Sarah Fackrell

So good!

I have not. Just looked it up though and it looks really good.

I want AI to format my TOC and Appendices in compliance with all of circuit courts' weird local rules. NOT do the fun legal research and analysis parts for me.

Nah. Just write real good and hit send.

There is a compound word in Swedish for "moose accident"! "älgolycka" = älg (moose) + olycka (accident = unlucky = o + lycka).

Finally watched KPop Demon Hunters. So much fun. Thanks to everyone who recommended it here 🛋️🛋️🛋️

As a Columbia Law School graduate ... this is an utter embarrassment, an abject surrender.

Columbia, you trained an army of litigators, we could have fought back and won.

And you have an entire history faculty that can tell you what happens when you try to appease fascists.

Babylon 5, season 3, ep. 20:

Rev. Will Dexter [discussing people's reactions to a fascist takeover of Earth's government]: "I'd rather do something & make a mistake than be frightened into doing nothing. That's the problem back home. Folks have been conned into thinking they can't change the world"

Trump And Miller Compel Colleges Not To Enroll International Students Trump officials are using rules, policies and agreements to compel and discourage U.S. universities from enrolling international students.

Wow. Had not realized that Columbia’s settlement with Trump admin included a commitment to decrease international student enrollment. In what way does this help “combat antisemitism,” which is supposedly the administration’s objective?
www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

the USA built a system of higher education so good that smart/rich people from across the world came here, spending billions to learn here, subsidizing education for Americans while spending money to live in our cities and towns. our government arbitrarily decided we should stop doing that

It’s not just the dollars. It’s the goodwill the US generates, the connections we create student by student—what a devastating loss

I'm so tired of hearing that we need to "teach our students how to use AI" when the thing they most need to use it is a critical-thinking skill set that can only be acquired by NOT using it. I'm tired of hearing that it's inevitable. I'm tired.

OK, I really feel that we at least have to resurrect "conservative affirmative action" because that's at least arguably descriptive. Conservative inclusion of the unqualified, maybe. Diversity and equity, not so much.

👀 "leaders said they were hoping the multimillion-dollar settlement would buy them time.

“It backfired,” said one senior administrator at UCLA, reflecting the sense of whiplash felt among many who were interviewed. “Within hours of announcing our settlement, the DOJ was on our back.”"

Colorful painted portrait of James Baldwin, seated

To mark James Baldwin's birthday - he was born on this day in 1924 - a stunning portrait of the writer by Beauford Delaney. The two men were close, & Delaney painted many portraits of Baldwin

If you see this, post a castle

PBS: Public Broadcasting Service Watch full episodes of your favorite PBS dramas, find in-depth news analysis and explore documentaries on history, science, art and more!

For $5/month or $60/yr you get access to PBS Passport and the entire Masterpiece library plus Great Performances, etc. Defunded but not defeated. www.pbs.org/passport/lea...

‘This wasn’t obvious’: the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor, researchers find Hybridisation event took place about 9 million years ago, helping to ‘spark the emergence of a new organ’

New genetic research shows that potatoes evolved from tomatoes. The species were already known to be in the same genus, but the research confirms that wild tomatoes in the Andes were crossed with a plant called Etuberosum to form an entirely new lineage: potato.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Being a woman in the U.S. in 2025 is being a second-class citizen with no bodily autonomy and no pay equity and spending 10 years writing an essay about how casually men destroy women’s lives and not one day later, some fucker publishes a piece about how men not getting laid is a crisis

Case 1:24-cr-00768-MWB| Document 117 Filed 08/01/25 Page 1 of 3 PagelD: 507 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, V. JULIEN GIRAUD JR., and JULIEN GIRAUD III, Defendants. No. 1:24-CR-00768 (Chief Judge Brann)* ORDER AUGUST 1, 2025 In accordance with the accompanying Memorandum Opinion, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: The Girauds' motion to dismiss the indictment' is DENIED with respect to their request for dismissal; 2. The Girauds' motion to dismiss the indictment is DEFERRED with respect to their request to enjoin Alina Habba and any Assistant United States Attorney acting under her authority from prosecuting them; To the extent not already done, the trial in this matter and all other pretrial motions are stayed pending resolution of the instant motion; • The Honorable Matthew W. Brann, Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, sitting by designation. 1 Doc. 99.

