Alyssa Negvesky
@alyssanegvesky.bsky.social
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Did lightning strike the Washington Monument during DC's July 4 fireworks? A remarkable photo sparked the question.
We examined the image and video to see what most likely happened: www.capitalweather.com/lightning-ap...
Photo by @AlyssaNegvesky on X
We examined the image and video to see what most likely happened: www.capitalweather.com/lightning-ap...
Photo by @AlyssaNegvesky on X
July 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Did lightning strike the Washington Monument during DC's July 4 fireworks? A remarkable photo sparked the question.
We examined the image and video to see what most likely happened: www.capitalweather.com/lightning-ap...
Photo by @AlyssaNegvesky on X
We examined the image and video to see what most likely happened: www.capitalweather.com/lightning-ap...
Photo by @AlyssaNegvesky on X
The iPhone camera gods blessed me today with this photo during the DC fireworks show so I thought I’d share
July 5, 2026 at 5:52 AM
The iPhone camera gods blessed me today with this photo during the DC fireworks show so I thought I’d share
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Iconic line from @stevevladeck.bsky.social here in response to Will Baude’s SCOTUS boosterism www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...
July 1, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Iconic line from @stevevladeck.bsky.social here in response to Will Baude’s SCOTUS boosterism www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Fourth (but *not* last) #SCOTUS ruling is in Pung v. Isabella County. For a (basically unanimous) Court, Justice Alito holds that, in a tax sale, neither the Fifth nor Eighth Amendment requires the government to compensate former owners based on the hypothetical fair market value of their property.
www.supremecourt.gov
June 23, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Fourth (but *not* last) #SCOTUS ruling is in Pung v. Isabella County. For a (basically unanimous) Court, Justice Alito holds that, in a tax sale, neither the Fifth nor Eighth Amendment requires the government to compensate former owners based on the hypothetical fair market value of their property.
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
#SCOTUS has posted a new version of Justice Alito’s mifepristone dissent that replaces the awkwardly revealing typo with just a dumb typo.
There’s a HIPAA joke here somewhere, except it’s not funny:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
There’s a HIPAA joke here somewhere, except it’s not funny:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
May 15, 2026 at 5:35 PM
#SCOTUS has posted a new version of Justice Alito’s mifepristone dissent that replaces the awkwardly revealing typo with just a dumb typo.
There’s a HIPAA joke here somewhere, except it’s not funny:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
There’s a HIPAA joke here somewhere, except it’s not funny:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Other than discovering that I’m apparently John Oliver’s son, @lastweektonight.com’s deep dive into the shadow docket is really quite good:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeq...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeq...
The Shadow Docket: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
www.youtube.com
May 11, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Other than discovering that I’m apparently John Oliver’s son, @lastweektonight.com’s deep dive into the shadow docket is really quite good:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeq...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeq...
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
We live in a time dominated by deeply unserious people making deeply unserious arguments in support of tragically serious results that serious people would have both avoided and known to avoid.
May 6, 2026 at 9:38 PM
We live in a time dominated by deeply unserious people making deeply unserious arguments in support of tragically serious results that serious people would have both avoided and known to avoid.
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Someone really ought to write a book about the significance of #SCOTUS doing so many major things through unsigned and unexplained rulings, and how so much of it really is a recent phenomenon.
April 18, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Someone really ought to write a book about the significance of #SCOTUS doing so many major things through unsigned and unexplained rulings, and how so much of it really is a recent phenomenon.
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Via @nytopinion.nytimes.com, my quick take on today's #SCOTUS argument in the birthright citizenship case.
TL;DR: The justices labored mightily to make sure Trump will lose *this* case, but in a way that will make it easier for him to avoid at least some similarly resounding defeats going forward:
TL;DR: The justices labored mightily to make sure Trump will lose *this* case, but in a way that will make it easier for him to avoid at least some similarly resounding defeats going forward:
Opinion | Trump Will Lose the Birthright Citizenship Case. But in a Way, He’s Already Won.
www.nytimes.com
April 1, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Via @nytopinion.nytimes.com, my quick take on today's #SCOTUS argument in the birthright citizenship case.
TL;DR: The justices labored mightily to make sure Trump will lose *this* case, but in a way that will make it easier for him to avoid at least some similarly resounding defeats going forward:
TL;DR: The justices labored mightily to make sure Trump will lose *this* case, but in a way that will make it easier for him to avoid at least some similarly resounding defeats going forward:
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
SCOOP: Federal judiciary approves new Supreme Court defender office to help represent indigent defendants at #SCOTUS.
Its full-time director will serve as a counterweight to the U.S. solicitor general in federal criminal cases. The first will be former Kagan clerk and SG atty Ashley Robertson.
