Great article…
05.03.2026 14:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0@tomtmwolf.bsky.social
Director of Democracy Initiatives at the Brennan Center for Justice. Founder of the Historians Council on the Constitution. By night, I write. My novel SOUND (FSG/Faber) and more: tomtmwolf.com. Views my own.
Great article…
05.03.2026 14:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Constitution's grant of birthright citizenship was limited to "newly freed slaves and their children."
This 🧵⬇️from @sam-breidbart.bsky.social explains how the amicus brief from @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social demolishes that argument...
Trump is leading an ongoing and relentless campaign to convert the federal spending power into a tool for coercion, retaliation, and political favoritism.
This is one the clearest themes to emerge from the first year of this administration.
State Court Report's @cisozaki.bsky.social outlines some extra tools state law gives litigators to counter originalism. Learn more:
04.03.2026 20:43 — 👍 4 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
Trump is leading an ongoing and relentless campaign to convert the federal spending power into a tool for coercion, retaliation, and political favoritism.
This is one the clearest themes to emerge from the first year of this administration.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Constitution's grant of birthright citizenship was limited to "newly freed slaves and their children."
This 🧵⬇️from @sam-breidbart.bsky.social explains how the amicus brief from @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social demolishes that argument...
The administration is trying to give up on giving up its fight against law firms.
Retired federal judge Shira Scheindlin "said the abrupt take back was highly unusual. 'How embarrassing to reverse yourself after all the bad press,' she added."
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/u...
We win when we fight
02.03.2026 22:15 — 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
Martha S. Jones (2013 ACLS Fellow) and Kate Masur (2020 Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellow) have submitted a historians’ amicus brief in Trump v. Barbara.
Learn more about scholars working to increase public understanding and inform policymakers on birthright citizenship: bit.ly/4pz9XEk
The only thing funnier I’ve heard all week than this vignette about Michael Jackson and “Superthug,” is a Gen Xer at the gym playing “Superthug” on his phone to a couple of Zoomers who had never heard the song before. It takes a full 40 seconds on YouTube to get to the “whatwhatwhatwhat.”
Superawk
We win when we fight
02.03.2026 22:15 — 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
60-inch TV screens
I can view from a side angle
In my crib you could got lost,
Like the Bermuda Triangle
- Koopa!
Amicus briefs aren't just court filings. The best are compact and compelling reads from leading scholars on the biggest issues of the day... and they're FREE!
All of which is to say, check out the latest from @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social on birthright citizenship ⬇️...
One of the more satisfying events during my time @brennancenter.org was Justice Jackson asking Trump's S.G. to rebut arguments in @janemanners.bsky.social amicus brief and Sauer totally flopping.
Anyway, here's an article from Jane and @levmenand.bsky.social explaining that a bit/lot more ⬇️
Amicus briefs aren't just court filings. The best are compact and compelling reads from leading scholars on the biggest issues of the day... and they're FREE!
All of which is to say, check out the latest from @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social on birthright citizenship ⬇️...
And I took that personally…
28.02.2026 00:50 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
As scrutiny of SCOTUS ramps up ahead of the birthright citizenship arguments on April 1, keep in mind that maintaining birthright citizenship won't require unprecedented feats of progressive jurisprudence...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
« The historians’ brief — authored by Professor Martha S. Jones and Professor Kate Masur — centers on the pre–Civil War advocacy of free Black Americans for a broad and inclusive principle of birthright citizenship. » www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
27.02.2026 22:30 — 👍 21 🔁 16 💬 1 📌 0
Here’s the link to Martha Jones and Kate Masur’s powerful amicus brief which leaves no doubt: Trump’s assault on birthright citizenship is unconstitutional
www.brennancenter.org/media/15301/...
"The framers [of the 14th Amendment] constitutionalized the universal view of birthright citizenship that free Black Americans advanced and the common law guaranteed."
@marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social provide a powerful history lesson in the form of a legal brief
There is no pair better qualified to speak on this matter. I am so glad they shared their arguments with the Court.
27.02.2026 13:14 — 👍 9 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0And, whoosh, this goes straight into the readings for my history methods and theory course.
27.02.2026 13:51 — 👍 12 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 01/ @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social have drafted a seminal brief: (a) that centers Black American beliefs on birthright citizenship and (b) uses a set of primary sources, such as speeches and Colored Conventions, fought for (and won) broad birthright citizenship for everyone.
27.02.2026 12:55 — 👍 80 🔁 36 💬 1 📌 2Making my way through the amicus briefs filed in support of respondents in Trump v. Barbara and more than 10 of them address the risk of statelessness in a fairly significant way. Many others at least mention it in passing. A thread on the most significant arguments re: statelessness 1/
27.02.2026 10:32 — 👍 58 🔁 26 💬 3 📌 10« The historians’ brief — authored by Professor Martha S. Jones and Professor Kate Masur — centers on the pre–Civil War advocacy of free Black Americans for a broad and inclusive principle of birthright citizenship. » www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
27.02.2026 12:04 — 👍 275 🔁 112 💬 2 📌 6
⏰Historians @marthasjones.bsky.social &
@katemasur.bsky.social have filed a NEW brief in the birthright citizenship cases. It shows how the story of free Black Americans' advocacy for birthright citizenship unravels Trump's lead justification for his EO.
📑⬇️ www.brennancenter.org/sites/defaul...
Your now-near-weekly reminder that the Supreme Court's grant of criminal immunity to presidents is undermining our democracy on the daily. An epochal dereliction of duty by the Court...
26.02.2026 18:09 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0Today @washingtonpost.com reported activists are urging Trump to declare an emergency based on claims of Chinese interference in the 2020 election and use emergency powers to dramatically alter election rules. Trump has no power to run elections, even in an emergency. 🧵
27.02.2026 00:47 — 👍 41 🔁 26 💬 1 📌 2
There are many! Here are a few:
www.brennancenter.org/historians-c...