Amy Kristin Sanders

New First Amendment/academic freedom lawsuit against Texas A&M under § 1983 filed in the Southern District.

McCoul was terminated over faculty objection for curriculum decisions she made in a literature class.

Even the individual liberty crowd understands public health. It's a shame our HHS Secretary and other high-level officials do not.

“Quiet, piggy!”: How Trump is bringing the American press to heel On Jan. 14, the FBI conducted a search at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, who had been covering the most sensitive initiatives of Donald Trump’s second administration. The formal...

Got a nice mention in this article in The Insider talking about how the press pool stood up for FOX when Obama tried to yank their credentials — unlike when Trump targeted AP.

Solidarity matters.

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.

Imagine sending an email complaint to the government and then finding out the government has searched your Gmail account and sent law enforcement to your home.

Apparently DC forgot the First Amendment includes the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It amazes me how often seemingly intelligent people do stupid things and then want to tell the world about the stupid thing they did as if they were somehow victimized.

The chilling effect is real.

The message is clear: If we can arrest Don Lemon, we can arrest all the other independent, local journalists and citizen advocates who are trying to check government power.

Journalism is not a crime.

Immigrants’ Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994–2023 Our analysis in this paper shows that immigrants generated a fiscal surplus of about $14.5 trillion from 1994 to 2023, that the average immigrant is much less costly than the average US-born American,...

Cato has swaths of comparative data. Here's the full report and also another comparison: www.cato.org/briefing-pap...

John Roberts Does Not Want You Finding Out How the Supreme Court Actually Works The six-justice conservative supermajority is taking aggressive steps to ensure that the public remains in the dark about how the Supreme Court functions.

John Roberts is out here making Supreme Court clerks and employees sign nondisclosure agreements

Roberts surely knows this raises the question 'WTF is behind the NDA?'

To do so anyway suggests he decided even public speculation is preferable to public knowledge

ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...

Important info from @cato.org about how immigrants contribute to our country:

"The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023."

Facts matter.

But is it bigger than a standard nail?

Immigrant and Native Consumption of Means-Tested Welfare and Entitlement Benefits in 2023 Immigrants are less likely to enter the welfare system, less likely to remain on welfare for long periods, and less likely to age into the most expensive entitlement programs.

Facts matter.

New @cato.org report rebuts conservative claims that immigrants are a drain on government programs:

"Immigrants are less likely to enter the welfare system, less likely to remain on welfare for long periods, and less likely to age into the most expensive entitlement programs."

Don't blame Donna. She learned from the Texas Legislature when they de-brained UT.

Why the Trump administration’s demand for a list of Jews at Penn is so dangerous | Sigal Ben-Porath, Serena Mayeri and Amanda Shanor If history teaches us anything, it is that making lists of Jews, no matter the ostensible purpose, is often a prelude to their and others’ persecution

Amid all the chaos that is the world today, I somehow missed this...

If this isn't enough to finally unite Jews, Muslims and everyone else who isn't a radical Christian against the Trump Administration, nothing will.

Don Lemon arrested over Minnesota church protest after judge previously rejected charge The chief federal judge in Minneapolis said he saw no probable cause to arrest the longtime journalist.

JUST IN: The three other people arrested today over the MN church protest are scheduled to appear in federal court in Minneapolis at 130PM CT: Georgia Fort, Jamael Lundy and Trahern Crews. Fort says she was acting as a journalist that day. Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are

A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.

I just spoke with @reuters.com about this terrifying development designed to deter critical coverage of ICE violence in Minneapolis.

Journalism is not a crime.

A federal magistrate judge rejected previous the DOJ criminal complaint so it will be interesting to see their new approach.

This will make CBS the equivalent of a 24-hour cable "news" channel. More commentary and opinion content than actual hard news and information.

It's a tragic end to a staple news institution that has served our country for nearly a century.

YouTube video by Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications Bellisario College, Talking Research: Amy Kristin Sanders

Beyond proud to represent the Bellisario College every day and thrilled that they let me talk about First Amendment rights. Everything we do as communicators is at the very core of our democratic society, and I get to share that message with my students and the people of the Commonwealth.

ICE is rumored to be heading for Philadelphia. Everyone is saying the same thing ‘Philly people are a different breed,’ wrote one user, while another added: ‘Bro ice is going to be protesting’

Youse better be prepared to be called “jabronies” and watch out for the hoagies.

ICE is rumored to be heading for Philadelphia. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Stay safe, John!

Judge rejects criminal charge against journalist Don Lemon over church protest Justice Department officials announced at least three arrests related to a disrupted religious service Sunday.

NEW: Magistrate judge rejected DOJ's attempt to charge former CNN journalist Don Lemon over anti-ICE protest in MN church. Prosecutors appear to have sought charges against 8 people of whom 3 have been reported arrested. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

The copy editor in me would have made it active: ICE detains 5 year-old. But I'll take this. Simple. Direct. Accurate. Powerful.

This is how you tell a story...

Office of Undergraduate Research, additional programs, to shut down at end of semester Four student support programs — the Office of Undergraduate Research, Office of Community Engagement, Vick Advising Excellence Center and The Center for Teaching and Learning — will be shut down by th...

More destruction at the University of Texas — this time a direct hit to the student experience. These workgroups serve ALL students and faculty.

It is no longer a serious institution.

‘My hands were really shaky’: high-school journalist documents ICE raids Lila Dominguez was working on an article as agents came on to school grounds – their presence has jolted Minneapolis’s young people

May Minnesota's business leaders someday find the courage of our high school journalists:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

US Media in the Crosshairs - Nieman Reports The Trump administration is deploying a range of legal weapons to attack US news outlets

Quoted here in an informative @niemanreports.org piece by Jared Schroeder on the growing threats to press freedom:

“I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that what we're seeing from the Trump administration is an unprecedented level of hostility towards the press.”

Expanding the Web of Control Government censorship of free speech and academic freedom has reached unprecedented heights on U.S. campuses as lawmakers extend a web of political and ideological control over the sector.

The latest @penamerica.bsky.social report captures a lot of the legislative priorities and anti-intellectual ideology I saw developing at UT-Austin and throughout Texas that sent me packing...

It should be required reading for anyone considering a job in higher education.
pen.org/report/ameri...

Mind taking a trip to the Fifth Circuit and sharing your explainer...

CBS News report on ICE officer’s injuries drew ‘huge internal concern’ Anonymously sourced report that Jonathan Ross ‘suffered internal bleeding’ after killing Renee Good faced skepticism inside CBS newsroom

It rocks that everyone at CBS News is blabbing www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...

I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.

And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”

Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.