Political scientist @EmoryUniversity studying law & courts, policing, measurement, separation of powers. Father, husband, age-group triathlete. Jersey by birth.
Sep 22, 2020 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
Very soon, @realDonaldTrump is going to announce a pick for #SCOTUS. Journalists will jump al over it and start using social science data to make claims about how conservative the justice is compared to others. Here are some predictions. 1/8
First, people will rely on measures of the nominee’s conservatism that are about the president who last appointed the nominee to the Court of Appeals (I’m assuming it will be a current CoA judge), rather than measures of things the judge has done or said herself. 2/8
Sep 11, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
The 11th Circuit has ruled that, despite Floridians’ amendment of their constitution to allow felons to vote after serving their sentence, that the GOP governor can prevent them from voting by imposing a poll tax.
The issue is whether the state can require ex-felons to pay all of their fines and court fees before registering to vote. That clearly conflicts with the spirit of Amendment 4 and is without a doubt a poll tax.
May 28, 2020 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
So, I think the whole Trump executive order thing is really just another example of Trump not understanding the structure of government, the role/powers of the executive, and the kind of chaotic, blustering, attention-shifting strategy he often uses. But... 1/N
Doesn't it seem that there is a really glaring set of consequences to Trump that would follow if the account from @nytimes about his intended order is accurate? nytimes.com/2020/05/28/us/… In particular, he wants to remove protections online platforms have against liability. 2/N
Feb 14, 2020 • 9 tweets • 5 min read
Here's the thing. Judicial nominations are inherently political activities. So, this is not surprising. What should be upsetting, though, is the willingness of people like @senatemajldr to blatantly claim to establish precedents he plans to violate himself if they ever bind. 1/n
@senatemajldr Norms of political cooperation aren't necessary for government to work. But, in our country, some institutions have been more norm-driven than others, and the system has come to depend on faithful adherence to precedent in many settings. 2/n
Jan 27, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Today, I had to call @Apple to advise them of a billing error they made. They apologized but explained they could not credit my account until I confirmed the last four digits of my phone number from 2007. 1/n@Apple When I told them I didn't know it, they told me the last 2 and asked me to complete the 4-digit number. I still couldn't remember. They insisted there was nothing that could be done. In order to protect my security, I had to know the full 4-digit number. 2/n
Sep 26, 2019 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
I just flew from Atlanta to Austin on a @Delta flight. Which meant I was surrounded by people watching #FauxNews. A couple of observations: 1/n
First, that propaganda channel is referring to whistleblowing as “leaks”. Isn’t it important that whistleblowing is a formal government procedure? I guess not if your goal is to misinform voters. 2/n
Aug 8, 2019 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
You want evidence the @GOP is weak. 90% of their voters support expanding background checks. But only 2/53 GOP Senators do. And, the @NRA tells @realDonaldTrump that supporters won't back background checks. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…@GOP@NRA@realDonaldTrump You're thinking, well, maybe the NRA voters don't like background checks. False. 70-80% of them do. politifact.com/ohio/statement… You know who doesn't like them? gun manufacturers. That's right, our democracy's ability to protect lives is limited by gun manufacturers.
Aug 5, 2019 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Last night, after the El Paso shooting, but before the Dayton shooting, I had people to my house for dinner. Among them were a married couple who came from other countries. One from a developed nation and one from a developing nation. 1/8
We discussed what had happened in El Paso, and they explained how hard it was for them to comprehend why the US tolerates this kind of insanity. I realized, in talking to them that, I struggle to as well. It’s not because I haven’t lived here my whole life. 2/8
Jul 16, 2019 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
One of the (vanishingly few) benefits of living in a red state is that you can call #GOP officials and demand answers to questions. I called my US Senators today to seek clarification on whether they will criticize @realDonaldTrump's #racism. Here's what I got. 1/n
First, @SenatorIsakson's office claims he has issued a statement condemning the tweets. If course, I cannot find that statement anywhere on the internet. So, at the very least, it's a low-profile effort to stand up to racism. And, it of course also blames the Dems for racism. 2/n
Oct 1, 2018 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
I fly 80,000 miles each year with @Delta. My flight yesterday was canceled. Then I got rebooked on a flight today, with ok seats. Then, without asking me, they rebooked me on another flight with a special middle seat. The original went out with open seats. WTF???
Then, you get this kind of equipment.
Aug 23, 2018 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
The political world has gotten too complicated to follow breaking news. So, here's a quick summary of things we learned today:1/n
1. Nat'l Enquirer CEO granted immunity to info on Cohen 2/n abcnews.go.com/Politics/david…
Jun 23, 2018 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
If the GOP wants to argue private businesses have First Amendment rights and do not have to serve people they find immoral, then they have to accept that Americans will refuse to feed those they believe to be facilitating immoral atrocities.
If a corporation like Hobby Lobby has a “religious” conviction against providing birth control to its employees then it is reasonable to expect most restaurants could have a religious objection to supporting many things Sanders helps facilitate.
