Melissa Stewart
@lissajostewart.bsky.social
Civil Rights Lawyer | Drag is not a crime | 🏳🌈 | lissajostewart@gmail.com | Memphis | they/she
Pinned
The rebound woke is hitting like a cigarette on a winter night on the back porch of the drag bar
Me: “I think I can wait at least another year before I buy a new laptop.”
My current laptop: “Lmao not if I die right now.”
My current laptop: “Lmao not if I die right now.”
December 9, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Me: “I think I can wait at least another year before I buy a new laptop.”
My current laptop: “Lmao not if I die right now.”
My current laptop: “Lmao not if I die right now.”
Launch Trailer - Skyrim Anniversary Edition - Nintendo Switch 2
YouTube video by Bethesda Softworks
youtu.be
December 9, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
So many (especially young) political reporters were claiming a political realignment while us political scientists who have published peer-reviewed research on that were saying they're way too quick with such a proclamation. More interest in context & history could have saved that bad reporting.
7 months ago, some of us argued that young people are highly responsive to the "nature of the times" (Campbell et al 1960) because they are relatively less politically engaged. Thus, their pro-Republican movement in 2024 was likely not a stable generational difference. It looks like we were right.
December 8, 2025 at 7:34 PM
So many (especially young) political reporters were claiming a political realignment while us political scientists who have published peer-reviewed research on that were saying they're way too quick with such a proclamation. More interest in context & history could have saved that bad reporting.
A government that owns industry and a government that’s owned by industry are actually just the same thing.
December 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM
A government that owns industry and a government that’s owned by industry are actually just the same thing.
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
not so friendly reminder that mormons collaborated with the n*zis during WWII by providing them with detailed genealogical records
December 8, 2025 at 7:54 AM
not so friendly reminder that mormons collaborated with the n*zis during WWII by providing them with detailed genealogical records
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Inject Elena Kagan dissecting D. John Sauer’s theory of administrative law directly into my veins.
December 8, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Inject Elena Kagan dissecting D. John Sauer’s theory of administrative law directly into my veins.
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Kavanaugh: "Tell me how the Fed is different"
Sauer: "It's different"
Kavanaugh: Great! (implied.)
Kagan steps in, voice near shaking with disdain/disbelief at what the Court is about to do - setting up a fight about which entities exercise enough exec power that POTUS must be able to fire them.
Sauer: "It's different"
Kavanaugh: Great! (implied.)
Kagan steps in, voice near shaking with disdain/disbelief at what the Court is about to do - setting up a fight about which entities exercise enough exec power that POTUS must be able to fire them.
December 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Kavanaugh: "Tell me how the Fed is different"
Sauer: "It's different"
Kavanaugh: Great! (implied.)
Kagan steps in, voice near shaking with disdain/disbelief at what the Court is about to do - setting up a fight about which entities exercise enough exec power that POTUS must be able to fire them.
Sauer: "It's different"
Kavanaugh: Great! (implied.)
Kagan steps in, voice near shaking with disdain/disbelief at what the Court is about to do - setting up a fight about which entities exercise enough exec power that POTUS must be able to fire them.
I had no idea how much TikTok was influencing me to spend money until I left TikTok. Like goddamn.
December 7, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I had no idea how much TikTok was influencing me to spend money until I left TikTok. Like goddamn.
“Longstanding principle”
You mean the explicit text of the Constitution
You mean the explicit text of the Constitution
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration. n.pr/48E1oko
Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in birthright citizenship challenge
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration.
n.pr
December 7, 2025 at 3:35 PM
“Longstanding principle”
You mean the explicit text of the Constitution
You mean the explicit text of the Constitution
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
The hot hate of a burning sun.
December 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The hot hate of a burning sun.
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Prouder than ever of my Minneapolis roots.
In South Minneapolis, Minnesota, nearly two dozen neighbors confronted and surrounded ICE goons after rapid-response alerts were issued. The goons were questioning an East African man when the situation escalated, and they eventually left the area without making any arrests.
December 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Prouder than ever of my Minneapolis roots.
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
I remember being asked by judges, “How could lawyers have known to raise that argument when we didn’t rule on that statute until date x?”
“Statutes are effective when passed by the legislature & signed by the governor. They don’t need to be acknowledged by a court to be law.”
“Statutes are effective when passed by the legislature & signed by the governor. They don’t need to be acknowledged by a court to be law.”
*1868
They're citing the date of Kim Wong Ark but it should be the 14th Amendment itself. The Court didn't create it and that's not a nit-picky distinction here.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...
They're citing the date of Kim Wong Ark but it should be the 14th Amendment itself. The Court didn't create it and that's not a nit-picky distinction here.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...
December 6, 2025 at 2:36 AM
I remember being asked by judges, “How could lawyers have known to raise that argument when we didn’t rule on that statute until date x?”
“Statutes are effective when passed by the legislature & signed by the governor. They don’t need to be acknowledged by a court to be law.”