Case 1:24-cr-00768-MWB Document 117 Filed 08/01/25 Page 2 of 3 PagelD: 508 4. The Court will receive supplemental briefing on the "merits" issue of whether Ms. Habba's appointment contravenes statutory or constitutional limitations, including; a. The Federal Vacancies Reform Act; b. 28 U.S.C. § 546(d); c. The Appointments Clause; d. The Due Process Clause; e. The Government's "Special Attorney" delegation theory; The Girauds' supplemental merits brief of no more than 25 pages shall be due on Thursday, August 7, 2025; The Government's supplemental merits brief of no more than 25 pages shall be due on Tuesday, August 12, 2025; The Court finds that the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey's request to submit an Amicus Brief satisfies the applicable standard'—it may submit an Amicus Brief of no more than 20 pages by Wednesday, August 13, 2025; Any other organizations or individuals who wish to submit an Amicus Brief should file a short motion to that effect and include their proposed Brief of no more than 20 pages by Wednesday, August 13, 2025; Doc. 112. Kyocera Doc. Sols. Am., Inc. v. Div. of Admin., 708 F. Supp. 3d 531, 542 n.16 (D.N.J. 2023).

Case 1:24-cr-00768-MWB Document 117 Filed 08/01/25 Page 3 of 3 PagelD: 509 9. If either party objects to the submission of an Amicus Brief, opposition to the relevant motion is due by Saturday, August 16, 2025; 10. The Court will hold a hearing and oral argument on this matter on Friday, August 15, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse and Federal Building, Courtroom Number 1, Fourth Floor, Williamsport, Pennsylvania; The Government should be prepared to submit firsthand evidence verifying the factual basis for its legal arguments- such evidence may take the form of an affidavit if live testimony is not feasible. BY THE COURT: s/ Matthew W. Brann Matthew W. Brann Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Specially Presiding

MAJOR breaking news:

The District of New Jersey is moving forward with the challenge to Alina Habba’s appointment. The judge has ordered supplemental briefing on the so called “merits issue” - whether Habba’s status as “acting” United States attorney contravenes statutory and/or constitutional law.

Judge Boasberg is the rare public official who is acting like the executive branch's respect for the rule of law is critical to the success of the American project and a prosperous global economy. More judges and politicians should take cues from him.

You snooze, you lose: CJEU upholds cancellation of plant variety rights for failure to pay fees on time The IPKat blog reports on copyright, patent, trade mark, info-tech and confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective.

What's the worst that can happen if you ignore notifications for a while?

After the 'Melrose' potato PVR was cancelled, the CJEU yesterday explored how plant variety rights owners can prove "force majeure," and the lawfulness of electronic communications:
ipkitten.blogspot.com/2025/08/you-...

BREAKING: We're suing ICE for unlawfully targeting and arresting people who show up to court for their immigration hearings.

I will probably end up listening to a lot of Pimsleur as I clean for a friend's visit (yes, dusting off my long-unused French is fun for me)

I'm mostly trying to tune out the outside world. (I gave birth a week ago.) But between Trump firing BLS commissioner & suddenly finding an opening on the Fed board, today seems like a dark turning point for the US economy.
I fear we've just met 2 horsemen of the turning-into-Venezuela-pocalypse

Firing the BLS Commissioner — the wonk in charge of the statisticians who track economic reality — is an authoritarian four alarm fire.

It will also backfire: You can't bend economic reality, but you can break the trust of markets. And biased data yields worse policy.

Um, that sounds AMAZING

We made it to the weekend, friends. What are we reading, listening to, or watching for fun (or distraction)?

Men are so boring about this. This and their mid-AI. It’s all so deeply boring. I would ignore it all if the combo of their silly sex obsession and mid tech weren’t dead set on killing us all.

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