Katie Stanley

We speak today on behalf of the legal profession and its members who seek to live by the oath each took upon admission to the bar. We reject efforts to undermine the courts and the profession. We will not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not. Words and actions matter. And the intimidating words and actions we have heard must end. They are designed to cow our country’s judges, our country’s courts and our legal profession. These efforts cannot be sanctioned or normalized. There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear. We call upon the entire profession, including lawyers who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation. We acknowledge that there are risks to standing up and addressing these important issues. But if the ABA and lawyers do not speak, who will speak for the organized bar? Who will speak for the judiciary? Who will protect our system of justice? If we don’t speak now, when will we speak? The American Bar Association has chosen to stand and speak. Now is the time for all of us to speak with one voice. We invite you to stand with us.

The ABA rejects efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession. Read full message: www.americanbar.org/news/abanews...

“Trans rights are human rights.”

“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist”

James Baldwin

I continue to believe kindness is not antithetical to fighting for what matters, but an essential part of it. Niceness is quiet; kindness is open. Niceness is polite; kindness is defiantly standing with—and fighting for—those who need it. And at some point, we all need it.

Great graphic from the NYT

47,000+ Palestinians killed. 111,000 injured.

Trump’s response? Forcibly expel Palestinians to make Gaza “a real estate development for the future. A beautiful piece of land.” 

No. Gaza must be rebuilt for the Palestinian people, not billionaire tourists.

#BlueCrew - Quote of the Day

“If you gaze into the darkness too long, you risk letting it become a part of you. Acknowledge it, feel anger or sorrow if you must, but don't let it take root within you. Instead, let your light shine-through kindness, love, and understanding. That is the most powerful way to resist from within.”

Well, this is going pretty much as expected.

CDC Scientists Ordered to Withdraw Studies That Say ‘LGBT’ or ‘Pregnant People’

Scientists at the CDC were ordered late on Friday to withdraw any pending publications, at any scientific journal, that mention terms such as “transgender,” “immigrant,” “LGBT” or “pregnant people.”

BREAKING NEWS: CDC orders mass retraction and revision of submitted research across all science and medicine journals. Banned terms must be scrubbed. Any unpublished manuscript mentioning certain topics, including gender and "LGBT," must be pulled or revised.

BREAKING NEWS: CDC orders mass retraction and revision of submitted research across all science and medicine journals. Banned terms must be scrubbed.

Goes beyond MMWR +other CDC pubs. Applies to research already submitted to top medical journals.

Take a look.
open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

What the world needs now is a healing MySpace Top 8 meetup of Kindness Avengers. Panel featuring LeVar Burton, Ms. Rachel, Elyse Myers, Bindi & Robert Irwin, Tabitha Brown, Steve from Blue’s Clues, and Dolly Parton in conversation with Elmo at a library?

Kindness for our hearts! I’m just sayin’ 💚 🌎

Hope & resistance 🫶

Facts

Pretty big deal. @bookshop-org.bsky.social is selling ebooks now. You can now support indies while purchasing digital books.

bookshop.org/ebooks

Nerds recharging after a long week 👾🫶

@jellyroots.bsky.social
🚨 ‘major breaking news’🚨

Looks like he🏒🏒 has finally frozen over, friends ❄️❄️❄️

US Justice Dept freezes its civil rights litigation The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered its civil rights division to pause any ongoing litigation left over from the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday.

The US Department of Justice has ordered its civil rights division to pause any ongoing litigation left over from the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters reut.rs/4g8Zdqv

Sure is a bad time to be a person who cares about things.

YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie the war on DEI

as we’re seeing the endpoint of the anti-DEI hysteria is just opening the door to rampant employment discrimination

(b) The Federal contracting process shall be streamlined to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws. Accordingly: (1) Executive Order 11246 of September 24, 1965 (Equal Employment Opportunity), is hereby revoked. For 90 days from the date of this order, Federal contractors may continue to comply with the regulatory scheme in effect on January 20, 2025. (ii) The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs within the Department of Labor shall immediately cease: (A) Promoting "diversity"; (B) Holding Federal contractors and subcontractors responsible for taking "affirmative action"; and (C) Allowing or encouraging Federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in workforce balancing based on race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin.

(iii) In accordance with Executive Order 13279 of December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations), the employment, procurement, and contracting practices of Federal contractors and subcontractors shall not consider race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin in ways that violate the Nation's civil rights laws. (iv) The head of each agency shall include in every contract or grant award: (A) A term requiring the contractual counterparty or grant recipient to agree that its compliance in all respects with all applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws is material to the government's payment decisions for purposes of section 3729(b) (4) of title 31, United States Code; and (B) A term requiring such counterparty or recipient to certify that it does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.

BREAKING: In a new executive order sent out by the White House, Donald Trump has revoked the federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order, EO 11246, that was signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 and has protected employees of businesses seeking federal contracts from discrimination ever since.

‘A Noviça Rebelde’ (1965)

I would love to be a fly on this wall, and I never thought I’d EVER want to go back to law school again! 🫶

Folks should always remember that remaining silent and not being an asshole is free.