“Statutes are effective when passed by the legislature & signed by the governor. They don’t need to be acknowledged by a court to be law.”
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
you couldn't waterboard this from me
I decided that you lack the spirit to be worth further engagement, so I had the conversation w/ Gemini 3 Pro, instead.
You can see it here: gemini.google.com/share/34668f...
They hide reasoning chains in public share URLs, so attaching a few screenshots to show ya.
Best of luck, Kathryn! <3
You can see it here: gemini.google.com/share/34668f...
They hide reasoning chains in public share URLs, so attaching a few screenshots to show ya.
Best of luck, Kathryn! <3
December 5, 2025 at 11:10 PM
you couldn't waterboard this from me
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
This is the funniest fucking thing I have ever seen.
I decided that you lack the spirit to be worth further engagement, so I had the conversation w/ Gemini 3 Pro, instead.
You can see it here: gemini.google.com/share/34668f...
They hide reasoning chains in public share URLs, so attaching a few screenshots to show ya.
Best of luck, Kathryn! <3
You can see it here: gemini.google.com/share/34668f...
They hide reasoning chains in public share URLs, so attaching a few screenshots to show ya.
Best of luck, Kathryn! <3
December 5, 2025 at 6:55 PM
This is the funniest fucking thing I have ever seen.
Cold weather requires extra spicy Tteokbokki
December 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Cold weather requires extra spicy Tteokbokki
Cold weather requires extra spicy Tteokbokki
December 6, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Cold weather requires extra spicy Tteokbokki
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
No no no don’t read this just go to Costco and pick from the 7 different kinds of Dubai chocolate! The only thing you should ever think of when you hear of the UAE is Dubai chocolate ♥️
There we go. Sudan. Yemen. Somaliland. UAE's doing stuff all over right now.
An armed group backed by the United Arab Emirates has pushed into Yemen's oil-rich province of Hadramout. The military offensive was a significant escalation of its push to create an independent country and could reignite a civil war that has settled into a stalemate. Here's what to know.
December 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM
No no no don’t read this just go to Costco and pick from the 7 different kinds of Dubai chocolate! The only thing you should ever think of when you hear of the UAE is Dubai chocolate ♥️
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Glad to see this reporting.
IRW — a Pulitzer-winning nonprofit newsroom at American — and @thebarbedwire.com traced the history of anti-trans legislation. Houston conservatives realized homophobia didn’t fly anymore, weaponized girls’ safety, and parroted segregationist language. It worked.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/12/04/a...
thebarbedwire.com/2025/12/04/a...
Where Did Anti-Trans Laws Start? How a Forgotten Houston Ordinance Turned Into a Massive, Nationwide Culture War
In fighting for bathroom bills in Houston, Texas conservatives provided a blueprint for the rest of the country.
thebarbedwire.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Glad to see this reporting.
Oh hell yeah
We're proud to announce our newest endorsement: @melatkirosco.bsky.social in #CO01!
A barista & renter—who lost her job as a lawyer for defending pro-Palestine protests—Melat knows Denver's struggles because she's lived them.
#CO01 needs a leader powered by courage, not corporations.
A barista & renter—who lost her job as a lawyer for defending pro-Palestine protests—Melat knows Denver's struggles because she's lived them.
#CO01 needs a leader powered by courage, not corporations.
December 5, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Oh hell yeah
Holy hell the statement makes it so much worse
This is the first time Pantone has chosen a shade of white. The company says it's "a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection." n.pr/4rDF0jv
You read that white: Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year is 'Cloud Dancer'
This is the first time Pantone has chosen a shade of white. The company says it's "a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection."
n.pr
December 5, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Holy hell the statement makes it so much worse
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
just an utter joke of a court.
December 4, 2025 at 11:22 PM
just an utter joke of a court.
If you murder someone because you’re afraid to lose your job, that’s still murder.
In those military organizations, respect for the Chain of Command is sacrosanct. If you want to keep your job, you do as your told. This concept of “disobeying illegal orders” is an utopia. Especially when the Commander-in-Chief was told by SCOTUS that he cannot be found to have acted criminally.
December 5, 2025 at 1:28 AM
If you murder someone because you’re afraid to lose your job, that’s still murder.
Reposted by Melissa Stewart
Sorry, but the Adolf Eichmann Theory of Law doesn’t fly with me.
There are other options other than murdering people in cold blood in violation of the law.
There are other options other than murdering people in cold blood in violation of the law.
In those military organizations, respect for the Chain of Command is sacrosanct. If you want to keep your job, you do as your told. This concept of “disobeying illegal orders” is an utopia. Especially when the Commander-in-Chief was told by SCOTUS that he cannot be found to have acted criminally.
December 5, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Sorry, but the Adolf Eichmann Theory of Law doesn’t fly with me.
There are other options other than murdering people in cold blood in violation of the law.
There are other options other than murdering people in cold blood in violation of the law.