@melaw.bsky.social
Former dc lawyer and intel wonk, current Maine small-town indigent defender with cute pups, cats and kids.
Reposted
I think Americans are realizing that democracy is a participation sport, and the the government is ours if we want it to be. I feel like we got complacent and hoped some other third party would do the work for us. Seems like we have to learn that lesson every generation.
November 18, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I think Americans are realizing that democracy is a participation sport, and the the government is ours if we want it to be. I feel like we got complacent and hoped some other third party would do the work for us. Seems like we have to learn that lesson every generation.
My husband hasn’t been paid in a month, some of my clients aren’t able to pay me due to their own pay cuts, some are hurting due to SNAP cuts, and I’m not going to see my dad for his 80th birthday due to flight cancellations, but I will be furious if @chuck.senate.gov caves on health care.
November 9, 2025 at 11:37 PM
My husband hasn’t been paid in a month, some of my clients aren’t able to pay me due to their own pay cuts, some are hurting due to SNAP cuts, and I’m not going to see my dad for his 80th birthday due to flight cancellations, but I will be furious if @chuck.senate.gov caves on health care.
What should I be doing to prepare for the insurrection act?
Due to location, I don’t expect to be immediately impacted but I certainly want to be in a position to help others, and to ensure my family’s safety.
Due to location, I don’t expect to be immediately impacted but I certainly want to be in a position to help others, and to ensure my family’s safety.
October 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
What should I be doing to prepare for the insurrection act?
Due to location, I don’t expect to be immediately impacted but I certainly want to be in a position to help others, and to ensure my family’s safety.
Due to location, I don’t expect to be immediately impacted but I certainly want to be in a position to help others, and to ensure my family’s safety.
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I'm a human rights lawyer. I've worked on countless immigration, asylum, & refugee cases.
As the fascist in chief sends ICE and the military to target immigrants in Chicago, here are tangible steps you can take to protect your immigrant neighbors.
(No paywall)
www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-to-pro...
As the fascist in chief sends ICE and the military to target immigrants in Chicago, here are tangible steps you can take to protect your immigrant neighbors.
(No paywall)
www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-to-pro...
How To Protect Your Immigrant Neighbors From ICE Raids
Answering common FAQs on countering ICE raids, and providing 7 meaningful ways to better protect our immigrant and undocumented neighbors
www.qasimrashid.com
September 6, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I'm a human rights lawyer. I've worked on countless immigration, asylum, & refugee cases.
As the fascist in chief sends ICE and the military to target immigrants in Chicago, here are tangible steps you can take to protect your immigrant neighbors.
(No paywall)
www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-to-pro...
As the fascist in chief sends ICE and the military to target immigrants in Chicago, here are tangible steps you can take to protect your immigrant neighbors.
(No paywall)
www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-to-pro...
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This morning: MPD and ATF conducted a massive paramilitary operation, with officers in masks and camo, in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of DC within 500 yards of an elementary school while neighborhood children were heading to school.
On their third day of classes.
On their third day of classes.
August 27, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This morning: MPD and ATF conducted a massive paramilitary operation, with officers in masks and camo, in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of DC within 500 yards of an elementary school while neighborhood children were heading to school.
On their third day of classes.
On their third day of classes.
CNN just now: Here’s how an UNsuccessful summit in Alaska could be good for Trump.
August 12, 2025 at 12:24 PM
CNN just now: Here’s how an UNsuccessful summit in Alaska could be good for Trump.
Five Things You Did This Week if you still support Trump:
1. Announced you don’t know whether you must uphold the United States Constitution, despite swearing to do so. You said you’d check in with your lawyers about it.
...
1. Announced you don’t know whether you must uphold the United States Constitution, despite swearing to do so. You said you’d check in with your lawyers about it.
...
May 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Five Things You Did This Week if you still support Trump:
1. Announced you don’t know whether you must uphold the United States Constitution, despite swearing to do so. You said you’d check in with your lawyers about it.
...
1. Announced you don’t know whether you must uphold the United States Constitution, despite swearing to do so. You said you’d check in with your lawyers about it.
...
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HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center
May 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center
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Menendez Jr: They feel no weight of the law and no restraint on what they should be doing. And that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the Mayor of Newark but when they put their hands on two members of congress standing behind me. How is this acceptable?
May 9, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Menendez Jr: They feel no weight of the law and no restraint on what they should be doing. And that was shown in broad daylight today when they not just arrested the Mayor of Newark but when they put their hands on two members of congress standing behind me. How is this acceptable?
On the upside, with all this doge theft of private government data, it’ll be a lot easier to have public gun registries cross-referenced with white nationalists.
May 8, 2025 at 11:43 AM
On the upside, with all this doge theft of private government data, it’ll be a lot easier to have public gun registries cross-referenced with white nationalists.
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106 days down... out of 1,461. 1,355 days to go. sigh
I want a divorce.
I want a divorce.
May 6, 2025 at 9:53 PM
106 days down... out of 1,461. 1,355 days to go. sigh
I want a divorce.
I want a divorce.
