Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
@profciara.bsky.social
Law professor & book author of Corporatocracy, Political Brands & Corporate Citizen; Brennan Center fellow; board of CREW; campaign finance expert. Podcaster of Democracy & Destiny. I’m a lawyer not your lawyer. https://soundcloud.com/profciara #beans
Pinned
👋Hello, to my new followers!
So glad we’re all here together. I’m a law professor who works on the intersection of corporate law and election law. I write about corruption. If you have a podcast I’d love to talk about my new book 📖 Corporatocracy. 🥰https://nyupress.org/9781479828326/corporatocracy/
So glad we’re all here together. I’m a law professor who works on the intersection of corporate law and election law. I write about corruption. If you have a podcast I’d love to talk about my new book 📖 Corporatocracy. 🥰https://nyupress.org/9781479828326/corporatocracy/
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
uh why is bookshop recommending noam chomsky in its holiday gift email list
has nobody in their marketing dept read the news lately
has nobody in their marketing dept read the news lately
November 24, 2025 at 2:51 AM
uh why is bookshop recommending noam chomsky in its holiday gift email list
has nobody in their marketing dept read the news lately
has nobody in their marketing dept read the news lately
The judge says she is following Appointments Clause precedent by dismissing without prejudice. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... ⚖️
November 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The judge says she is following Appointments Clause precedent by dismissing without prejudice. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... ⚖️
"The power to appoint an interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546 during the current vacancy lies with the district court until a U.S. Attorney is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate under 28 U.S.C. § 541." FIN #comey #halligan
November 24, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"I will invalidate the ultra vires acts performed by Ms. Halligan and dismiss the indictment without prejudice, returning Mr. Comey to the status he occupied before being indicted." (This is where the judge explains that she is dismissing without prejudice.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
"I will invalidate the ultra vires acts performed by Ms. Halligan and dismiss the indictment without prejudice, returning Mr. Comey to the status he occupied before being indicted." (This is where the judge explains that she is dismissing without prejudice.) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"the Government relies on the AG's Oct. 31 Order, which purported to retroactively appoint Ms. Halligan...'Special Attorney,' effective September 22, 2025... the Government has identified no authority allowing the Attorney General to reach back in time and rewrite the terms of a past appointment."
"I conclude that all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
"Ms. Halligan’s unlawful appointment renders all her purported official actions void ab initio. He therefore argues the case must be dismissed because Ms. Halligan was not lawfully exercising executive power when she appeared before the grand jury alone and obtained his indictment. I agree."
November 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
"the Government relies on the AG's Oct. 31 Order, which purported to retroactively appoint Ms. Halligan...'Special Attorney,' effective September 22, 2025... the Government has identified no authority allowing the Attorney General to reach back in time and rewrite the terms of a past appointment."
"I conclude that all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
"Ms. Halligan’s unlawful appointment renders all her purported official actions void ab initio. He therefore argues the case must be dismissed because Ms. Halligan was not lawfully exercising executive power when she appeared before the grand jury alone and obtained his indictment. I agree."
"Because Ms. Halligan was appointed in violation of that scheme, her appointment was not authorized 'by Law' and thus also violates the Appointments Clause." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 24, 2025 at 6:51 PM
"I conclude that all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside. There is simply 'no alternative
course to cure the unconstitutional problem.'"
"Ms. Halligan’s unlawful appointment renders all her purported official actions void ab initio. He therefore argues the case must be dismissed because Ms. Halligan was not lawfully exercising executive power when she appeared before the grand jury alone and obtained his indictment. I agree."
"Because Ms. Halligan was appointed in violation of that scheme, her appointment was not authorized 'by Law' and thus also violates the Appointments Clause." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"Ms. Halligan’s unlawful appointment renders all her purported official actions void ab initio. He therefore argues the case must be dismissed because Ms. Halligan was not lawfully exercising executive power when she appeared before the grand jury alone and obtained his indictment. I agree."
"Because Ms. Halligan was appointed in violation of that scheme, her appointment was not authorized 'by Law' and thus also violates the Appointments Clause." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:46 PM
"Because Ms. Halligan was appointed in violation of that scheme, her appointment was not authorized 'by Law' and thus also violates the Appointments Clause." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
BREAKING: Comey case dismissed without prejudice. Halligan invalidly appointed, judge rules. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 24, 2025 at 5:56 PM
✅⚖️ #Comey #Halligan (I'm just disappointed they didn't litigate this case further to get judges to rule on every other problem in this case including flaws under the 4th and 5th Amendments.)
BREAKING: A federal judge has thrown out the criminal indictment of James Comey, ruling that Trump-installed prosecutor Lindsey Halligan was illegally appointed and had no lawful authority to bring the case. The court found her actions violated federal law and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.
