Michael Romano
@romanopsci.bsky.social
Another digital migrant. Full Prof, Political Science (Shenandoah Uni). SLAC life. Posts abt politics, judges, democracy, rep. Also games, movies, music, and other nerdy things.
Reposted by Michael Romano
So @kjcharleswriter.com says when you work in a googly eye factory, you become somewhat immune to thinking that sticking googly eyes on an object makes it alive.
It applies to “can AI think?” but maybe also all us creative types who watched them loot our stuff by slapping their googly eyes on it.
It applies to “can AI think?” but maybe also all us creative types who watched them loot our stuff by slapping their googly eyes on it.
“A senior executive at Microsoft said A.I. systems built on the work of others will be seen as ‘an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions’ and possibly the greatest robbery of labor in human history, according to court documents unredacted Thursday in an ongoing Manhattan lawsuit.”
Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’
The admission appeared in a newly unredacted filing in the landmark copyright infringement legal battle playing out between newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel and tech companies Microsoft and OpenAI...
www.orlandosentinel.com
September 18, 2026 at 7:15 AM
So @kjcharleswriter.com says when you work in a googly eye factory, you become somewhat immune to thinking that sticking googly eyes on an object makes it alive.
It applies to “can AI think?” but maybe also all us creative types who watched them loot our stuff by slapping their googly eyes on it.
It applies to “can AI think?” but maybe also all us creative types who watched them loot our stuff by slapping their googly eyes on it.
Reposted by Michael Romano
I'm an immigration historian. We lack the lexicon to describe this evil. "Deportation" generally means being repatriated to the country you came from. Although there have been 3rd country removals in US history, they are rare, but now ramping up. Also "deportation" means when you're sent back, 1/
Deportees Sent to Liberia Recount Harrowing Details of U.S. Expulsion and Treatment by ICE (Gift Article)
Ten deportees said they experienced or witnessed what they called abusive or violent treatment by ICE. They spent months in detention, they said, before being sent to nations where they had no ties.
www.nytimes.com
August 31, 2026 at 10:20 AM
I'm an immigration historian. We lack the lexicon to describe this evil. "Deportation" generally means being repatriated to the country you came from. Although there have been 3rd country removals in US history, they are rare, but now ramping up. Also "deportation" means when you're sent back, 1/
Reposted by Michael Romano
Today's AI in law horror story: An appellate attorney used ChatGPT to summarize the appellate record. It got a lot of stuff wrong. He included the made-up facts in his brief. The NM Supreme Court dressed him down for half an hour and referred him to the disciplinary board.
Show Cause Hearing: State v. Sandoval, S-1-SC-40845
YouTube video by New Mexico Courts
www.youtube.com
August 23, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Today's AI in law horror story: An appellate attorney used ChatGPT to summarize the appellate record. It got a lot of stuff wrong. He included the made-up facts in his brief. The NM Supreme Court dressed him down for half an hour and referred him to the disciplinary board.
Reposted by Michael Romano
Cofnas was not doing the thing he was hired to do. Academic freedom does not cover ”not doing your job.”
August 22, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Cofnas was not doing the thing he was hired to do. Academic freedom does not cover ”not doing your job.”
Reposted by Michael Romano
Blanche has been very up front that he will use the DOJ to serve an authoritarian ends. Every vote for him is a vote against democracy.
Schiff: The judge, in that decision on Monday, referred Blanche, basically, to the New York Bar Association because of his conduct.
How is it possible that after being referred to the bar association for potential discipline on Monday, we’re contemplating this guy for attorney general on Wednesday?
How is it possible that after being referred to the bar association for potential discipline on Monday, we’re contemplating this guy for attorney general on Wednesday?
July 15, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Blanche has been very up front that he will use the DOJ to serve an authoritarian ends. Every vote for him is a vote against democracy.
