Adam Davidson
@sonofdavid.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at UChicago Law. Posts are 90% random/10% things I actually know about. Views, for better or worse, are my own.
Things I wrote/am writing: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=4329951
Background art by Oscar Joyo
Things I wrote/am writing: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=4329951
Background art by Oscar Joyo
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Adam Davidson
One lesson of the Sandwich Guy Case is now more than ever when you are called to jury duty you should go
November 7, 2025 at 12:49 AM
One lesson of the Sandwich Guy Case is now more than ever when you are called to jury duty you should go
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Law Profs teaching First Amendment: I have put together a FREE, recently updated, and easy to use casebook for use in free speech classes. If you are interested in using such a casebook, send me an email or DM and I would be happy to share!
November 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Law Profs teaching First Amendment: I have put together a FREE, recently updated, and easy to use casebook for use in free speech classes. If you are interested in using such a casebook, send me an email or DM and I would be happy to share!
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Attention has (justly) gone to the abuses in Chicago but the assaults in Los Angeles never ended. The military left but they were guarding building. DHS paramilitaries remain active in L.A. it's bad.
Don’t think ppl understand the terror the Feds are unleashing on the streets of LA right now. Roving patrols targeting vulnerable individuals. It’s horrible.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
There’s no one coming to save us except ourselves.
The past week+ has been really intense in Los Angeles. We need all of the help, support, & attention we can get. Feds are literally roving the streets snatch & grabbing vulnerable individuals. It's horrific. We need to do more.
November 6, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Attention has (justly) gone to the abuses in Chicago but the assaults in Los Angeles never ended. The military left but they were guarding building. DHS paramilitaries remain active in L.A. it's bad.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
We just filed our PI brief in this one detailing how these stops are illegal, in part, because DHS won’t accept that REAL IDs are real.
ICE rejected one woman’s ID and put her in shackles because “the Biden Administration made a lot of mistakes.”
ij.org/press-releas...
ICE rejected one woman’s ID and put her in shackles because “the Biden Administration made a lot of mistakes.”
ij.org/press-releas...
October 28, 2025 at 6:17 PM
We just filed our PI brief in this one detailing how these stops are illegal, in part, because DHS won’t accept that REAL IDs are real.
ICE rejected one woman’s ID and put her in shackles because “the Biden Administration made a lot of mistakes.”
ij.org/press-releas...
ICE rejected one woman’s ID and put her in shackles because “the Biden Administration made a lot of mistakes.”
ij.org/press-releas...
Whatever you’re imagining Brian’s favorite part to be, you’re not dreaming big enough.
Treat yourself to this incredible photo essay/interview series with Cybertruck owners from @zoeschiffer.bsky.social. Will put my favorite part in a reply below because it is a SPOILER.
Spit On, Sworn At, and Undeterred: What It’s Like to Own a Cybertruck
“We were the targets.” WIRED spoke to seven Tesla Cybertruck owners about their most controversial purchase and why they're proud to drive it.
www.wired.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Whatever you’re imagining Brian’s favorite part to be, you’re not dreaming big enough.
I wrote about this in The Society Cases. If SCOTUS wants to walk away from the ledge, the groundwork is there. Barrett’s concurrence sets the stage for Trump v. US being considerably narrowed. And as I write, SCOTUS has a history, including in this case, of not giving presidents complete wins.
Hear me out: we need to create space for the conservatives on the Supreme Court to realize that Trump v. US was a huge mistake and to take steps to rein it in
Creating this permission structure would have to be a serious enterprise among legal elites for it to work
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Creating this permission structure would have to be a serious enterprise among legal elites for it to work
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups
The effort would install a Trump ally at the IRS’s criminal unit who has drawn up a list of investigative targets.
www.wsj.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:29 PM
I wrote about this in The Society Cases. If SCOTUS wants to walk away from the ledge, the groundwork is there. Barrett’s concurrence sets the stage for Trump v. US being considerably narrowed. And as I write, SCOTUS has a history, including in this case, of not giving presidents complete wins.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
So many people of color who ever attended a majority white college or university or high school could tell you tales about their racist peers or instructors.
