Thomas Frampton
@tframpton
Law prof at GW Law, sometimes lawyer, full-time Ruth wrangler. Speaking as private citizen, outside official job duties, on matters of political/social/other concern. Stuff I write:
Justice Alito, before and after reading Foner. (I know he's trolling. But still, I'd really love for these two authors to have a conversation with one another.)
Rewatching X-Files Season 1. The first 7 episodes (from 1993) are: alien abduction; UFOs; immortal serial killer, alien abduction; NJ cryptids; a ghost that electrocutes people, and... ... DoD trying to seize a civilian AI computer system after it learns to hack and kills two people. 👀
Whatever Janeese Lewis George has to do to make this happen, I support.
The other absolutely bonkers (& probably bigger) thing here is the revelation that there was some kind of coup inside LASC several years ago, in which "administrative responsibilities and internal governance of the Court" was stripped from the Chief Justice (but he retained "ceremonial duties").
Super normal stuff: Citing "extraordinary" misconduct, the other six members of the Louisiana Supreme Court have forced the Chief Justice to recuse himself from a case (after he refused to do so on his own).
I like the NYT data visualization stuff, but this is an insane way to depict a deadly and lopsided war of aggression. (A $3.1M tomahawk striking a school that kills 110+ schoolgirls should not look the same as a $35,000 Shahed drone falling into the desert outside a U.S. military installation.)
My new office is in Stuart Hall and I chuckle to myself every time I see this.
Law profs doing bad things for democracy have gotten (and should get) attention recently. But a brief shout-out to Prof. @jackchin.bsky.social: He wrote a law review article flagging this issue 20 years ago; some brilliant attorneys eventually read it and litigated it . . . and won.
Wild stuff from the Louisiana Supreme Court, which has now (5-2) issued a "stay" of the proceedings against AG Murrill. I can't think of a time when they have ever done something like this in a criminal case; Justice Guidry not pulling punches in dissent. Opinions: www.lasc.org/actions?p=20...
Gov. Landry's said he'll pardon AG Murrill "as fast as the law allows." But unlike Trump (who can pardon for federal offenses without charge/conviction), the Governor can only pardon "those convicted" of state crimes (per the La. Const. and statutes). So no obvious shortcut for AG Murrill here.
I realize some important things are happening in DC, but this insanity in Louisiana should be added to the “undoing Reconstruction” file…
Personal update: I'm thrilled to be joining the GW Law faculty with @yoyokellyo.bsky.social! On top of an already stellar crim law faculty, GW recently hired @profferguson.bsky.social and @manekasinha.bsky.social, too, so it's kinda the hip new place to be. Exciting things happening at GW! 🟦🟨
Like, what is this paragraph doing in the opinion? Alluding to the contributions of Haitians to the United States serves one, and only one, purpose: to make the Court's opinion read SLIGHTLY less racist. Can you imagine Trump or Noem reading this paragraph aloud? Of course not. That's telling.
The inability or unwillingness of the Supreme Court to recognize that overtly racist government conduct is, in fact, "motivated by race" never ceases to amaze me. Not in the sense that the result is surprising; it just seems like they're putting in less and less work to justify the result.
This is, I think, very illegal. There's a federal law (almost entirely ignored) called the Priorities Act, which requires that two types of cases get preferential treatment in federal district courts: (1) cases where a recalcitrant witness is locked up; (2) habeas cases. It might as well not exist.
And here's the DOD's briefing before Judge Cobb (Case 1:25-cv-03005-JMC, ECF No. 35-1)
Question for folks who know 18 USC 1001 better than I do: Apart from violating the Judicial-Conduct Rules, wouldn't this be a felony? I know there's a "judicial proceeding" exception (18 USC 1001(b)), but this isn't like lying to Chief Judge Pryor at oral argument in a case.
What a shameful response from the 11th Circuit. When students ask for clerkship recommendations for district courts in FL, AL, MS, should we just assume this is what they'll find? (Or, if not "normal," sufficiently close-to-normal that a "private reprimand" is the response?)
This chart shows every Louisiana seat in the House of Representatives since the Civil War, by race, for each Congress. (The two red lines are the end of Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Act of 1965.) Something to keep in mind when reading about racial gerrymanders. cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_ful...
David Bernstein is always where I go for astute First Amendment analysis.