I'm still digesting, but this is probably my favorite line in the Barbara decision. From Justice Jackson's concurrence. Pure energy:
June 30, 2026 at 7:10 PM
I'm still digesting, but this is probably my favorite line in the Barbara decision. From Justice Jackson's concurrence. Pure energy:
Reposted by Michael Romano
Alito’s standard for racial discrimination in the TPS ruling, that racism has to be the *sole* motivation to count as discriminatory, is so deranged that it could arguably cover neither Jim Crow nor slavery. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
June 27, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Alito’s standard for racial discrimination in the TPS ruling, that racism has to be the *sole* motivation to count as discriminatory, is so deranged that it could arguably cover neither Jim Crow nor slavery. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Michael Romano
When you deny science, you turn a reflecting pool into a swamp.
When you ignore history, you surrender where Germany surrendered after WWI.
The karma!
When you ignore history, you surrender where Germany surrendered after WWI.
The karma!
"So ... so I said ... why not sign your treaty here, at Versailles?"
June 18, 2026 at 11:31 AM
When you deny science, you turn a reflecting pool into a swamp.
When you ignore history, you surrender where Germany surrendered after WWI.
The karma!
When you ignore history, you surrender where Germany surrendered after WWI.
The karma!
Reposted by Michael Romano
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm the first of President Donald Trump's nominees to serve as life-tenured judge to have been rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association during his second term, RNC lawyer Katie Lane, who will now be a judge in Montana. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
US Senate confirms Trump judicial nominee deemed 'not qualified' by ABA
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm the first of President Donald Trump's nominees to serve as life-tenured judge to have been rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association during his ...
www.reuters.com
June 2, 2026 at 8:04 PM
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm the first of President Donald Trump's nominees to serve as life-tenured judge to have been rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association during his second term, RNC lawyer Katie Lane, who will now be a judge in Montana. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Michael Romano
This is THEFT. There is no other word for it. They are stealing almost $1.8 BILLION dollars to pay Trump‘s allies, despite knowing that these people are not legally entitled to any money and be laughed out of court if they filed a lawsuit for money damages.
May 18, 2026 at 4:03 PM
This is THEFT. There is no other word for it. They are stealing almost $1.8 BILLION dollars to pay Trump‘s allies, despite knowing that these people are not legally entitled to any money and be laughed out of court if they filed a lawsuit for money damages.
Reposted by Michael Romano
John Roberts was 10 yrs old when the VRA was passed. He may not remember that event clearly, but he has been opposed to the VRA as long as he has been interested in the law. Since before even any conservative could argue it had done its job. Don’t mistake who/what he is.
May 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
John Roberts was 10 yrs old when the VRA was passed. He may not remember that event clearly, but he has been opposed to the VRA as long as he has been interested in the law. Since before even any conservative could argue it had done its job. Don’t mistake who/what he is.
Reposted by Michael Romano
Charlottesville used bookstore’s got game
April 29, 2026 at 12:22 AM
Charlottesville used bookstore’s got game
Reposted by Michael Romano
It’s so funny that they pubbed this the day before “john roberts invented the trump era shadow docket to make sure fossil fuel companies could keep killing you and make money doing it” bsky.app/profile/cris...
April 18, 2026 at 1:39 PM
It’s so funny that they pubbed this the day before “john roberts invented the trump era shadow docket to make sure fossil fuel companies could keep killing you and make money doing it” bsky.app/profile/cris...
Reposted by Michael Romano
There’s so much to say about the remarkable reporting from Jodi Kantor & Adam Liptak—and I’ll say a lot of it in Monday’s newsletter.
But the most striking thing about all of it is the role & behavior of Chief Justice Roberts. “Calling balls and strikes” this ain’t:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
But the most striking thing about all of it is the role & behavior of Chief Justice Roberts. “Calling balls and strikes” this ain’t:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court
www.nytimes.com
April 18, 2026 at 12:47 PM
There’s so much to say about the remarkable reporting from Jodi Kantor & Adam Liptak—and I’ll say a lot of it in Monday’s newsletter.
