Sandra Raponi's Avatar

Sandra Raponi

@sraponi.bsky.social

Philosophy professor, Honors faculty. JD, PhD. Political & legal philosophy, global justice, international human rights law. Human rights-based climate litigation, refugees, free speech. Zen Buddhism. From Toronto ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ, now in MA.

5,312 Followers  |  7,285 Following  |  14 Posts  |  Joined: 28.10.2023  |  1.6027

Latest posts by sraponi.bsky.social on Bluesky

Preview
The First Planned Migration of an Entire Country Is Underway The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia.

The first planned migration of an entire country due to climate change is happening! Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, is at risk of being submerged under rising sea level, so it has signed an agreement with Australia to allow 280 Tuvaluans to settle in Australia as permanent residents each year.

26.07.2025 10:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6993    ๐Ÿ” 3191    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 116    ๐Ÿ“Œ 223
Preview
Trumpโ€™s new Executive Order directs states to treat homelessness and mental illness as crimes - National Homelessness Law Center Trumpโ€™s new Executive Orders direct states to treat homelessness and mental illness as crimes (WASHINGTON, D.C - March 28th) Everybody needs a safe place to live. Across America, sky-high rents areโ€ฆ

BREAKING: Trumpโ€™s new Executive Order directs states to treat homelessness and mental illness as crimes. Criminalization doesnโ€™t help anyone โ€“ we need housing and healthcare, not handcuffs and budget cuts. #HousingNotHandcuffs

Our statement: buff.ly/JlcAsF4

24.07.2025 21:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 213    ๐Ÿ” 143    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 11    ๐Ÿ“Œ 36

Some people don't feel as close to this as they ought to. Most of us are just a bad break or two away from winding up on the streets, and addiction & mental health crises can affect anyone. They're gutting services and rendering more of us disposable, and there's a carceral disposal system waiting.

25.07.2025 00:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1945    ๐Ÿ” 812    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 33    ๐Ÿ“Œ 14
Preview
โ€˜Historicโ€™ ruling on climate change by World Court: What to expect The ICJ is set to decide the future course of climate accountability in a landmark legal case brought by Vanuatu.

This historic decision could pave the way for climate reparations and human rights protections that are long overdue, as well as build a stronger case for big polluters to pay up for the damage they have caused!

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/...

23.07.2025 12:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 19    ๐Ÿ” 11    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Preview
When youโ€™re a star, the Supreme Court lets you do it SCOTUS is enabling Trump's assault on American institutions

New, from me: until recently the big question was โ€œwhat happens when Trump defies the courts?โ€
The answer, as it turns out, is that SCOTUS will support him.
The new question is what are the consequences for American democracy and governance?๐Ÿงต

donmoynihan.substack.com/p/when-youre...

23.07.2025 12:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1547    ๐Ÿ” 498    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 56    ๐Ÿ“Œ 49
Preview
Healthy environment a human right, UN court says in landmark climate ruling Courtโ€™s decision expected to be used in future litigation and to support political negotiations by vulnerable states

๐ŸšจBREAKING๐Ÿšจ ICJ ruling that a healthy environment is a human right could be a real turning point in setting out governmentsโ€™ legal responsibility to tackle #climate crisis ๐Ÿ‘‡

23.07.2025 15:54 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1700    ๐Ÿ” 650    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 27    ๐Ÿ“Œ 52
Studying Philosophy Does Make People Better Thinkers | Journal of the American Philosophical Association | Cambridge Core Studying Philosophy Does Make People Better Thinkers

Studying Philosophy Does Make People Better Thinkers

This study โ€œoffers the strongest evidence to date that studying philosophy does indeed make people better thinkers.โ€ www.cambridge.org/core/journal... (h/t @greggdcaruso.bsky.social) #philosophy #PhilSky

13.07.2025 20:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 53    ๐Ÿ” 21    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
Preview
Supreme Court Keeps Ruling in Trumpโ€™s Favor, but Doesnโ€™t Say Why

All the conventional wisdom about a constitutional crisis only coming when Trump flat out defies SCOTUS rulings ignores the obvious fact that this Court is a constitutional crisis in itself. Weโ€™ve been in full blown CC since it sided in Trump v USA against the USA:

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/u...

16.07.2025 12:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 646    ๐Ÿ” 167    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 22    ๐Ÿ“Œ 12
Preview
โ€œEven God Cannot Hear Us Hereโ€: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Womenโ€™s Prison Tufts University doctoral student Rรผmeysa ร–ztรผrk opens up about her 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facilityโ€”and the generous and compassionate women she met.

Rรผmeysa ร–ztรผrk was unlawfully detained by ICE for over six weeks in retaliation for writing an op-ed.

For the first time since her release, Rรผmeysa opens up about her experiences and advocates for dignity and justice for those still trapped in ICE detention.