The 5 pencils thing cracks me up. My kids have been talking for weeks about running a black market at their middle school because kids lose so many pencils every day.
We stocked up, and I’ll say this: pencil tariffs are going to make my kids RICH! 🤑
We stocked up, and I’ll say this: pencil tariffs are going to make my kids RICH! 🤑
May 4, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The 5 pencils thing cracks me up. My kids have been talking for weeks about running a black market at their middle school because kids lose so many pencils every day.
We stocked up, and I’ll say this: pencil tariffs are going to make my kids RICH! 🤑
We stocked up, and I’ll say this: pencil tariffs are going to make my kids RICH! 🤑
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Just before 1 a.m., #SCOTUS stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation with a (remarkable) ruling that suggests, among other things, that a majority of the justices is tiring of the Trump administration’s Calvinball.
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
144. The Supreme Court's Late-Night Alien Enemy Act Intervention
Just before 1:00 a.m., the justices (aggressively) stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation—in a decision suggesting that a majority understands that these are no longer normal circumstances.
www.stevevladeck.com
April 19, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Just before 1 a.m., #SCOTUS stepped back into the Alien Enemy Act litigation with a (remarkable) ruling that suggests, among other things, that a majority of the justices is tiring of the Trump administration’s Calvinball.
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
For more, see the latest “One First”:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/144-the-su...
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250 years ago today America began its march toward independence at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The battles marked “No Kings Day, Part I.” Today millions of Americans will take part in “No Kings Day, Part II.”
April 19, 2025 at 10:31 AM
250 years ago today America began its march toward independence at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The battles marked “No Kings Day, Part I.” Today millions of Americans will take part in “No Kings Day, Part II.”
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Heads up, lawyers and law students. The @americanbar.org is stepping up.
www.abajournal.com/web/article/...
www.abajournal.com/web/article/...
Free virtual boot camp seeks to recruit and educate civil rights advocates
The ABA Journal is read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
www.abajournal.com
March 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Heads up, lawyers and law students. The @americanbar.org is stepping up.
www.abajournal.com/web/article/...
www.abajournal.com/web/article/...
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The heartbreak.
Trump claims USAID is bankrupting America—it’s less than 1% of the budget. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is gutting the largest food aid provider. He could end world hunger & still be the richest man alive. But he won’t.
Not just greed. We’re watching evil at work.
Trump claims USAID is bankrupting America—it’s less than 1% of the budget. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is gutting the largest food aid provider. He could end world hunger & still be the richest man alive. But he won’t.
Not just greed. We’re watching evil at work.
February 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
The heartbreak.
Trump claims USAID is bankrupting America—it’s less than 1% of the budget. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is gutting the largest food aid provider. He could end world hunger & still be the richest man alive. But he won’t.
Not just greed. We’re watching evil at work.
Trump claims USAID is bankrupting America—it’s less than 1% of the budget. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is gutting the largest food aid provider. He could end world hunger & still be the richest man alive. But he won’t.
Not just greed. We’re watching evil at work.
I called Governor Mills to thank her for standing up to tyranny. Absolutely proud to be a Mainer today!
February 21, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I called Governor Mills to thank her for standing up to tyranny. Absolutely proud to be a Mainer today!
In probably the only ‘good’ thing to come out of all this, I’ve just completed a massive purge of my closet. In case we need to move quickly.
February 1, 2025 at 6:48 PM
In probably the only ‘good’ thing to come out of all this, I’ve just completed a massive purge of my closet. In case we need to move quickly.
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remember, the blitzkrieg is intended to make you feel like there is nothing you can do about it; that’s the only reason to go forward in this haphazard and sloppy manner all in the first week
and the choice of that strategy tells you they are afraid you *will* do something about it
and the choice of that strategy tells you they are afraid you *will* do something about it
January 23, 2025 at 5:01 AM
remember, the blitzkrieg is intended to make you feel like there is nothing you can do about it; that’s the only reason to go forward in this haphazard and sloppy manner all in the first week
and the choice of that strategy tells you they are afraid you *will* do something about it
and the choice of that strategy tells you they are afraid you *will* do something about it
What would be the downsides to Putin falling out a window?
November 18, 2024 at 7:14 PM
What would be the downsides to Putin falling out a window?
My sixth-grader is doing a democracy vs dictatorship project and it’s making me tearful. Hits different this year.
November 14, 2024 at 8:59 PM
My sixth-grader is doing a democracy vs dictatorship project and it’s making me tearful. Hits different this year.
God do I hope there’s a deep state.
November 13, 2024 at 8:21 PM
God do I hope there’s a deep state.
I never posted on twitter, but I’m going to give it a try here. I used to work in national security, and now I have a little criminal law practice in Maine. I’ll be hibernating for a few more weeks but then I think I’ll want to reengage. Glad to find inspiration and camaraderie here!
November 12, 2024 at 6:14 PM
I never posted on twitter, but I’m going to give it a try here. I used to work in national security, and now I have a little criminal law practice in Maine. I’ll be hibernating for a few more weeks but then I think I’ll want to reengage. Glad to find inspiration and camaraderie here!