Deborah Pearlstein
Director, Program on Law & Public Policy, Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs. Charles & Marie Robertson Visiting Professor of Law & Public Affairs. Still teaching Con law, still aiming to get out of the new social media market.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinIf you want to FINALLY watch Scott Bessent get pinned down on specifics about the illegal money laundering operation being conducted by the Trump admin from someone who knows WTF he’s talking about, this clip is your chance. Bessent gets destroyed.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinBrad Karp to step down as Paul Weiss chair after Epstein revelations ft.trib.al/H1vYT7B
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinIf you want to read the transcript of the February 3 hearing where Julie Le had her "this job sucks" meltdown, now you can: drive.google.com/file/d/1FnY2...
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinNEW: Over 55% of presidentially appointed inspectors general positions are vacant in the offices charged with preventing waste, fraud and abuse. Trump has gutted and undermined independent oversight at the very time it is needed most.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinA Justice Department review found that Ed Martin improperly handled grand jury materials that were part of an investigation targeting Donald Trump's political enemies, at least two sources familiar with the review told CNN. cnn.it/4auafXQ
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- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinA staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinAgain, this is FALSE. Administrative warrants are NOT signed by an immigration judge (or any judge at all). They are generated and signed by ICE officers themselves with no external oversight whatsoever. Here is a blank sample warrant. Note who signs off on it; an "immigration officer."
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- It seems increasingly clear the rampant noncompliance with court habeas orders happening in immigration cases now is not a problem of attorney ethics. It’s a symptom of structural, institutional collapse at the department of justice.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinI was a White House ethics lawyer. I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules. I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
- Um, this one happened because some well-resourced litigators (likely working pro bono) sued in federal court and an exceedingly well qualified judge ordered relief. Collective action is one tool. Litigation is another. We need them all. And to be clear-eyed about which is effective when.
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- Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein"President Trump has backtracked on a major point in negotiations with Harvard, dropping his administration’s demand for a $200 million payment to the government in hopes of finally resolving the administration’s conflicts with the university, according to four people briefed on the matter."
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- Um didn’t the administration just file criminal charges against a bunch of folks on the grounds that disrupting worship was a violation of First Amendment freedom of religion?
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinBreaking: Eight more prosecutors are leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, including Ana Voss, the current civil division chief, the Star Tribune reports. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
- Turns out dealmaking doesn't deter Trump attacks on law firms after all. Friday, FTC sent warning letters to 42 firms (incl Paul Weiss) of potential antitrust liability for participating in a popular program (based on NFL's Rooney rule) that encourages consideration of diverse candidates in hiring.
- It me.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinThe group bike ride for Alex Pretti is about to depart in Minneapolis, stopping at his memorial, then Renee Good’s, and finishing at the VFW. If you can join, hop on anywhere. It’s a warm 17° & sunny! I’ve never seen this many cyclists for a group ride. ⚡️✊🏽⚡️🚲⚡️✊🏽⚡️ #RIPPretti
- Barn burner of an opinion with this one, quoting the Decl'n of Independence (among other things), but unhelpfully short on explaining, say, which legal claim does the work here. Still "With a finger in the constitutional dike, it is so ordered."
- Obvi don't love the outcome, but it's a thoughtful opinion reflecting how hard DCts work to apply the law as it stands. Pltfs raise a novel claim that would extend SCt's existing 10A doctrine. At prelim injunction stage, judge can't quite call it "likely" to succeed, the legal std that applies.
- BREAKING: Judge Katherine Menendez denies Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul’s request for a TRO or preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge on Tenth Amendment grounds. Background at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com/p/challengin...
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinSteve Levitsky, the co-author of How Democracies Die, on the dangerous place we have reached as Trump escalates: “Orbán doesn’t arrest journalists,” he said. “And in Hungary if you walk the streets of Budapest or other Hungarian cities, you will not find heavily armed masked men abducting people."
- What court packing looks like.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinPortland, Maine www.pressherald.com/2026/01/30/l...