November 24, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
The number of ways this is disgraceful behavior from the Secretary of Defense is...a lot.
Service members do have a duty to refuse illegal orders
All Americans have a 1st Amendment right to say that out loud.
Service members do have a duty to refuse illegal orders
All Americans have a 1st Amendment right to say that out loud.
Hegseth is now threatening to recall Sen. Mark Kelly to active duty in order to court martial him.
November 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
The number of ways this is disgraceful behavior from the Secretary of Defense is...a lot.
Service members do have a duty to refuse illegal orders
All Americans have a 1st Amendment right to say that out loud.
Service members do have a duty to refuse illegal orders
All Americans have a 1st Amendment right to say that out loud.
🎯
Seeing how much of the right-wing on Twitter is just bot farms, kinda lays bare how much hate and hatred is a project that needs to be constantly maintained, a fire that needs to be fed all the time lest it go out for a moment, so much time, effort, and resources to keep people angry and hateful.
November 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
🎯
👀⚖️📰
JUST IN: #SCOTUS denies review in Ateba v. Leavitt, journalist challenging denial of White House press pass based on failure to obtain Congressional one. DC Circuit found no First Amendment violation www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov
November 24, 2025 at 4:39 PM
👀⚖️📰
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Looking forward to reading this new research. We need scholarship that continues to expose the disastrous effects of the Roberts’ Court’s assault on the Voting Rights Act.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
November 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Looking forward to reading this new research. We need scholarship that continues to expose the disastrous effects of the Roberts’ Court’s assault on the Voting Rights Act.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Or Chinese
－二三四五六七八九十
－二三四五六七八九十
November 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Or Chinese
－二三四五六七八九十
－二三四五六七八九十
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Detail, work in progress. #workinprogress #wip #oiloncanvas #oilpainting #portrait #christophersousa
November 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Detail, work in progress. #workinprogress #wip #oiloncanvas #oilpainting #portrait #christophersousa
Watch me count in Roman numbers:
I, II, III, IV, V, VI…
Watch me count in Arabic numbers:
Wait for it…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Arabic is better.
(I can also count in Mayan but that takes dots and bars which are difficult to replicate here.)
🔢
I, II, III, IV, V, VI…
Watch me count in Arabic numbers:
Wait for it…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Arabic is better.
(I can also count in Mayan but that takes dots and bars which are difficult to replicate here.)
🔢
"Second, the Mayor-elect hasn’t made any statements, written or verbalized, public or private, regarding Arabic numerals. Because it would be silly. You know why? We already use Arabic numerals every day. All of us."
Sigh... We Already Teach Arabic Numerals
Why are they like this?
charlotteclymer.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Watch me count in Roman numbers:
I, II, III, IV, V, VI…
Watch me count in Arabic numbers:
Wait for it…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Arabic is better.
(I can also count in Mayan but that takes dots and bars which are difficult to replicate here.)
🔢
I, II, III, IV, V, VI…
Watch me count in Arabic numbers:
Wait for it…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Arabic is better.
(I can also count in Mayan but that takes dots and bars which are difficult to replicate here.)
🔢
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
November 24, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
thinking about how my parents escaped vietnam, where the CIA destabilized my family's home country by spreading misinformation, and they landed in the united states, which is now getting destabilized bc someone in vietnam is spreading misinformation
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 23, 2025 at 5:59 PM
thinking about how my parents escaped vietnam, where the CIA destabilized my family's home country by spreading misinformation, and they landed in the united states, which is now getting destabilized bc someone in vietnam is spreading misinformation
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
On Facebook, you could sexually solicit minors 17 times before being kicked out... or you could just post a passage from Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, describing Zuckerberg's obsequious conduct with Xi Jinping, and then get kicked out instantly. www.thedailybeast.com/lawsuit-alle...
Court Filings Allege Meta ‘Lied To Congress’ About Harms To Kids
New court filings also allege it would take a whopping 17 strikes for solicitation before an account was deleted.
www.thedailybeast.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
On Facebook, you could sexually solicit minors 17 times before being kicked out... or you could just post a passage from Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, describing Zuckerberg's obsequious conduct with Xi Jinping, and then get kicked out instantly. www.thedailybeast.com/lawsuit-alle...
That’s a very fetching outfit. #dogsky
We went deep into the woods today and found this primitive shelter. I was wary of the smells in the area and decided investigating the inside was too dangerous because, what if there's a bear in there?
#Spike #Sunday #ScaredOfBears #Dogsofbluesky
#Spike #Sunday #ScaredOfBears #Dogsofbluesky
November 24, 2025 at 1:44 AM
That’s a very fetching outfit. #dogsky
Reposted by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
