Ilya Somin
@ilyasomin.bsky.social
Law professor; author of Free to Move: Foot Voting Migration and Political Freedom; Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter; The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. New London and the Limits of Eminent Domain; Volokh Conspiracy blogger.
Reposted by Ilya Somin
My new article "Immigration is Not Invasion" is now up on SSRN. It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Immigration is Not Invasion
<div>
In recent years, state governments and the second Trump Administration have increasingly advanced the argument that illegal migration and cross-border dr
papers.ssrn.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
My new article "Immigration is Not Invasion" is now up on SSRN. It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Supreme Court rejects case seeking to overturn right to same-sex marriage. I was one of many observers who predicted this. Obergfell v. Hodges is highly unlikely to be reversed, and it was never going to happen in this dog of a case: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Casing Seeking to Overturn Obergefell
This result is unsurprising, and was predicted by most analysts, including myself.
reason.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Supreme Court rejects case seeking to overturn right to same-sex marriage. I was one of many observers who predicted this. Obergfell v. Hodges is highly unlikely to be reversed, and it was never going to happen in this dog of a case: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Supreme Court rejects case seeking to overturn right to same-sex marriage. I was one of many observers who predicted this. Obergfell v. Hodges is highly unlikely to be reversed, and it was never going to happen in this dog of a case: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Casing Seeking to Overturn Obergefell
This result is unsurprising, and was predicted by most analysts, including myself.
reason.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Supreme Court rejects case seeking to overturn right to same-sex marriage. I was one of many observers who predicted this. Obergfell v. Hodges is highly unlikely to be reversed, and it was never going to happen in this dog of a case: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Video of Federalist Society National Convention panel on zoning, property rights, and the housing crisis. I participated along with James Burling (Pacific Legal Foundation), Prof. Peter Byrne (Georgetown), and Prof. Sara Bronin (George Washington University): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCx...
Socialism or Sensible Protections? Zoning, Rent Control, and the Roots of the Housing Crisis [NLC]
YouTube video by The Federalist Society
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Video of Federalist Society National Convention panel on zoning, property rights, and the housing crisis. I participated along with James Burling (Pacific Legal Foundation), Prof. Peter Byrne (Georgetown), and Prof. Sara Bronin (George Washington University): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCx...
Video of Federalist Society National Convention panel on zoning, property rights, and the housing crisis. I participated along with James Burling (Pacific Legal Foundation), Prof. Peter Byrne (Georgetown), and Prof. Sara Bronin (George Washington University): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCx...
Socialism or Sensible Protections? Zoning, Rent Control, and the Roots of the Housing Crisis [NLC]
YouTube video by The Federalist Society
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Video of Federalist Society National Convention panel on zoning, property rights, and the housing crisis. I participated along with James Burling (Pacific Legal Foundation), Prof. Peter Byrne (Georgetown), and Prof. Sara Bronin (George Washington University): www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCx...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
A must-read.
My new article "Immigration is Not Invasion" is now up on SSRN. It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Immigration is Not Invasion
<div>
In recent years, state governments and the second Trump Administration have increasingly advanced the argument that illegal migration and cross-border dr
papers.ssrn.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:45 AM
A must-read.
Reposted by Ilya Somin
I agree with @ilyasomin.bsky.social, US should recognize a Victims of Communism day. The #s of killed, starved, tortured, terrorized, blackmailed, surveilled, denied other basic liberties (religious practice, political participation, child rearing etc) are staggering
reason.com/volokh/2025/...
reason.com/volokh/2025/...
