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In the monstrous facts of Prigg v Pennsylvania (1842), Margaret Morgan’s husband was told that his wife and their children were safe for the night and sent home. When he returned to court the next day, they’d been kidnapped by Prigg and enslaved. (SCOTUS ruled the kidnapping was legal…)

I regret to inform you that things are better in Madrid.

In the 1850s, hardline supporters of slavery started developing affirmative theological defenses of enslaving other human beings. This was seen as outrageous and, in turn, supercharged theological opposition to slavery.

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 established a new office of Federal Commissioner to assist in the process of reenslaving people across the north. In some places opinion was so against the law that it was impossible to recruit commissioners to fill the positions. Same vibes.

MAKE FITZHUGH GREAT AGAIN!!

I'm learning a lot more about Robin Leach than I ever wanted to know.

If you have kids between 8-18 and are looking for an excuse to get rid - er...give them the gift of an amazing experience in the mountains of Western Massachusetts for some part of this summer, consider sending them to Rowe. It's a place that changed my life. rowecenter.org/youth-camps/

Youth Camps - The Rowe CenterDiscover the power of connection and personal growth at Rowe Center's Adult Camps and Communities, where your journey to self-discovery and healing begins.rowecenter.org

My luke-warmest take is that radicalization is a slow process and that it is good in whatever form it takes and whenever it takes. We can't do the work of building a democracy worthy of ourselves by ourselves.

Today, like nearly every day for the past year, is a good day to read Thoreau’s “Slavery in Massachusetts.” “It is not an era of repose. We have used up all our inherited freedom. If we would save our lives, we must fight for them.”

MAKE FEDERALISM GREAT AGAIN!!!

Since the death of Renee Good, I've been thinking a lot about the way that the pro-slavery press covered the murder of abolitionist printer Elijah Lovejoy in 1838. In short, he was blamed for "disturbing the peace" and "provoking violence" by agitating for abolition. History/tragedy/farce, etc.

Local government law at the heart of everything.

Periodic reminder that the confederacy hoped to conquer South America and create a hemispheric slave empire. Alexander Stephens’ ghost’s hands at the wheel of our politics.

The One Little Thing SCOTUS Explicitly Said Was Still Lawful is Not Lawful Say the "Very Best" Lawyers Who Definitely Care About Legality Above All. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/12/m...

White House flags DEI-themed college essays as potentially unlawful - The Boston GlobeNavigating the college admissions landscape has never been easy, but for the class of 2030 it’s particularly fraught.www.bostonglobe.com

Tell me the best stuff you've read recently about legal realism and its application to all the stuff we're living with. Asking for a person updating a syllabus...

If we’re just gonna make the constitution mean whatever we want, can we start making up “legitimate questions” about the Senate and the electoral college? Get in folks! We’re gonna make this old parchment live a little.

Please stop making the worst parts of American history “great” again. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Real "compromise" of 1850 vibes today. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.....

In the stupidest timeline, all this is leading to FIFA staging a global coup and promulgating its worstness into every corner of our lives.

Despite a very vocal push against progressives here in Cambridge, we shored up a progressive majority on the city council and elected an amazing slate of progressive and teacher-backed candidates to the school committee. Good news around every local corner.