Judge Young's final "annotated order" in AAUP v. Rubio, just issued. A huge First Amendment victory. Very proud of my colleagues @ramyakrishnan.bsky.social @alexabdo.bsky.social @georgewang.bsky.social & grateful to our clients @aaup.org @mesa1966.bsky.social. knightcolumbia.org/documents/k4...
SCOTUS has just rejected the government's application for a stay in Margolin v. NAIJ, our challenge to restrictions on the speech of immigration judges. It should reject the government's forthcoming cert petition, too. Full @knightcolumbia.org statement below. knightcolumbia.org/content/supr...
The only thing the Supreme Court's TikTok ruling has managed to accomplish is to grant Trump even more influence over the digital public sphere, as I argued early this year when he first took credit for "saving" TikTok: www.justsecurity.org/106601/tikto...
The sanctions that Trump has imposed on the ICC and UN rapporteurs have been deterring American human rights advocates and scholars from exercising their First Amendment rights. This letter--obtained by @mesa1966.bsky.social & @knightcolumbia.org--should help. knightcolumbia.org/content/trum...
“The Treasury Department’s concession is a significant reprieve to the many American scholars, journalists, and advocates that have been chilled from exercising their rights because they fear liability under U.S. sanctions laws,” @georgewang.bsky.social.
More:
knightcolumbia.org/content/trum...
BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥
Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.
Full ruling here:
⬇️ NEWS: “This is a historic ruling that should have immediate implications for the Trump administration’s policies. If the First Amendment means anything, it means the government can’t imprison people simply because it disagrees with their political views."
knightcolumbia.org/content/in-l...
Judge Young: "The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence." An extraordinary, historic victory for democratic freedom. knightcolumbia.org/content/in-l...
A huge win in @knightcolumbia.org's challenge to the Trump admin's policy of targeting noncitizen students and faculty for deportation based on their pro-Palestinian speech. Thank you @aaup.org and @mesa1966.bsky.social for trusting in us to represent you.
knightcolumbia.org/content/in-l...
The ideological deportation policy violates the First Amendment and the APA. It recalls practices long associated with the most repressive governments in the world and harkens back to eras in our own history that are now remembered with shame. Read more here: knightcolumbia.org/documents/xi...
DHS and State have carried out the ideological deportation policy in spectacular fashion and to devastating effect--for the individuals already targeted and for many more. It has terrified noncitizens into silence and created a climate of fear and repression at college campuses across the country.
Under a new referral process, DHS forwarded reports to State to determine whether to revoke an individual’s visa or find them removable. State Dept officials based their decisions on individuals' political speech and conflated pro-Palestinian advocacy with antisemitism and support for terrorism.
A DHS "Tiger Team" produced reports on hundreds of student protesters, including Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Öztürk, and Mohsen Mahdawi. The reports documented individuals' speech and protest activities and included unverified claims that those activities were antisemitic, pro-Hamas, or anti-Israel.
Here's how the govt's ideological deportation policy worked: Shortly after Trump issued EOs 14,161 and 14,188, DHS launched an operation to identify and investigate pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses, relying heavily on the website Canary Mission as a source for potential targets.
Check out @knightcolumbia.org's post-trial brief in AAUP v. Rubio, which documents the Trump admin's efforts to arrest, detain, and deport students and scholars for their pro-Palestinian advocacy and explains why this ideological deportation policy violates the First Amendment. More below.
@knightcolumbia.org has filed an almost-200-page brief describing evidence presented during trial in our AAUP v. Rubio case challenging the Trump admin’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen faculty & students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. knightcolumbia.org/content/post...
In Boston, the most consequential and far-reaching trial of the second Trump Presidency has been set in motion: A.A.U.P. v. Rubio, which challenges the Administration’s systematic campaign to arrest, detain, and deport pro-Palestinian student protesters.
This has been the first major trial of Trump’s second term. Over eight days of witness testimony, it uncovered a wealth of new detail about the ideological-deportation policy and its effects on college and university campuses across the country.
#AAUPvRubio
Check out some of the highlights of the two week trial here: knightcolumbia.org/content/land...
Further briefing and a decision to come.
It has been an immense honor to represent @aaup.org and @mesa1966.bsky.social in this important case. And I am filled with such admiration and appreciation for everyone we had the opportunity to work with over the past few months.
This morning we wrapped up our trial in AAUP v. Rubio--our challenge to the Trump admin's ideological deportation policy--with powerful closing statements by my @knightcolumbia.org colleague @ramyakrishnan.bsky.social and Alex Conlon of Sher Tremonte.
📍TODAY at 10:00am ET – We're set to deliver closing arguments in our AAUP v. Rubio case challenging Trump admin’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen faculty and students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Register to join the livestream: forms.mad.uscourts.gov/seating-sign...
Prelim matters at 9am ET, closings at 10am ET.
To listen in, register for the livestream here: forms.mad.uscourts.gov/seating-sign...
Tomorrow: Closing arguments in AAUP v. Rubio,
@aaup.org, @mesa1966.bsky.social, and @knightcolumbia.org's challenge to the Trump admin's policy of deporting students for their pro-Palestinian speech and advocacy.
Catch up on the trial here: knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup...
A federal judge in Boston will hear closing arguments tomorrow in AAUP v Rubio, our challenge to the arrests and threatened deportations of foreign students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. I spoke with @democracynow.org about the case a couple of weeks ago. www.democracynow.org/2025/5/29/ja...
Official Confirms State Department Considered Statements Critical of Israel and U.S. in Revoking Foreign Students’ Visas. Below are highlights from Day 9 of @aaup.org v. Rubio trial. Closing arguments are set for Monday 7/21, 10am ET. Register for livestream below.
knightcolumbia.org/content/offi...
“For a long time — and especially the last year and a half — there have been plenty of reasons why people who have engaged in pro-Palestinian speech and advocacy may have felt chilled, particularly on college campuses,” says @georgewang.bsky.social in @theverge.com. www.theverge.com/policy/70772...