17.07.2025 14:45 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 716    ๐Ÿ” 267    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 12

The Supreme Court said it was unlawful for the Biden administration to forgive student loans because it lacked congressional authority but has no problem with the Trump administration gutting the entire Department of Education without congressional approval. This is a lawless court.

14.07.2025 22:54 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2369    ๐Ÿ” 661    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 30    ๐Ÿ“Œ 18
Preview
Bonus 161: Why the Court Needs to Explain Itself The continuing fallout from Monday afternoonโ€™s ruling in the third-country removals case is an object lesson for why the justices should be providing explanations when they grant emergency relief.

For more on why it is absolutely incumbent upon #SCOTUS to provide even a modicum of explanation when it intervenes to upset the status quo in cases like these, see this "One First" bonus post from June 26:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/bonus-161-...

14.07.2025 19:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 601    ๐Ÿ” 136    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 15    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4

Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).

It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.

It has written majority opinions in only 3.

Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*

14.07.2025 19:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5915    ๐Ÿ” 2842    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 311    ๐Ÿ“Œ 352
Preview
Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm - Daily Nous Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, was reportedly "piled on by multiple agents all at once" as "he tried to help a man in a wheelchair" who wa...

A philosophy professor was assaulted and abducted by ICE while protesting the agency's raid on a farm near his university.

12.07.2025 15:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 210    ๐Ÿ” 89    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
CSUCI Professor arrested among Glass House raids | Pacific Coast Business Times Jonathan Caravello, a professor at CSU Channel Islands, was among one of the more than 200 people arrested from the federal agentโ€™s raid of Glass House Farmsโ€™ operations in both Carpinteria and Camari...

Letโ€™s talk about Professor Jonathan Caravello, who teaches math and philosophy at CSU Channel Islands. Heโ€™s been detained by the feds based on events at a protest in Ventura County on Thursday.

/1

www.pacbiztimes.com/2025/07/12/c...

13.07.2025 19:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2796    ๐Ÿ” 1145    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 43    ๐Ÿ“Œ 69

I donโ€™t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.

This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.

It is setting up to make whatโ€™s happening now look like childโ€™s play. And people are disappearing.

03.07.2025 18:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 97877    ๐Ÿ” 38105    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4501    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2684
Preview
Amy Coney Barrett Is Not The Centrist You Were Looking For. A conservative supermajority so keen to gobble more power for itself, might be giving Trump the tools to override it.

Itโ€™s worth it to listen to the @slate.comโ€™s Amicus SCOTUS year-end Review, hosting by @dahlialithwick.bsky.social & @mjsdc.bsky.social.
Featuring @stevevladeck.bsky.social, @jamellebouie.net & me. Itโ€™s sobering & chilling. But at least weโ€™re together figuring it out!
slate.com/podcasts/ami...

02.07.2025 14:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 184    ๐Ÿ” 50    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
Post image

@sarahlongwell25.bsky.social

02.07.2025 18:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 44146    ๐Ÿ” 15057    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1612    ๐Ÿ“Œ 976
Preview
163. A New Kind of Judicial Supremacy The Supreme Court closed the balance of the October 2024 Term with both actions and opinions that bespeak a new vision of how it exercises powerโ€”one that is as dangerous as it will be unpredictable.

โ€œBy doing nothing to push back against attacks on lower courts], and by behaving in a way that gives the appearance of justices more interested in rationalizing their votes than in reconciling their jurisprudence, #SCOTUS is ultimately weakening the federal judiciary at the worst possible moment.โ€:

30.06.2025 12:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 722    ๐Ÿ” 252    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 34    ๐Ÿ“Œ 12
Preview
SCOTUS Clears the Way for Trumpโ€™s Lawlessness | Crooked Media

And ... it's out. Our episode on SCOTUS's latest complicity with Trump's lawlessness @profmmurray.bsky.social @kateshaw.bsky.social @leahlitman.bsky.social : crooked.com/podcast/scot...

27.06.2025 21:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 250    ๐Ÿ” 74    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 15    ๐Ÿ“Œ 12
Preview
Alligator Alcatraz immigrant prison camp is Florida's sadistic 'one-stop shop' for mass deportation Trump will attend the opening on Tuesday with Gov. DeSantis and DHS Sec. Noem.

My latest: Alligator Alcatraz, Floridaโ€™s immigrant concentration camp, has its grand opening today after being built in one week. Trump, DeSantis and Noem will be there to celebrate their collaboration.

I wrote about this fulfillment of a Republican wet dreamโ€”complete with tacky merch:

01.07.2025 12:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 666    ๐Ÿ” 225    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 81    ๐Ÿ“Œ 71
Preview
USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths over the next five years, researchers say An analysis published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet projects that cuts to the agency will lead to more deaths from diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

I really donโ€™t understand how anyone in this administration, or anyone who supports them, sleep at night.

