Nate Ela
@nateela.bsky.social
Law prof + sociologist thinking and writing about property, land, cities, democracy, sometimes Philly. Posts ≠ speaking for the institution where I work (obvs).
nateela.net | SSRN: bit.ly/ElaSSRN
(Views are mine, not those of any institution.)
nateela.net | SSRN: bit.ly/ElaSSRN
(Views are mine, not those of any institution.)
Hale, “Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State” (1923)
October 30, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Hale, “Coercion and Distribution in a Supposedly Non-Coercive State” (1923)
Kavanaugh Stops everywhere you look these days
October 16, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Kavanaugh Stops everywhere you look these days
One funny thing about Philly is that sometimes they’ll do a ton of fireworks for no apparent reason
October 15, 2025 at 11:18 PM
One funny thing about Philly is that sometimes they’ll do a ton of fireworks for no apparent reason
A *lot* could happen between now and Thursday morning, when the court has set its hearing.
We may learn what Pritzker means by Illinois using every lever at its disposal to fight back…
We may learn what Pritzker means by Illinois using every lever at its disposal to fight back…
October 6, 2025 at 7:58 PM
A *lot* could happen between now and Thursday morning, when the court has set its hearing.
We may learn what Pritzker means by Illinois using every lever at its disposal to fight back…
We may learn what Pritzker means by Illinois using every lever at its disposal to fight back…
Crazy to think someone in Pritzker's office has run tabletop exercises, some perhaps leading not just to standoffs in court but also on the I-55 bridge from MO to East St. Louis, w/ IL guard blocking TX guard.
Less likely, but perhaps more fitting, if that were to happen at Fort Defiance.
Less likely, but perhaps more fitting, if that were to happen at Fort Defiance.
October 6, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Crazy to think someone in Pritzker's office has run tabletop exercises, some perhaps leading not just to standoffs in court but also on the I-55 bridge from MO to East St. Louis, w/ IL guard blocking TX guard.
Less likely, but perhaps more fitting, if that were to happen at Fort Defiance.
Less likely, but perhaps more fitting, if that were to happen at Fort Defiance.
Fun and inspirational (and a bit of whiplash given news of the day) to see Jeff Rosen’s new song cycle at the @amphilsociety.bsky.social, based on Franklin’s twelve virtues to live by in the pursuit of happiness. With a bonus song cycle on the Greek gods, in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan!
September 9, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Fun and inspirational (and a bit of whiplash given news of the day) to see Jeff Rosen’s new song cycle at the @amphilsociety.bsky.social, based on Franklin’s twelve virtues to live by in the pursuit of happiness. With a bonus song cycle on the Greek gods, in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan!
POTUS and the VP come out in favor of war on a US city, and extrajudicial killing by the military of alleged criminals.
September 6, 2025 at 4:01 PM
POTUS and the VP come out in favor of war on a US city, and extrajudicial killing by the military of alleged criminals.
Weird that Blue Cross just sent out this email about how the updated Covid vaccine is one I and all adults should really get, as CDC has recommended, when… it’s apparently no longer recommended by CDC and won’t be available wo an rx in my state
🤷♂️
🤷♂️
September 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Weird that Blue Cross just sent out this email about how the updated Covid vaccine is one I and all adults should really get, as CDC has recommended, when… it’s apparently no longer recommended by CDC and won’t be available wo an rx in my state
🤷♂️
🤷♂️
YMMV but just looked for covid vaccine at a PA Walgreens and got this. I guess they’re waiting on… CDC? 🙄
August 29, 2025 at 8:05 PM
YMMV but just looked for covid vaccine at a PA Walgreens and got this. I guess they’re waiting on… CDC? 🙄
Having grown up in the Midwest, it almost feels like being back home to spend a few hours trying to sleep on the floor at O’hare after a cancelled flight.
August 12, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Having grown up in the Midwest, it almost feels like being back home to spend a few hours trying to sleep on the floor at O’hare after a cancelled flight.
Ok so now I’m wondering what it means that SSRN is liking a GIF like this…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
August 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Ok so now I’m wondering what it means that SSRN is liking a GIF like this…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The singularity is (still) near…
just have to turn the rest of the country into data centers and by 2045 we’ll be able to upload ourselves and become the borg
just have to turn the rest of the country into data centers and by 2045 we’ll be able to upload ourselves and become the borg
August 5, 2025 at 1:48 PM
The singularity is (still) near…
just have to turn the rest of the country into data centers and by 2045 we’ll be able to upload ourselves and become the borg
just have to turn the rest of the country into data centers and by 2045 we’ll be able to upload ourselves and become the borg
King’s College.
Call it like it is (again).
Ashamed if not surprised to see my dear Alma Mater lead the way toward autocracy, rather than fighting the good fight.
Call it like it is (again).
Ashamed if not surprised to see my dear Alma Mater lead the way toward autocracy, rather than fighting the good fight.
July 24, 2025 at 12:54 AM
King’s College.
Call it like it is (again).
Ashamed if not surprised to see my dear Alma Mater lead the way toward autocracy, rather than fighting the good fight.
Call it like it is (again).
Ashamed if not surprised to see my dear Alma Mater lead the way toward autocracy, rather than fighting the good fight.
FWIW the guy putting up the umbrella reminds me of the classic Iwo Jima photo
July 24, 2025 at 12:32 AM
FWIW the guy putting up the umbrella reminds me of the classic Iwo Jima photo
Can report that the northern border is as secure as ever. Not even a stray orange can slip through on the always-already delayed Amtrak train.
July 11, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Can report that the northern border is as secure as ever. Not even a stray orange can slip through on the always-already delayed Amtrak train.
In the end, the Court recognized the obvious cost to the children and the nation of such discrimination:
“whatever savings might be achieved by denying these children an education, they are wholly insubstantial in light of the costs involved to these children, the State, and the Nation.”
“whatever savings might be achieved by denying these children an education, they are wholly insubstantial in light of the costs involved to these children, the State, and the Nation.”
July 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
In the end, the Court recognized the obvious cost to the children and the nation of such discrimination:
“whatever savings might be achieved by denying these children an education, they are wholly insubstantial in light of the costs involved to these children, the State, and the Nation.”
“whatever savings might be achieved by denying these children an education, they are wholly insubstantial in light of the costs involved to these children, the State, and the Nation.”
The Court wondered why TX would create a “subclass”:
“It is difficult to understand precisely what the State hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare, and crime.”
“It is difficult to understand precisely what the State hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare, and crime.”
July 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The Court wondered why TX would create a “subclass”:
“It is difficult to understand precisely what the State hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare, and crime.”
“It is difficult to understand precisely what the State hopes to achieve by promoting the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare, and crime.”
Again, the Court said this is not something Congress had authorized:
“We are reluctant to impute to Congress the intention to withhold from these children, for so long as they are present in this country through no fault of their own, access to a basic education.”
“We are reluctant to impute to Congress the intention to withhold from these children, for so long as they are present in this country through no fault of their own, access to a basic education.”
July 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Again, the Court said this is not something Congress had authorized:
“We are reluctant to impute to Congress the intention to withhold from these children, for so long as they are present in this country through no fault of their own, access to a basic education.”
“We are reluctant to impute to Congress the intention to withhold from these children, for so long as they are present in this country through no fault of their own, access to a basic education.”