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinIt's near-white out conditions in Chicago as the snow comes down, and tonight's anti-ICE/CBP rally is wrapping up in front of city hall. But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinThousands of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis in protest of federal immigration enforcement for the second consecutive Friday. 📷️: Aaron Lavinsky
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- Honored to join Judge Scheindlin to talk about how attacks on lawyers & firms have produced a sustained unwillingness among many firms to take cases challenging government actions. Especially as election year litigation heats up, professional independence has never been more important.
- A start. How about neither ICE nor C.B.P. shall be allowed within 500 yards of any polling place, upon penalty of (take your pick) immediate revocation of federal employment?
- Huh, wonder if maybe part of the reason ICE wasn't following "protocol" was because you (falsely) told them "you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties." www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nNB...
- I don't even know where to start with the illegal...The Executive does not have the constitutional power to raise revenue. The Executive does not have the constitutional power to make decisions about expenditures. The Executive does not have the power to privatize the functions of the US Treasury...
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- The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations Art. 31 bars US authorities from entering w/o consular consent. Know why this rule has worked so well here for so long? B/c we have forever understood that violating it here immediately weakens our own claim to inviolability for our consulates worldwide.
- In videos posted on social media, one employee can be heard saying: “This is the Ecuadorian consulate. You’re not allowed to enter.” The agent responds, “If you touch me, I’ll grab you.” www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
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- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinBREAKING: Two Republican senators, Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, call for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinBREAKING: The petitioner ("T.R." or Juan Tobay Robles) whose non-release prompted Chief Judge Schilitz to threaten ICE director Todd Lyons with contempt has now been RELEASED, according to what the civil chief of the US Atty's office has told his atty and his atty has relayed to me.
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- And further breathing life into the once unlikely case Minnesota brought that this is indeed federal commandeering of sovereign state functions, unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment.…
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinWhat is going on w/Bondi's DOJ & Pirro's US Attny's Office? They are repeatedly missing court deadlines in new lawsuits against USG & facing possible default. I had two w/i last few days. Admin has gutted these offices. I feel for lawyers still there. Workload is unmanageable.
- This is at least the 2d DOJ lawyer threatened w/ethics sanctions TODAY. Partly this may be the deeply unqualified pool of young hires on front line post-DOJ purge/resignations. Part I fear is an ethics deterrent that remains too weak. It may take seeing DOJ response to actual contempt order to know.
- Judge Roy Dalton in Florida is threatening to sanction U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe for a "woeful, wholesale failure to point to scores of contrary persuasive cases" holding Trump's policy of denying bond hearings to detained migrants is unlawful. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
- GWBush conservative Judge Schiltz (D.Minn) extraordinarily orders ICE Dir. Lyons to personally defend himself in court unless ICE promptly releases unlawfully detained migrant. Schiltz: "The court's patience is at an end.... [T]he extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary.”
- 🧵Looks like we're at 10 Republican Senators who've called for an investigation, I'd missed Cruz (R-TX), Moran (R-KS) (noted in today's NYT) along w/ Sens. Paul (R-KY), Young (R-IN), Curtis (R-UT), Ricketts (R-NE), Tillis (R-NC), Cassidy (R-LA), Murkowski (R-AK), Collins (R-ME).
- 🧵 With addition today of Sen. Homeland Security Chair Rand Paul (R-KY), I count now 8 Senate Republicans calling for hearing/investigation into Minnesota killing, incl Sens. Young (R-IN), Curtis (R-UT), Ricketts (R-NE), Tillis (R-NC), Cassidy (R-LA), Murkowski (R-AK), Collins (R-ME).
- The air temperature in Minneapolis is currently 15 degrees.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinThe biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.” That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
- Removing these individuals is well and good, but not nearly as consequential as actual legislation to restrict/cut off funds or authority for ICE/CPB to operate as lawlessly as they have been. Don't take the pressure off Congress, Congress, Congress.
- BREAKING: The Border Patrol's Greg Bovino has been ousted from his role of "Commander at Large"—and Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski could be next to lose their jobs, sources tell @nickmiroff.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
- Well this is a change in tone, to put it mildly...