Its full-time director will serve as a counterweight to the U.S. solicitor general in federal criminal cases. The first will be former Kagan clerk and SG atty Ashley Robertson.
March 10, 2026 at 4:59 PM
SCOOP: Federal judiciary approves new Supreme Court defender office to help represent indigent defendants at #SCOTUS.
Its full-time director will serve as a counterweight to the U.S. solicitor general in federal criminal cases. The first will be former Kagan clerk and SG atty Ashley Robertson.
Its full-time director will serve as a counterweight to the U.S. solicitor general in federal criminal cases. The first will be former Kagan clerk and SG atty Ashley Robertson.
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
congress sounds cool i wish it was real
February 28, 2026 at 7:41 PM
congress sounds cool i wish it was real
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
You guys @stevevladeck.bsky.social absolutely argued for his LIFE out here at the STC mock trial.
February 18, 2026 at 1:34 AM
You guys @stevevladeck.bsky.social absolutely argued for his LIFE out here at the STC mock trial.
Tarble!!!!!
Of all of the cases state courts are allowed to hear, #SCOTUS in 1872 held that habeas petitions by federal prisoners aren't among them.
In today's bonus issue of "One First," I wrote about the ruling in Tarble's Case; why it's largely incoherent; and how it continues to cause ripple effects today:
In today's bonus issue of "One First," I wrote about the ruling in Tarble's Case; why it's largely incoherent; and how it continues to cause ripple effects today:
Bonus 209: State Courts and Federal Prisoners
A nerdy detour down a Federal Courts rabbit hole—and into the outsized implications of the Supreme Court's deeply obscure, obtuse, and almost certainly incorrect 1872 ruling in "Tarble's Case"
www.stevevladeck.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Tarble!!!!!
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
D.C. folks: For something a bit more frivolous, I'll be arguing against Karen Dunn in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's 37th annual "Mock Trial" (N.B.: it's really a moot court) at 7:30 p.m. on February 17.
This year's scenario arises out of Othello, and it's ... a doozy.
For details and tickets:
This year's scenario arises out of Othello, and it's ... a doozy.
For details and tickets:
Mock Trial 2026 - Shakespeare Theatre Company
www.shakespearetheatre.org
January 26, 2026 at 4:26 PM
D.C. folks: For something a bit more frivolous, I'll be arguing against Karen Dunn in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's 37th annual "Mock Trial" (N.B.: it's really a moot court) at 7:30 p.m. on February 17.
This year's scenario arises out of Othello, and it's ... a doozy.
For details and tickets:
This year's scenario arises out of Othello, and it's ... a doozy.
For details and tickets:
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
"Just like the killing of Renée Good, Saturday morning’s shooting once again raises the question of why it is so damned difficult to hold federal officers—and the federal government itself—accountable if and when they violate our rights."
Me on the federal accountability gap—and how to close it:
Me on the federal accountability gap—and how to close it:
204. Accountability After Minneapolis
A short post explaining (1) why it's so hard to hold federal officers and/or the federal government liable for violating our rights; and (2) how a one-sentence statute could (and *SHOULD*) fix it.
www.stevevladeck.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:55 PM
"Just like the killing of Renée Good, Saturday morning’s shooting once again raises the question of why it is so damned difficult to hold federal officers—and the federal government itself—accountable if and when they violate our rights."
Me on the federal accountability gap—and how to close it:
Me on the federal accountability gap—and how to close it:
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Maybe this new blog can respond, in one of its first posts, to the argument that the term “interim docket” is a deliberately misleading attempt to minimize the (very permanent) doctrinal and real-world consequences of #SCOTUS’s rulings on emergency applications?
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
December 11, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Maybe this new blog can respond, in one of its first posts, to the argument that the term “interim docket” is a deliberately misleading attempt to minimize the (very permanent) doctrinal and real-world consequences of #SCOTUS’s rulings on emergency applications?
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Do they allow popcorn in Dirksen? Asking for me.
December 2, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Do they allow popcorn in Dirksen? Asking for me.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should.
Sometimes there are funny stories. Sometimes there are troubling stories that make you worry about humanity. And sometimes, it’s just Steve getting roasted in the comments.
Either way, it’s never boring. 🥳
Sometimes there are funny stories. Sometimes there are troubling stories that make you worry about humanity. And sometimes, it’s just Steve getting roasted in the comments.
Either way, it’s never boring. 🥳
Somehow, today is the third anniversary of "One First."
I wrote a little piece about why @ksvesq.bsky.social and I started the newsletter back in November 2022; how it's evolved since then (umm, a lot!); and our plans for the future.
Even if you don't already subscribe, I hope you'll check it out!
I wrote a little piece about why @ksvesq.bsky.social and I started the newsletter back in November 2022; how it's evolved since then (umm, a lot!); and our plans for the future.
