wait til he sees what’s been going on in EDVA!
NEW: Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes on the many dismissed cases tied to Midway Blitz:
"The Court cannot help but note just how unusual and possibly unprecedented it is for the U.S. Attorney's Office in this district to charge so hastily."
Read the opinion: cst.brightspotcdn.com/14/e7/bd8a48...
"The Court cannot help but note just how unusual and possibly unprecedented it is for the U.S. Attorney's Office in this district to charge so hastily."
Read the opinion: cst.brightspotcdn.com/14/e7/bd8a48...
cst.brightspotcdn.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Wait til he sees what’s been going on in EDVA!
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
NEW from me: Catholic clergy, nuns sue Trump admin over Communion access for ICE detainees.
All told, more than 60 religious groups/denominations and ~10 religious professionals have sued the Trump admin this year. This lawsuit adds one more group, four more clergy. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/c...
All told, more than 60 religious groups/denominations and ~10 religious professionals have sued the Trump admin this year. This lawsuit adds one more group, four more clergy. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/c...
Catholic clergy, nuns sue Trump admin over Communion access for ICE detainees
(RNS) — ‘The Catholic Church recognizes service to people on the margins as corporal works of mercy that are cornerstones of Christianity,’ the legal complaint reads.
religionnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
NEW from me: Catholic clergy, nuns sue Trump admin over Communion access for ICE detainees.
All told, more than 60 religious groups/denominations and ~10 religious professionals have sued the Trump admin this year. This lawsuit adds one more group, four more clergy. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/c...
All told, more than 60 religious groups/denominations and ~10 religious professionals have sued the Trump admin this year. This lawsuit adds one more group, four more clergy. religionnews.com/2025/11/20/c...
R: ... he should be provided conditional release. Give govt short period to show they have c'l valid basis to remove him. if they want to put him on next plane to costa rica, [fine with us.]
J: govt saying costa rica saying no. i dont have any evidence of that, frankly.
R: that's the problem
/59
J: govt saying costa rica saying no. i dont have any evidence of that, frankly.
R: that's the problem
/59
November 20, 2025 at 7:40 PM
We've updated our Study.
New stats (jaw-dropping imho):
1. DOJ noncompliance with court orders:
26 cases
2. Courts’ distrust of government information and representations:
Over 60 cases
3. Court findings of arbitrary and capricious government conduct:
68 cases
New stats (jaw-dropping imho):
1. DOJ noncompliance with court orders:
26 cases
2. Courts’ distrust of government information and representations:
Over 60 cases
3. Court findings of arbitrary and capricious government conduct:
68 cases
The “Presumption of Regularity” in Trump Administration Litigation
Comprehensive study of court cases involving Trump administration and the basis for courts no longer giving a "presumption of regularity."
www.justsecurity.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
OPINION: A sense of belonging arises mainly from meaningful relationships and conversations about those topics, not from simply having religious clubs and organizations on campus.
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/m...
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/m...
Most colleges score low on helping students of all faiths – or none – develop a sense of belonging. Faculty can help change that
(The Conversation) — Respectful relationships are key to students’ sense that their spiritual identity is welcome on campus. Schools can help foster those connections.
religionnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:02 PM
OPINION: A sense of belonging arises mainly from meaningful relationships and conversations about those topics, not from simply having religious clubs and organizations on campus.
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/m...
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/m...
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
Victims and church leaders echo Trump’s claims that Christians are persecuted. But many insist the reality isn’t as simple as Trump’s narrative.
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/t...
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/t...
Trump says Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria. The reality is more complicated
LIGARI, Nigeria (AP) — Victims and church leaders echo Trump's claims that Christians are persecuted. They say they’ve long been attacked, kidnapped or killed because of their faith.
religionnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Victims and church leaders echo Trump’s claims that Christians are persecuted. But many insist the reality isn’t as simple as Trump’s narrative.
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/t...
religionnews.com/2025/11/19/t...
For those of us at risk of deluding ourselves into thinking that blue states are less corrupt: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/m...
Lexington man exposes school district for intentionally overestimating costs of public records - The Boston Globe
“Hopefully, when I let them know the cost, they will not want to do it," an official wrote in an email.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
For those of us at risk of deluding ourselves into thinking that blue states are less corrupt: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/m...
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
At the time of his arrest, Thioub was the first known faith leader in New York to be detained since the Trump administration began its mass deportation efforts.
religionnews.com/2025/11/14/w...
religionnews.com/2025/11/14/w...
'We don't know what to pray to feel comfortable again': African New Yorkers fight to free imam
NEW YORK (RNS) — Imam Thioub's arrest has shocked the city’s African community and galvanized faith leaders who who have been advocating for the city's migrants.
religionnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM
At the time of his arrest, Thioub was the first known faith leader in New York to be detained since the Trump administration began its mass deportation efforts.
religionnews.com/2025/11/14/w...
religionnews.com/2025/11/14/w...
There's a lot of talk of court reform these days, almost always meaning Supreme Court reform, but I gotta say there's a whole lot more judicial reform that needs taking care of than just SCOTUS, and that's in spite of the fact that the district courts are holding up reasonably well for the moment.
ICYMI: I spent a week with an illustrator in Connecticut’s only immigration court, where judges decide whether thousands of people each year can stay in the U.S.
We found few lawyers, long backlogs and lessened transparency.
(And yes, that's me.)
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
We found few lawyers, long backlogs and lessened transparency.
(And yes, that's me.)
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
A week inside the opaque court where CT immigrants learn their fate
The courtroom often resembles an assembly line, with many cases taking less than five minutes.
www.ctinsider.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:17 PM
There's a lot of talk of court reform these days, almost always meaning Supreme Court reform, but I gotta say there's a whole lot more judicial reform that needs taking care of than just SCOTUS, and that's in spite of the fact that the district courts are holding up reasonably well for the moment.
This is a truly fabulous analogy:
Discourse surrounding “AI” these days often feels like a guy showing you his shovel and you say, “that’s a nice shovel” and he says “I am going to perform surgery on my mother with this shovel” and you say “Oh God please don’t that is not what a shovel is for.”
November 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
This is a truly fabulous analogy:
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
A free and insubordinate press.
November 18, 2025 at 11:24 PM
A free and insubordinate press.
Reposted by Lawrence Whitney
Around the world people are gathering to sing to the dying in an effort to provide comfort, peace and release to both the suffering and the singers
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
‘It was the last time Mum smiled at me’: the choirs singing to the dying in three-part harmony
A worldwide movement to sing gentle songs to the dying provides comfort, peace and release to both the suffering and the singers
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Around the world people are gathering to sing to the dying in an effort to provide comfort, peace and release to both the suffering and the singers
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Wisdom! Let us attend.
:: updates preferences to also mute ‘Sanford’ for a week ::
:: moves on with life ::
:: moves on with life ::
:: opens Bluesky preferences ::
:: mutes the word “Nuzzi” ::
:: moves on with life ::
:: mutes the word “Nuzzi” ::
:: moves on with life ::
November 18, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Wisdom! Let us attend.
In Abrego's civil case, govt suddenly claimed on 11/7 that Costa Rica, where Abrego was willing to go, will no longer take him. Only Liberia. It cited a sealed affidavit by an ICE official. Just now, Judge Xinis strikes that affidavit unless the official will testify Thursday.
November 17, 2025 at 11:34 PM