Kat Macfarlane

Loved talking to @rockymountainada.adata.org about my journey to teaching disability law, and how difficult it is to describe and talk about chronic pain (we covered a lot 😂).

In 'Show Don't Tell,' Curtis Sittenfeld even treats cringey characters with humanity A radiant contentment pervades Curtis Sittenfeld's stories in her latest collection, 'Show Don't Tell.'

It’s so good! The whole collection is great.

Did you read the story that follows up on the characters at a reunion years later? It’s soooooo good.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR) V. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: "America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions." More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington's vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take.? eSec Noem I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies. Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom-not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE. 6:52 PM - Dec 1, 2025 - 13.2M Views ' Letter from George Washington to Joshua Holmes (December 2, 1783). 2 Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl.) 1110 n.91. But see supra n.l.

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) "damn" countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti's TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, "killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies." They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer's disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) 1 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. 1 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. | 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. 9| 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. 9|5. They claim that Secretary Noem's decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary's decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI.

Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things— in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

BREAKING: Judge Ana Reyes, in DC, issues a stay of DHS Sec. Noem’s decision to end Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) designation, a decision that was to go into effect on Tuesday and could have ended legal status for up to 350,000 people overnight. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Excellent account

We finally know what happened to DOJ's (frivolous) misconduct complaint against Chief Judge Boasberg:

It was transferred by Chief Justice Roberts from the D.C. Circuit to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeff Sutton, and Sutton dismissed it in a ... direct ... memorandum and order just two weeks later:

Ultimately, Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place. Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: "Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?" "A republic, if you can keep it." With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike, It is so ORDERED. SIGNED this 31st day of February, 2026. 7um Jing FRED BIERY UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE Credit: Bystander Matthew 19:14 John 11:35 There is also the photo of the boy from the viral stories included.

Federal judge has ordered the release of Liam Ramos (the bunny hat boy) and his father. A brief and rather remarkable order. Clearly written to be shared widely, so please do. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Ladies and gentlemen... the weekend. (also: you are important and are not alone 🧡)

As many predicted, the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuits is still alive, and the attack on the integration mandate, renewed. An update from disability rights orgs here: www.bazelon.org/wp-content/u...

It was my pleasure! Love this piece.

Dictatorship and Accountability | The Regulatory Review A recent Trump executive order unlawfully undermines the authority of independent agencies.

The Regulatory Review identified my post analyzing the relationship between attacking independent agencies and the creation of dictatorship as one its top ten posts for 2025:

www.theregreview.org/2025/03/01/d...

I really enjoyed reading and learning from this excellent piece about ‘Veteran Disability Hierarchies’ from @dorfmandoron.bsky.social and @jennoliva.bsky.social.

Given how often I nearly fall off or get tangled up in the machines, even 15 yrs in, I know this sort of purchase is not for me (that and the cost).

Windsor Law is hiring a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law & Public Policy (incl ILOs, governance, rights, global advocacy, UNDRIP, land and membership claims, & policy learning) at the asst/assoc prof level. Deadline: Feb 20
www.uwindsor.ca/faculty/recr...

The Minnesota v. Noem hearing is beginning before Judge Katherine Menendez.

Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul are seeking a TRO today to stop Operation Metro Surge.

For years, @ksabeelrahman.bsky.social & I have been frustrated with what we call the Part IV Problem in legal scholarship, the expectation of neat & feasible prescriptions to end pieces. Our frustrations are heightened in this moment of authoritarianism, as we wrote today at @lpeblog.bsky.social:

That is a BEAUTIFUL face ❤️❤️❤️

I know I’m powerless!

We groaned and moaned a bit in the background but generally we *did not* interrupt the first Disability Law class (students on the other hand killed it!)

My online teaching TA is not helping out much

i think this MLK day the thing to focus on is the strategic focus and tactical brilliance of the civil rights movement and the way it was laser focused on a set of achievable goals

Today we honor the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Join us on Sunday, January 25, for the 41st annual MLK Jr. Celebration featuring Maxwell alumna and Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens ’85 BA (Econ).

➡️ Learn more: mlk.syr.edu

Colleen Heflin Examines Impact of Changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program Colleen Heflin Examines Impact of Changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program

How do child care subsidies affect work and income? 👶📊

Maxwell Professor Colleen Heflin is part of a research team studying how changes to Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program influenced employment and earnings outcomes for families. @cprmaxwell.bsky.social

Colleen Heflin, Professor Colleen

Tonight I met a fellow Kalamazoo-an by chance at a party in Syracuse. She even went to my high school (a school not exactly known for producing academics). Colleen from Kalamazoo is a true rock star:

Greeting our visitors with barking

This firm often partners with Ben Crump, and both are excellent.

She was 15 when she made the decision to stay put. So much courage, and far too often overlooked. I love telling my students about her. RIP.