Michael Linhorst
@michaellinhorst.bsky.social
First Amendment / media lawyer and a former / sometimes current journalist. Cornell Daily Sun, Bergen Record alum.
Happening now: Private prison company Geo Group is arguing in the Supreme Court for immunity from a lawsuit filed by immigrant prisoners who say they were forced to work in Geo's prison for no pay.
Read my article about the case in @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
Read my article about the case in @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
The Case That Could Rein in Private Prison Abuses—or Turn Them Loose
One of the biggest firms in the industry wants the Roberts court to grant it sovereign immunity. Even the Trump administration is in opposition—to a point.
newrepublic.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Happening now: Private prison company Geo Group is arguing in the Supreme Court for immunity from a lawsuit filed by immigrant prisoners who say they were forced to work in Geo's prison for no pay.
Read my article about the case in @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
Read my article about the case in @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
At the Supreme Court this morning, America's biggest for-profit prison company is asking for immunity from lawsuits. It's fighting claims from immigrant prisoners that it forced them to work "like slaves" at its prisons. I wrote about the case for @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
The Case That Could Rein in Private Prison Abuses—or Turn Them Loose
One of the biggest firms in the industry wants the Roberts court to grant it sovereign immunity. Even the Trump administration is in opposition—to a point.
newrepublic.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 PM
At the Supreme Court this morning, America's biggest for-profit prison company is asking for immunity from lawsuits. It's fighting claims from immigrant prisoners that it forced them to work "like slaves" at its prisons. I wrote about the case for @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2020...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
It's impossible to overstate how much of what ICE is doing on the ground reflects this completely preposterous conflation of hostile *speech* and hostile *conduct.*
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
From Bovino's deposition: (1) he calls protestors "violent" if they articulate views hostile to ICE, even if no violence is manifested; (2) he instructs his forces to attack and arrest protestors who express "hyperbolic comments," which is to say, criticism of ICE and Bovino.
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
It's impossible to overstate how much of what ICE is doing on the ground reflects this completely preposterous conflation of hostile *speech* and hostile *conduct.*
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
And our Canal Street story on how local policing and the First Amendment get flipped inside-out when its done by feds in masks, accountable to who knows who, from elsewhere -- nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/10/27/u...
Ugly Truth: Feds' Canal Street Raid Pushed Aside NYPD, Safety and Free Speech - Streetsblog New York City
President Trump's heavily armed and masked immigration troops are turning American cities into battlegrounds — and eliminating accountability and free speech in the public realm.
nyc.streetsblog.org
October 28, 2025 at 3:34 PM
And our Canal Street story on how local policing and the First Amendment get flipped inside-out when its done by feds in masks, accountable to who knows who, from elsewhere -- nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/10/27/u...
Such a great story, with all the screenshots: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Amazingly, Halligan goes on and on about what she admits is Anna's "reporting," but then when she finds out Anna's going to report on the convo, Halligan says it was off-the-record because "you're not a journalist"!
Amazingly, Halligan goes on and on about what she admits is Anna's "reporting," but then when she finds out Anna's going to report on the convo, Halligan says it was off-the-record because "you're not a journalist"!
October 21, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Such a great story, with all the screenshots: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Amazingly, Halligan goes on and on about what she admits is Anna's "reporting," but then when she finds out Anna's going to report on the convo, Halligan says it was off-the-record because "you're not a journalist"!
Amazingly, Halligan goes on and on about what she admits is Anna's "reporting," but then when she finds out Anna's going to report on the convo, Halligan says it was off-the-record because "you're not a journalist"!
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
NEW: New York Focus reporters have had their public records requests take as long as 1,266 days — and counting.
Despite promising greater transparency, Hochul vetoed a bill to speed up New York's notoriously slow public records process.
Despite promising greater transparency, Hochul vetoed a bill to speed up New York's notoriously slow public records process.
Hochul Promised Faster Public Records. She Just Vetoed The Fix.
Governor Hochul vetoed a measure to speed up New York's public records process, which is among the slowest in the nation. We asked our reporters about…
nysfocus.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:15 PM
NEW: New York Focus reporters have had their public records requests take as long as 1,266 days — and counting.
Despite promising greater transparency, Hochul vetoed a bill to speed up New York's notoriously slow public records process.
Despite promising greater transparency, Hochul vetoed a bill to speed up New York's notoriously slow public records process.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Pentagon Press Association: "Make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom"
October 15, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Pentagon Press Association: "Make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom"
"Abusing their right to protest" is quite a claim to make for an elected official who's bound by the First Amendment
Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson's full statement, in which she says she will sign an EO permitting protest "only at the safety zone located at the ICE facility on Beach Street," is up on the village's website.