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2025
NOTE: The following post is largely adapted from last year's November 7 post on the same subject. Since 2007,…
reason.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I agree with @ilyasomin.bsky.social, US should recognize a Victims of Communism day. The #s of killed, starved, tortured, terrorized, blackmailed, surveilled, denied other basic liberties (religious practice, political participation, child rearing etc) are staggering
reason.com/volokh/2025/...
reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Annual post on Nov. 7 as a potential Victims of Communism Day (instead of May 1). Nov. 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2025
NOTE: The following post is largely adapted from last year's November 7 post on the same subject. Since 2007,…
reason.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Annual post on Nov. 7 as a potential Victims of Communism Day (instead of May 1). Nov. 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Annual post on Nov. 7 as a potential Victims of Communism Day (instead of May 1). Nov. 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2025
NOTE: The following post is largely adapted from last year's November 7 post on the same subject. Since 2007,…
reason.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Annual post on Nov. 7 as a potential Victims of Communism Day (instead of May 1). Nov. 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
My new article "Immigration is Not Invasion" is now up on SSRN. It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Immigration is Not Invasion
<div>
In recent years, state governments and the second Trump Administration have increasingly advanced the argument that illegal migration and cross-border dr
papers.ssrn.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
My new article "Immigration is Not Invasion" is now up on SSRN. It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Compendium of links to my writings on our case against the Trump IEEPA tariffs , which will be argued in Supreme Court tomorrow (beginning with February post that inspired the case): reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Compendium of Writings About the Trump Tariff Case [Updated]
Links to my writings about our case against Trump's "Liberation Day" Tariffs and related issues.
reason.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Compendium of links to my writings on our case against the Trump IEEPA tariffs , which will be argued in Supreme Court tomorrow (beginning with February post that inspired the case): reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Compendium of links to my writings on our case against the Trump IEEPA tariffs , which will be argued in Supreme Court tomorrow (beginning with February post that inspired the case): reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Compendium of Writings About the Trump Tariff Case [Updated]
Links to my writings about our case against Trump's "Liberation Day" Tariffs and related issues.
reason.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Compendium of links to my writings on our case against the Trump IEEPA tariffs , which will be argued in Supreme Court tomorrow (beginning with February post that inspired the case): reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Article about the origins of our case against Trump's tariffs, which is currently before the Supreme Court: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Blog Posts Help Spur Trump Tariffs Challenge at Supreme Court
A blog post attacking the legal basis behind President Donald Trump’s tariffs helped set in motion a lawsuit central to the dispute over presidential power that will be considered by the US Supreme Co...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Article about the origins of our case against Trump's tariffs, which is currently before the Supreme Court: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Article about the origins of our case against Trump's tariffs, which is currently before the Supreme Court: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Blog Posts Help Spur Trump Tariffs Challenge at Supreme Court
A blog post attacking the legal basis behind President Donald Trump’s tariffs helped set in motion a lawsuit central to the dispute over presidential power that will be considered by the US Supreme Co...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Article about the origins of our case against Trump's tariffs, which is currently before the Supreme Court: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
I have two degrees of separation from each of the last 6 presidents, multiple British and Canadian PMs, the King of England, and many more political leaders. Doesn’t make me a powerful politician myself.
I can get to the last tsar of Bulgaria in two hops.
Off the top of my head, in terms of degrees of separation I managed to get from myself to *Jimi Hendrix* in "three hops," this is a WILD assertion to make
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 2, 2025 at 2:59 AM
I have two degrees of separation from each of the last 6 presidents, multiple British and Canadian PMs, the King of England, and many more political leaders. Doesn’t make me a powerful politician myself.
My Grokipedia page is far longer/more detailed than my Wikipedia page. I am flattered Grok thought me important enough for that. But it also has way more errors, even aside from overestimating my importance (e.g. - I was never a fellow at U of Michigan): grokipedia.com/page/Ilya_So...
Ilya Somin
Ilya Somin (born 1973) is a Russian-American legal scholar and professor of law at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he has taught since 2003, and holder of the B. Kenneth Sim...
grokipedia.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM
My Grokipedia page is far longer/more detailed than my Wikipedia page. I am flattered Grok thought me important enough for that. But it also has way more errors, even aside from overestimating my importance (e.g. - I was never a fellow at U of Michigan): grokipedia.com/page/Ilya_So...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
In this post, I explain why fentanyl smuggling isn't moral equivalent of war/terrorism and can't justify Trump's extrajudicial killings.... and how on this point I'm in rare agreement with John Yoo: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Why Fentanyl Smuggling isn't War and Cannot Justify Extrajudicial Killing
Thus, Trump's attacks on boats in the Carribean have no moral or legal justification.