But the most striking thing about all of it is the role & behavior of Chief Justice Roberts. “Calling balls and strikes” this ain’t:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
But the most striking thing about all of it is the role & behavior of Chief Justice Roberts. “Calling balls and strikes” this ain’t:
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...
Reposted by Michael Romano
they're saying that all traces of Viktor are being erased so thoroughly that he's now just an orban legend
April 13, 2026 at 7:10 PM
they're saying that all traces of Viktor are being erased so thoroughly that he's now just an orban legend
Reposted by Michael Romano
I am so glad they are safe. My 2026 heart could not have handled it honestly.
April 11, 2026 at 12:09 AM
I am so glad they are safe. My 2026 heart could not have handled it honestly.
Reposted by Michael Romano
BREAKING: Following the American threat of an “Avignon Papacy,” Robert Kennedy has begun a Diet of Worms
April 8, 2026 at 11:46 PM
BREAKING: Following the American threat of an “Avignon Papacy,” Robert Kennedy has begun a Diet of Worms
Reposted by Michael Romano
this is exhausting.
April 7, 2026 at 11:00 PM
this is exhausting.
"It is a historical irony that Doctor Cochrane would use an instrument of mass destruction to inaugurate an era of peace"
Happy First Contact Day.
Happy First Contact Day.
April 5, 2026 at 3:16 PM
"It is a historical irony that Doctor Cochrane would use an instrument of mass destruction to inaugurate an era of peace"
Happy First Contact Day.
Happy First Contact Day.
Reposted by Michael Romano
ARTEMIS FROM SAILOR MOON WAS AT THE ARTEMIS 2 LAUNCH AND IM VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT
www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...
www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...
Reddit - https://i.redd.it/6wobm5kwotsg1.jpeg
www.reddit.com
April 2, 2026 at 7:02 PM
ARTEMIS FROM SAILOR MOON WAS AT THE ARTEMIS 2 LAUNCH AND IM VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT
www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...
www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...
Reposted by Michael Romano
Immigrants ask Fifth Circuit to revisit ruling on “historically unprecedented” mandatory detention policy.
A 2-1 panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the Trump admin in Feb — splitting with the vast majority of judges to consider the matter. Now, an attempt to reverse that with en banc review.
A 2-1 panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the Trump admin in Feb — splitting with the vast majority of judges to consider the matter. Now, an attempt to reverse that with en banc review.
Immigrants ask Fifth Circuit to revisit ruling on “historically unprecedented” mandatory detention policy
A 2-1 panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the Trump admin — splitting with the vast majority of judges to consider the matter. Now, an attempt to reverse that.
www.lawdork.com
March 24, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Immigrants ask Fifth Circuit to revisit ruling on “historically unprecedented” mandatory detention policy.
A 2-1 panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the Trump admin in Feb — splitting with the vast majority of judges to consider the matter. Now, an attempt to reverse that with en banc review.
A 2-1 panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the Trump admin in Feb — splitting with the vast majority of judges to consider the matter. Now, an attempt to reverse that with en banc review.
I am literally dying laughing at this.
"Bunch of guys obsessed with Ancient Sparta can't beat the Persians at sea" was probably one of the known-knowns, come to think of it.
March 22, 2026 at 6:28 PM
I am literally dying laughing at this.
This is the kind of energy we need in 2026.
Somehow, when my editor sent me the questions, my brain didn’t quite connect the dots to “Hey, you have an author interview in the New York Times!” Which is probably why I told them my biggest inspiration is spite.
This is a fabulous interview with @tkingfisher.com! Everybody should read it. (And I saw whut you did thar, mon ami. Thanks very much!) ☺️ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/books/review/t-kingfisher-wolf-worm.html
March 22, 2026 at 6:26 PM
This is the kind of energy we need in 2026.