It is something we are/have been expected to endure.
It is something we are/have been expected to endure.
Like it is totally tragic that they don't care what white liberals think of them anymore and that the balance of power is such that they are able to do even more of this shit consequence-free but they were always calling us monkeys and hanging nooses at school and getting away with it. that matters.
October 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM
So many people of color who ever attended a majority white college or university or high school could tell you tales about their racist peers or instructors.
It is something we are/have been expected to endure.
It is something we are/have been expected to endure.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
I hate profiles of conservatives who are worried that their country is changing and would welcome profiles of liberals and leftists who are afraid of same thing from the opposite direction and treated their concerns the same kind of reflexive deference
October 12, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I hate profiles of conservatives who are worried that their country is changing and would welcome profiles of liberals and leftists who are afraid of same thing from the opposite direction and treated their concerns the same kind of reflexive deference
Reposted by Adam Davidson
U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."
"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."
"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."
#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.
U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.
U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.
Perry: "I'm going to issue an oral ruling."
October 9, 2025 at 9:48 PM
U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."
"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."
"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."
Reposted by Adam Davidson
I might end up talking about this graph all day.
I think one thing Dems need to realize is that "Americans" are not buying into the "cities on fire" lies of this admin.
It's JUST Republicans. So if you're a governor of a solidly blue state, or a blue-city mayor, the national story is NOT YOURS.
I think one thing Dems need to realize is that "Americans" are not buying into the "cities on fire" lies of this admin.
It's JUST Republicans. So if you're a governor of a solidly blue state, or a blue-city mayor, the national story is NOT YOURS.
October 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I might end up talking about this graph all day.
I think one thing Dems need to realize is that "Americans" are not buying into the "cities on fire" lies of this admin.
It's JUST Republicans. So if you're a governor of a solidly blue state, or a blue-city mayor, the national story is NOT YOURS.
I think one thing Dems need to realize is that "Americans" are not buying into the "cities on fire" lies of this admin.
It's JUST Republicans. So if you're a governor of a solidly blue state, or a blue-city mayor, the national story is NOT YOURS.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
ICE admits that up to 50% of arrests in its Chicago raids are "collateral.” These aren't statistics. They are parents taken from their children, neighbors taken from our communities. When does a "collateral" U.S. citizen child's trauma matter? This isn't law enforcement; it's a campaign of terror.
October 5, 2025 at 1:58 PM
ICE admits that up to 50% of arrests in its Chicago raids are "collateral.” These aren't statistics. They are parents taken from their children, neighbors taken from our communities. When does a "collateral" U.S. citizen child's trauma matter? This isn't law enforcement; it's a campaign of terror.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Crowd chanting, "lick them boots! Lick them boots!" at ISP.
October 3, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Crowd chanting, "lick them boots! Lick them boots!" at ISP.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
No.
Signed, a criminologist (for all intents and purposes)
Signed, a criminologist (for all intents and purposes)
As President Trump ramps up efforts to send federal officers and troops into cities, criminologists are watching closely. Are the feds doing this in a smart way?
National Guard presence may deter crime, but experts warn of the long-term costs
As President Trump ramps up efforts to send federal officers and troops into cities, criminologists are watching closely. Are the feds doing this in a smart way?
n.pr
October 3, 2025 at 4:44 AM
No.
Signed, a criminologist (for all intents and purposes)
Signed, a criminologist (for all intents and purposes)
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Reposted by Adam Davidson
If you are an immigrant, you learn the asymmetrical balance of power when it comes to mistakes.
You make a mistake - you pay for it. The bureaucracy makes mistakes - you might pay for that too.
This is getting worse. More administrative mistakes and zero tolerance for immigrant errors.
You make a mistake - you pay for it. The bureaucracy makes mistakes - you might pay for that too.
This is getting worse. More administrative mistakes and zero tolerance for immigrant errors.
I just received this statement from ICE re: Barbara Mariana Gomes Marques May in which they can't even be bothered to get her age right (she's 38.) She never received the notice to appear in 2019, and was at the final step of her green card process with her US citizen husband when she was taken.