Even if you don't already subscribe, I hope you'll check it out!
192. "One First" Turns Three!
A look back on the first three years of "One First"; a note of gratitude; and some thoughts on what's next for the newsletter
www.stevevladeck.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:36 PM
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should.
Sometimes there are funny stories. Sometimes there are troubling stories that make you worry about humanity. And sometimes, it’s just Steve getting roasted in the comments.
Either way, it’s never boring. 🥳
Sometimes there are funny stories. Sometimes there are troubling stories that make you worry about humanity. And sometimes, it’s just Steve getting roasted in the comments.
Either way, it’s never boring. 🥳
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Trying to figure out what #SCOTUS just did with #SNAP, and why Justice Jackson temporarily froze the district court's ruling?
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
190. SNAP WTF?
A very quick explainer on what (and why) Justice Jackson issued an "administrative stay" in the SNAP case late on Friday night, and on what's likely to happen next
www.stevevladeck.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Trying to figure out what #SCOTUS just did with #SNAP, and why Justice Jackson temporarily froze the district court's ruling?
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
My husband took the bar last year and today when I got my results, tell me why my first reaction was “DANG IT HE BEAT ME BY 4 POINTS”
(yes we both passed comfortably but I’m still mad)
(yes we both passed comfortably but I’m still mad)
October 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
My husband took the bar last year and today when I got my results, tell me why my first reaction was “DANG IT HE BEAT ME BY 4 POINTS”
(yes we both passed comfortably but I’m still mad)
(yes we both passed comfortably but I’m still mad)
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
There's a longstanding debate over the value of law professor amicus briefs at #SCOTUS.
I'll just note that the additional briefing the Court ordered today in the Illinois National Guard case was in direct response to an amicus brief filed by ... a law professor (@martylederman.bsky.social).
I'll just note that the additional briefing the Court ordered today in the Illinois National Guard case was in direct response to an amicus brief filed by ... a law professor (@martylederman.bsky.social).
October 30, 2025 at 3:32 AM
There's a longstanding debate over the value of law professor amicus briefs at #SCOTUS.
I'll just note that the additional briefing the Court ordered today in the Illinois National Guard case was in direct response to an amicus brief filed by ... a law professor (@martylederman.bsky.social).
I'll just note that the additional briefing the Court ordered today in the Illinois National Guard case was in direct response to an amicus brief filed by ... a law professor (@martylederman.bsky.social).
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
New paper from me offering a holistic assessment of #SCOTUS's behavior on Trump-related emergency applications thus far:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
TL;DR: The ultimate theme of the decisions is a majority bent on preserving *their* supremacy, as such—which is likely to only be self-defeating.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
TL;DR: The ultimate theme of the decisions is a majority bent on preserving *their* supremacy, as such—which is likely to only be self-defeating.
October 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
New paper from me offering a holistic assessment of #SCOTUS's behavior on Trump-related emergency applications thus far:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
TL;DR: The ultimate theme of the decisions is a majority bent on preserving *their* supremacy, as such—which is likely to only be self-defeating.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
TL;DR: The ultimate theme of the decisions is a majority bent on preserving *their* supremacy, as such—which is likely to only be self-defeating.
Never been so proud to be a fellow Georgetown law grad 😭 Been rooting for Ashley since day one, so glad she pulled out the W!!!!
September 29, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Never been so proud to be a fellow Georgetown law grad 😭 Been rooting for Ashley since day one, so glad she pulled out the W!!!!
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
Today's bonus "One First" goes deep into Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence in the ICE roving patrols case:
"If this is the kind of analysis that’s driving the justices’ votes in the other Trump-related cases, perhaps it really is understandable why the Court is so often declining to explain itself."
"If this is the kind of analysis that’s driving the justices’ votes in the other Trump-related cases, perhaps it really is understandable why the Court is so often declining to explain itself."
Bonus 177: A Closer Look at Justice Kavanaugh's ICE Raids Opinion
Walking through the only opinion written in support of Monday's Supreme Court stay in the ICE roving arrests case helps to highlight *how* the Court may be stacking the deck in Trump-related cases.
www.stevevladeck.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Today's bonus "One First" goes deep into Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence in the ICE roving patrols case:
"If this is the kind of analysis that’s driving the justices’ votes in the other Trump-related cases, perhaps it really is understandable why the Court is so often declining to explain itself."
"If this is the kind of analysis that’s driving the justices’ votes in the other Trump-related cases, perhaps it really is understandable why the Court is so often declining to explain itself."
Reposted by Alyssa Negvesky
settings > content & media > autoplay video & gifs = off
September 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
settings > content & media > autoplay video & gifs = off