- Reposted by Deborah Pearlstein"DHS has suspended Gregory Bovino’s access to his social media accounts effective immediately," CNN reports
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- DOJ backing down on Don Lemon arrest warrant as well…
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinRand Paul summons Trump immigration officials to testify after Minneapolis shooting
- Wow.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinThe people of Minnesota have executed one of the most impressive civil resistance campaigns I can remember: - Organized a city wide general strike - Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence - Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE - Flipped public opinion against ICE
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- The lawyer arguing in federal court today on behalf of the US that ICE should be able to continue its operations in Minnesota joined DOJ 3 months ago, graduated law school in 2022, and has no experience in law practice other than his clerkships.
- Where we are.
- MN has always had an uphill fight on this novel 10A argument, but Bondi really did just hand MN the best argmt I've seen about how admin behavior could be "commandeering" in the narrow const'l sense: forcing a state to perform a policy the state doesn't want to (& isn't legally req'd) to take.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinMinnesota National Guard members have arrived at a federal building and were directed to distribute donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters. Guard members were issued reflective vests so they would not be mistaken for federal agents.
- Just counting House/Senate Repubs now calling for hearing/investigation, I've got: Reps. McCaul (R-TX), Garbarino (R-NY), Baumgartner (R-Wa) & Sens. Murkowski (R-AK), Tillis (R-NC), Cassidy (R-LA). Any I've missed? A paltry few but nonetheless a crack in the door...
- Chicago.
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- See how they did that? Not “appears” to contradict. Not “seems” to contradict. Just does. It. Is. OK. To. Just. Report. Facts.
- Bravo, Wall Street Journal Videos Contradict U.S. Account of Minneapolis Shooting by Federal Agents "See how immigration officers escalated a fatal confrontation Saturday" Gift link: www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
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- Another of the many remarkable videos circulating of undaunted courage despite the second shooting.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinSTATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (NBPA) AND ITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE FATAL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS BY ICE
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinGOP Governor of Oklahoma "What we're seeing on TV, it's causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability…We believe in federalism and state rights, and nobody likes feds coming into their state...Is it to deport every single non- U.S. citizen? I don't think that's what Americans want.”
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- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinMinneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinMinnesota's state FBI-like bureau is suing Noem. It says before pre-emptively declaring the killing righteous and abandoning the crime scene, feds took exclusive custody of evidence, including "apparently seized cellphones." MN asserts a sovereign right to investigate crimes within its borders.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinBeyond helping establish DHS itself in 2003, Mr. Mitnick was a senate-confirmed Trump choice for General Counsel for DHS in his first term. I've talked with him a few times, and he's not a man for hyperbole. So bear that in mind when you see him calling out DHS's "lawlessness, fascism, and cruelty."
- Interesting. "The Minn. Gun Owners Caucus released a stmt saying it was 'deeply concerned' by the shooting & calling for an investigation...'Every peaceable Minnesotan has the right to keep & bear arms-including while attending protests, acting as observers, or exercising their 1st Amend rights...'"
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- For those unfamiliar with @bellingcat.com, it has been a pioneer in sophisticated OSINT (open source intelligence) reporting, playing an indispensable role in tracking war crimes & other developments in conflict zones around the world. Now, in Minneapolis, MN.
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinOur initial analysis is up. The video footage appears to show that the gun was taken away from the man before he was shot. He was UNARMED before any of the shots were fired.
- Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
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- An ICU nurse.
- An excellent time to re-up this one. If ever there were a test case for state prosecution of a federal official tho, this is it.
- Rachel Sayre is the city's Emergency Mgmt Dept coordinator. Among her prior positions, Sayre was US Govt's incident commander during the 2023 humanitarian crises in Haiti & Deputy Incident Commander for Ukraine in 2022. lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/Fil...
- Minneapolis Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has opened a secure portal for people to submit video from the scene of the shooting on Saturday morning. hennepinprosecutor.evidence.com/axon/communi...
- Reposted by Deborah PearlsteinThe StarTribune live blog is paywall free: - The man shot by federal agents this morning has died - Several witnesses have already been transported to the Whipple building. - ICE attempted to order local police from the scene, but O’Hara refused, sources said. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