October 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
If you are an immigrant, you learn the asymmetrical balance of power when it comes to mistakes.
You make a mistake - you pay for it. The bureaucracy makes mistakes - you might pay for that too.
This is getting worse. More administrative mistakes and zero tolerance for immigrant errors.
You make a mistake - you pay for it. The bureaucracy makes mistakes - you might pay for that too.
This is getting worse. More administrative mistakes and zero tolerance for immigrant errors.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
The President turning the military against Americans is a bigger story than the shutdown and media outlets should treat it accordingly.
September 30, 2025 at 7:19 PM
The President turning the military against Americans is a bigger story than the shutdown and media outlets should treat it accordingly.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Our little AAUP chapter went 2/2 vs. Trump!
Noem and Rubio…misused the sweeping powers of their offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their 1st Am protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizens…
Noem and Rubio…misused the sweeping powers of their offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their 1st Am protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizens…
Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com
Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Entered: 09/30/2025)
www.courtlistener.com
September 30, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Our little AAUP chapter went 2/2 vs. Trump!
Noem and Rubio…misused the sweeping powers of their offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their 1st Am protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizens…
Noem and Rubio…misused the sweeping powers of their offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their 1st Am protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizens…
Feels like the compromise position for the democrats voting to fund the government should be 1. the healthcare funding they’re asking for so we don’t devastate tens of millions of people for no reason 2. Laws for the things we thought we already had laws for like not sending the military to cities
If any other president in all of history said the military should use American cities as a training ground he would be removed from office that same day. The hardest thing to tolerate in all this is how relatively silent elected democrats are. It’s ridiculous.
September 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Feels like the compromise position for the democrats voting to fund the government should be 1. the healthcare funding they’re asking for so we don’t devastate tens of millions of people for no reason 2. Laws for the things we thought we already had laws for like not sending the military to cities
Reposted by Adam Davidson
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
September 30, 2025 at 2:43 PM
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
In five minutes of scrolling I saw the President declare war on the city I live in at a mandatory military rally, an interesting discussion among legal scholars and commentators about how to describe where we are on the descent into fascism, and someone call Adam Serwer a cat racist. Love this place
Look I like this place, the convos i have are mostly productive, there’s a lot of thoughtful posters, but like everyone once in a while someone will say something like accusing me of being racist against my darker furred cat
September 30, 2025 at 2:51 PM
In five minutes of scrolling I saw the President declare war on the city I live in at a mandatory military rally, an interesting discussion among legal scholars and commentators about how to describe where we are on the descent into fascism, and someone call Adam Serwer a cat racist. Love this place
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"
September 30, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"
Reposted by Adam Davidson
beyond heartbreaking
ICE snatched—and has since separated—a family who’ve lived in Chicago for three years and were visiting Millennium Park because the daughter had begged to go. Now the mother and child are being held in a windowless room at O'Hare while the dad is inside the notorious Broadview detention facility.
Mother, children detained by ICE at Millennium Park Sunday held at O’Hare with other families: ‘We never imagined’
The mother said she felt her family was targeted because of their appearance. “There were a lot more people there, but the agents came directly to us because of how we look,” she said.
www.chicagotribune.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:40 AM
beyond heartbreaking
Shout out to Paul Butler.
There is one tried and true way ordinary Americans can stop Trump’s political prosecutions: Jury Nullification. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Trump’s Politicized Prosecutions May Hit a Roadblock
When the president puts his political enemies on trial on pretextual grounds, jurors have the option of refusing to convict.
www.theatlantic.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Shout out to Paul Butler.
Reposted by Adam Davidson
Re: today's march in Chicago at 1 pm at 50 W Washington: I have seen some people posting complaints about this march that don't make sense, and I want to respond. First, some people complain that folks should take action in affected communities. They are. It's called rapid response. (Thread.)
September 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Re: today's march in Chicago at 1 pm at 50 W Washington: I have seen some people posting complaints about this march that don't make sense, and I want to respond. First, some people complain that folks should take action in affected communities. They are. It's called rapid response. (Thread.)