"There are too many protesters abusing their right to protest," Thompson says.
"There are too many protesters abusing their right to protest," Thompson says.
October 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
"Abusing their right to protest" is quite a claim to make for an elected official who's bound by the First Amendment
This second requirement is key: agents with their faces covered and no way to individually identify them can't be held accountable by the public for anything illegal/unconstitutional they may do
Judge issues temporary restraining order against DHS in Chicago, affirming attacks on press during ICE protests "clearly violate" constitution.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
Judge Rules Feds Can't Pepper-Spray, Tear-Gas Journalists After Block Club Chicago And Others Sue
Block Club and news organizations sued the federal government for its actions against journalists outside the Broadview ICE detention facility. Four of our journalists have been shot with pepper-spray...
blockclubchicago.org
October 9, 2025 at 9:07 PM
This second requirement is key: agents with their faces covered and no way to individually identify them can't be held accountable by the public for anything illegal/unconstitutional they may do
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Judge issues temporary restraining order against DHS in Chicago, affirming attacks on press during ICE protests "clearly violate" constitution.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
Judge Rules Feds Can't Pepper-Spray, Tear-Gas Journalists After Block Club Chicago And Others Sue
Block Club and news organizations sued the federal government for its actions against journalists outside the Broadview ICE detention facility. Four of our journalists have been shot with pepper-spray...
blockclubchicago.org
October 9, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Judge issues temporary restraining order against DHS in Chicago, affirming attacks on press during ICE protests "clearly violate" constitution.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
ln further win for transparency, agents also required to wear badges or other visible ID with unique number.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
This is the obvious absurdity of pulling ICEBlock. It is obviously legal, protected speech for anyone to say, in any forum, “I just witnessed some police activity at location X”. Indeed, people have been doing this regularly on social media since its inception.
"I think in a free country we should be able to post onto the internet, 'hey, there are masked agents on Broadway and Vine and not have the government or the tech oligarchs prevent us from doing that.' Shame on you, Tim Cook."
@radiofreetom.bsky.social joins @timmiller.bsky.social:
@radiofreetom.bsky.social joins @timmiller.bsky.social:
October 3, 2025 at 11:42 PM
This is the obvious absurdity of pulling ICEBlock. It is obviously legal, protected speech for anyone to say, in any forum, “I just witnessed some police activity at location X”. Indeed, people have been doing this regularly on social media since its inception.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Here's the kicker: Geo’s chairman, George Zoley, is an immigrant himself. He arrived here as a child from Greece. @michaellinhorst.bsky.social looks at the company—and man—at the heart of Trump’s hard-line immigration machine. 6/6 www.fastcompany.com/91396722/the...
The house that ICE built
Geo Group, America's largest for-profit jailer of immigrants, is preparing for a windfall under Trump. Its chairman is an immigrant himself.
www.fastcompany.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Here's the kicker: Geo’s chairman, George Zoley, is an immigrant himself. He arrived here as a child from Greece. @michaellinhorst.bsky.social looks at the company—and man—at the heart of Trump’s hard-line immigration machine. 6/6 www.fastcompany.com/91396722/the...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
When you hear about someone arrested or swept up in an immigration raid, there’s a good chance they’ve ended up at a facility run by Geo Group, the nation’s largest for-profit jailer of immigrants and one of ICE’s biggest contractors. 🧵👇 1/6 www.fastcompany.com/91396722/the...
The house that ICE built
Geo Group, America's largest for-profit jailer of immigrants, is preparing for a windfall under Trump. Its chairman is an immigrant himself.
www.fastcompany.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
When you hear about someone arrested or swept up in an immigration raid, there’s a good chance they’ve ended up at a facility run by Geo Group, the nation’s largest for-profit jailer of immigrants and one of ICE’s biggest contractors. 🧵👇 1/6 www.fastcompany.com/91396722/the...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
1/ DEVELOPING: A journalist was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital following another incident with an ICE agent at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration court in NYC. The last I heard, he was getting X-rays for his lower back.