30.06.2025 23:30 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1308    ๐Ÿ” 517    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 69    ๐Ÿ“Œ 62
Preview
Opinion | The U.S. Cannot Solve All the Worldโ€™s Problems

โ€œForeign aid has changed nothing.โ€ โ€œThese are not our problems.โ€ โ€œThe system is dysfunctional.โ€ โ€œThe countries we aid are corrupt.โ€ โ€œOther countries arenโ€™t doing enough.โ€

I have heard all these arguments too. @nickkristof.bsky.social succinctly answers.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/o...

27.06.2025 11:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 205    ๐Ÿ” 25    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7    ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
Preview
RFK Jr. says US wonโ€™t donate to global vaccine effort Kennedy ripped into Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in a video address at its pledging summit.

This is a travesty & a nightmare. The US was a founder of @gavi.org. It lowers global vaccine costs, has vaccinated 1B children, & averted 19M deaths. This pull out will cost 100s of thousands of children's lives a year - and RFK Jr will be personally responsible.
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

25.06.2025 13:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6709    ๐Ÿ” 3291    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 394    ๐Ÿ“Œ 405
Preview
DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship Denaturalization is a tactic heavily used during the McCarthy era and one that was expanded during the Obama administration and grew further during President Trump's first term. It's a tool usually us...

DOJ plan to prioritize revoking citizenship includes

Cases a US Attorney refers "or in connection with pending criminal charges if those charges do not fit within one of the other priorities"

"Any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important"

30.06.2025 12:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 369    ๐Ÿ” 233    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 37    ๐Ÿ“Œ 39
Post image

"A New Kind of Judicial Supremacy"

Excellent post from Vladeck connecting changes in emergency relief to how the Court understands and exercises its supremacy.

open.substack.com/pub/stevevla...
@stevevladeck.bsky.social

30.06.2025 11:45 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 353    ๐Ÿ” 104    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
Preview
162. What Does the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Portend? Friday's ruling in Trump v. CASA will fundamentally alter the relationship between federal courts and other government institutions. How much depends upon three questions the decision left unanswered.

Via "One First," my longer take on #SCOTUS's ruling in the birthright citizenship cases.

TL;DR: The short-term significance may well be blunted by the answers to two procedural Qs the Court didn't address. It's the broader implication (the death of the legal process school) that's especially grim:

27.06.2025 23:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 988    ๐Ÿ” 336    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 39    ๐Ÿ“Œ 16
Preview
The United States Is About to Embark on a Terrifying Experiment in Mass Statelessness This scenario, until recently, might have read like a dystopian projection. But after the courtโ€™s decision on Friday, it is no longer hypothetical.

"For the child born this summer in Texas, whose parents receive no documents, whose name never appears in any system, and who grows up asking why she canโ€™t go on field trips, apply for scholarships, or open a bank account, the consequences are not legal theory. They are her life."

27.06.2025 20:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5646    ๐Ÿ” 2445    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 141    ๐Ÿ“Œ 154

โ€œWith fear for our democracy, I dissent.โ€

โ€œIn sadness, I dissent.โ€

โ€œWith deep disillusionment, I dissent.โ€

Whatโ€™s next?

28.06.2025 03:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 16060    ๐Ÿ” 3235    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 913    ๐Ÿ“Œ 164

The left better start figuring out how to weaponize today's decision rather than just (rightfully) criticizing it.

- Go back into Judge Kaczmaryk's court to dissolve all of his nationwide orders.

- Pass gun bans and insist any order applies only to plaintiffs.

27.06.2025 14:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 19678    ๐Ÿ” 6291    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 441    ๐Ÿ“Œ 486
The rule of law is not a given in this Nation, nor any
other. It is a precept of our democracy that will endure only
if those brave enough in every branch fight for its survival.
Today, the Court abdicates its vital role in that effort. With
the stroke of a pen, the President has made a โ€œsolemn mockeryโ€ of our Constitution. Peters, 5 Cranch, at 136. Rather
than stand firm, the Court gives way. Because such complicity should know no place in our system of law, I dissent.

The rule of law is not a given in this Nation, nor any other. It is a precept of our democracy that will endure only if those brave enough in every branch fight for its survival. Today, the Court abdicates its vital role in that effort. With the stroke of a pen, the President has made a โ€œsolemn mockeryโ€ of our Constitution. Peters, 5 Cranch, at 136. Rather than stand firm, the Court gives way. Because such complicity should know no place in our system of law, I dissent.

From Sotomayor's dissent, which she's now reading from the bench:

"The President has made a 'solemn mockery' of our Constitution. Rather than stand firm, the Court gives way. Because such complicity should know no place in our system of law, I dissent." www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

27.06.2025 14:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2539    ๐Ÿ” 697    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 33    ๐Ÿ“Œ 27

@sraponi is following 20 prominent accounts