reason.com
October 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
In this post, I explain why fentanyl smuggling isn't moral equivalent of war/terrorism and can't justify Trump's extrajudicial killings.... and how on this point I'm in rare agreement with John Yoo: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
In this post, I explain why fentanyl smuggling isn't moral equivalent of war/terrorism and can't justify Trump's extrajudicial killings.... and how on this point I'm in rare agreement with John Yoo: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Why Fentanyl Smuggling isn't War and Cannot Justify Extrajudicial Killing
Thus, Trump's attacks on boats in the Carribean have no moral or legal justification.
reason.com
October 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
In this post, I explain why fentanyl smuggling isn't moral equivalent of war/terrorism and can't justify Trump's extrajudicial killings.... and how on this point I'm in rare agreement with John Yoo: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Yamamoto pitched a great game tonight. But he may have just awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku...
Isoroku Yamamoto's sleeping giant quote - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 26, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Yamamoto pitched a great game tonight. But he may have just awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Very much appreciate the opportunity to participate in the Society for Rule of Law's event this week with @greggnunziata.bsky.social
@comstockb.bsky.social @ilyasomin.bsky.social and so many other wonderful people.
Thank you @avecruth.bsky.social for the amazing photos!
@comstockb.bsky.social @ilyasomin.bsky.social and so many other wonderful people.
Thank you @avecruth.bsky.social for the amazing photos!
October 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Very much appreciate the opportunity to participate in the Society for Rule of Law's event this week with @greggnunziata.bsky.social
@comstockb.bsky.social @ilyasomin.bsky.social and so many other wonderful people.
Thank you @avecruth.bsky.social for the amazing photos!
@comstockb.bsky.social @ilyasomin.bsky.social and so many other wonderful people.
Thank you @avecruth.bsky.social for the amazing photos!
Check out massive crop of amicus briefs supporting our side in Supreme Court tariff case, from groups across political spectrum, big and small businesses, and experts in many different fields: www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
Search
www.supremecourt.gov
October 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Check out massive crop of amicus briefs supporting our side in Supreme Court tariff case, from groups across political spectrum, big and small businesses, and experts in many different fields: www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
Reposted by Ilya Somin
34 people killed in 50 days. Their guilt or innocence unknown, for an alleged crime that doesn't carry a death sentence. That's a lot of death.
adamisacson.com/boat-strikes/
adamisacson.com/boat-strikes/
October 22, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Ilya Somin
My new paper on "How Speech-Based Immigration Restrictions Threaten Academic Freedom" (forthcoming in Lee Bollinger & Geoffrey Stone, eds., Academic Freedom in the Era of Trump, Oxford Univ. Press): papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
How Speech-Based Immigration Restrictions Threaten Academic Freedom
<div>
Since he returned to office in January 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration has engaged in a systematic effort to deport non-citizen university
papers.ssrn.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:34 PM
My new paper on "How Speech-Based Immigration Restrictions Threaten Academic Freedom" (forthcoming in Lee Bollinger & Geoffrey Stone, eds., Academic Freedom in the Era of Trump, Oxford Univ. Press): papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Ilya Somin
Ilya goes to the Court, Ontario goes to the television screen (aired last night during Game 7 of ALCS):
Ontario launches $75 million ad campaign using the words of Ronald Reagan to argue against tariffs.
YouTube video by Toronto Sun
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Ilya goes to the Court, Ontario goes to the television screen (aired last night during Game 7 of ALCS):
Reposted by Ilya Somin
We filed our Supreme Court brief in the case against Trump's abusive and illegal tariffs: libertyjusticecenter.org/wp-content/u...
libertyjusticecenter.org
October 21, 2025 at 4:21 AM
We filed our Supreme Court brief in the case against Trump's abusive and illegal tariffs: libertyjusticecenter.org/wp-content/u...