Rebecca Durcan

Imagine if The Atlantic’s editor chose blackmail over journalistic integrity.

There’s a lot of blackmail potential here. Isn’t that exactly why security clearances get denied?

When your bluff is called:

The Atlantic has now published the Signal texts with attack plans in response to administration denials.

I worked at the Pentagon.

If information like this is not classified, nothing is.

If Hegseth is claiming he declassified this information, he should be shown the door for having done so.

From Deep Throat in All the President's Men: "Then there must be something, mustn't there. Look, forget the myths the media has created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand."

As lawyers, we have duties to the rule of law that are more fundamental… | Harry Wilson As lawyers, we have duties to the rule of law that are more fundamental than our duties to our clients. To join the profession, we must swear to uphold the…

“As the American Bar Association put it: a lawyer is not just a representative of clients, a lawyer is ‘an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice.’”

www.linkedin.com/posts/harry-...

With New Decree, Trump Threatens Lawyers and Law Firms A presidential memorandum aimed at lawyers everywhere struck a menacing tone.

A law firm stands up to Trump.

“The leaders of Keker, Van Nest & Peters called Trump’s memorandum ‘inexcusable’ and ‘despicable.’ ‘Our liberties depend on lawyers’ willingness to represent unpopular people and causes, including in matters adverse to the government.’

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/u...

#RuleOfLaw

Barbenheimer: we’ve got the best Oscars campaign of all time
Conclave: hold my beer

The loudest voices rarely represent the majority. They're usually speaking for the extremes.

You won't understand the views of a group until you've invited the quieter voices into the discussion.

Don't mistake silence for disengagement. It's often a sign of deep reflection.

Be warned. If you are driving in Toronto today be prepared for a LOT of angry/rage drivers.
#snowmageddon

Lost Love on Valentine's Day: Reader Stories About the One Who Got Away (Gift Article) Readers share personal stories of lost love and missed connections for Valentine’s Day.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

TOTE ASTRICT COLOR DOCTORS FOR AMERICA, Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 25-322 (JDB) OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT et al., Defendants. ORDER Upon consideration of [6] Plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order, [8] Plaintiff's supplemental declarations, [9] Defendants' opposition, [10] Plaintiff's reply, the hearing on February 10, 2025, and the entire record herein, and for the reasons stated in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion, it is hereby ORDERED that 1. Defendants Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, and Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter "defendants") shall, by not later than 11:59 pm on February 11, 2025, restore to their versions as of January 30, 2025, each webpage and dataset identified by Plaintiff on pages 6-12 of its Memorandum of Law in Support of the Motion for a Restraining Order [ECF No. 6-1]; 2. Defendants shall, in consultation with Plaintiff, identify any other resources that DF A members rely on to provide medical care and that defendants removed or substantially modified on or after January 29, 2025, without adequate notice or reasoned explanation; and defendants shall, by February 14, 2025, restore those resources to their versions as of January 30, 2025;

BREAKING: In response to doctors' lawsuit, Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, orders CDC, NIH, and FDA to put back up websites and datasets cited by the doctors in their lawsuit as having been relied upon and pulled down without notice. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The ABA supports the rule of law It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accor...

Very unusual for ABA to do this Proud lawyer moment: www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/02/aba-supports-the-rule-of-law/

We’ve been watching Wolf Hall, a fascinating study of how the fragile male ego of a fickle, greedy despot creates a culture of deep cruelty and mistrust, where everyone lives in fear of saying the wrong thing. Thank goodness we’ve moved on from those times.

A lesson we all learned in grade school. Don’t let bullies bully you. #TeamCanada ❤️🇨🇦

This 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 normal 👏🏼

The highest compliment from someone who disagrees with you is not “You were right.” It’s “You made me think.”

Good arguments help us recognize complexity where we once saw simplicity.

The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It’s to promote critical thinking.

Eurasia Group | The Top Risks of 2025

There was a lot to choose from this year, but here’s what we @eurasiagroup.net think you should be worried about in 2025. #TopRisks2025

www.eurasiagroup.net/TopRisks2025

One of the clearest signs of learning is rethinking your assumptions and revising your opinions.

Lunch Hour Lecture | Lawyers and ‘acting in the best interests of clients’’ Professor Stephen Mayson discusses what it should mean for lawyers to fulfil their professional duty to act in the best interests of their clients.

For the diary: on Tuesday 18 March, I shall be giving a UCL lunchtime lecture on ‘Lawyers and ‘acting in the best interests of clients’’. It's online, free and booking details are at www.ucl.ac.uk/events/event...

Jimmy Carter was a great president and an even better man.

May he rest in peace.

You can’t judge people only by how they treat you. The true test of character is how they treat those they don't like or need.

Even if someone is kind to you, proceed with caution if they’re consistently unkind to others.

Selective civility is a sign of deep-seated hostility.

When groups meet to brainstorm, good ideas are lost. People bite their tongues due to conformity pressure, noise, and ego threat.

A better approach is brainwriting: generate ideas separately, then meet to assess and refine.

Group wisdom begins with individual creativity.

BREAKING: Syrian rebels announce fall of Russia-backed Assad regime "The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," rebel leaders claimed on Dec. 8.

"’The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,’ rebel leaders said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses told Reuters that thousands of Damascus residents had gathered in the city center, chanting ‘Freedom.’”

kyivindependent.com/breaking-syr...

Repost if BlueSky is now your primary social media site.

I’m an ex sex crimes prosecutor. I can attest it’s degrading to have a rape kit done. If an alleged victim submitted to one, I knew we had a real rape on our hands when I prosecuted cases.