September 30, 2025 at 6:37 PM
1/ DEVELOPING: A journalist was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital following another incident with an ICE agent at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration court in NYC. The last I heard, he was getting X-rays for his lower back.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"
September 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
AAUP v. Rubio is out, and look at how it starts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
AAUP v. Rubio is out, and look at how it starts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
BREAKING: Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, delivers the most scathing legal rebuke of the Trump era, ruling that Trump and his cabinet illegally targeted pro-Palestinian students for deportation to "strike fear" into First Amendment protesters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
BREAKING: Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, delivers the most scathing legal rebuke of the Trump era, ruling that Trump and his cabinet illegally targeted pro-Palestinian students for deportation to "strike fear" into First Amendment protesters. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Smart move by two young upstate NY reporters: they filed a FOIA for body cameras worn by the sheriff’s deputies at an ICE raid. These are almost always civil raids so there’s no ongoing criminal investigation that would require that footage to stay confidential. Replicable by any media outlet.
“They’re, they’re animals anyway. That’s what I would tell my kids all the time,” said the ICE agent, according to body cam footage. spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-...
Man detained in Cato ICE raid wrongfully deported, separated from his family
Body camera footage released from the raid shows agents referring to immigrants as 'animals.'
spectrumlocalnews.com
September 28, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Smart move by two young upstate NY reporters: they filed a FOIA for body cameras worn by the sheriff’s deputies at an ICE raid. These are almost always civil raids so there’s no ongoing criminal investigation that would require that footage to stay confidential. Replicable by any media outlet.
This is a useful reminder: if you want to investigate CBP, or any agency, don't only FOIA them -- FOIA agencies they interact with, too
WOW. This entire story is HORRIFIC. This is FOIA of a body cam from the raid in upstate New York the same day as the Hyundai plant. It catches a Border Patrol agent on camera only bragging about denying medical care to migrants detained at the border under Biden — who he says are all "animals."
1/3
1/3
The agent admits he treats immigrants like "they're animals" and that he tells his kids that they are animals "all the time"
September 27, 2025 at 11:32 PM
This is a useful reminder: if you want to investigate CBP, or any agency, don't only FOIA them -- FOIA agencies they interact with, too
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
SCOOP: Justice Department asks judge to force nonprofit & reporter to post $50,000 bond to get faster release of classified docs found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump order to seek bonds for early injunctions seeps into #FOIA litigation. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
September 26, 2025 at 10:40 PM
SCOOP: Justice Department asks judge to force nonprofit & reporter to post $50,000 bond to get faster release of classified docs found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump order to seek bonds for early injunctions seeps into #FOIA litigation. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
1/ I’m Till Eckert, a ProPublica reporter. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been going to the same NY immigration courthouse.
Nearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away.
Thread 👇
Nearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away.
Thread 👇
September 26, 2025 at 1:06 AM
1/ I’m Till Eckert, a ProPublica reporter. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been going to the same NY immigration courthouse.
Nearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away.
Thread 👇
Nearly every time, I see ICE agents arresting immigrants. Today, a woman was slammed to the ground after begging officials not to take her husband away.
Thread 👇
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
Kimmel: "This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this."
September 24, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Kimmel: "This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this."
So sad
Not unexpected, but no less tragic for it. NJ has already lost so much local coverage, and the hits keep coming.
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
New Jersey PBS shutting down in July - New Jersey Globe
New Jersey PBS is expected to cease operations in July 2026 following WNET's decision not to renew its agreement, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The
newjerseyglobe.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
So sad
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
For anyone who thinks a secrecy law purportedly for officials’ safety won’t be distorted and abused…
Tell congress you don’t want even more of this nonsense with our new action center tool below.
Tell congress you don’t want even more of this nonsense with our new action center tool below.
September 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
For anyone who thinks a secrecy law purportedly for officials’ safety won’t be distorted and abused…
Tell congress you don’t want even more of this nonsense with our new action center tool below.
Tell congress you don’t want even more of this nonsense with our new action center tool below.
Reposted by Michael Linhorst
A letter from an emmy award-winning journalist who's been detained by ICE for 2+ months just went up via @bittersouth.bsky.social. He's in the US lawfully. "The government asserted that Guevara posed a danger to the community because of his reporting."
bittersoutherner.com/journalist-m...
bittersoutherner.com/journalist-m...
Journalist Mario Guevara Speaks - Letter from ICE DETENTION FACILITY — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER
The only journalist detained by ICE on US soil, sends a letter to The Bitter Southerner.
bittersoutherner.com
September 19, 2025 at 9:28 PM
A letter from an emmy award-winning journalist who's been detained by ICE for 2+ months just went up via @bittersouth.bsky.social. He's in the US lawfully. "The government asserted that Guevara posed a danger to the community because of his reporting."
bittersoutherner.com/journalist-m...
bittersoutherner.com/journalist-m...