09 April 2022
Justice Thomas Will Not Recuse. But Should He?
There is a growing elite and scholarly consensus (at least on the American left) that Justice Clarence Thomas “must immediately recuse himself from any cases relating to the 2020 election and its aftermath.” The demand is extraordinary, and as such, it has captured global attention. The dispute highlights some notable things about the Court, but it is the scandal that really captures attention. So far, calls for recusal have come almost exclusively from the left. Conservatives have dismissed the idea. What to make of it all? Continue reading >>
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15 March 2022
Trump’s Straussian Shyster
Emails now available to US House of Representatives’ investigators suggest that John C. Eastman, the Trump lawyer behind the failed attempt to overturn the presidential election results, knew that his activities violated the US Electoral Count Act. Eastman’s activities shed light on ideological traits of Trumpism that have received little attention from legal scholars. He and other hardcore Trump disciples have relied on a highly selective interpretation of the ideas of Leo Strauss (1899-1973), the German Jewish refugee political thinker, to justify Trump’s authoritarian proclivities. Their ideological brew continues to threaten constitutional government in the United States. Continue reading >>
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29 January 2021
Was man sieht und was nicht
Über Putins Palast, private Verträge und andere Dinge, die man nicht jeden Tag sieht Continue reading >>29 January 2021
Facebook’s Oversight Board Takes on the Curious Case of Donald J. Trump
Facebook announced last week that it would refer the question of its decision to remove Donald Trump from its platforms to the Oversight Board. The case concerning the former President’s account marks a notable departure from the approach through the initial slate of Oversight Board cases announced in December and resolved this month. The decision the Board takes -- which will be binding, Facebook says -- could have major implications for the future of platform governance. But it may also force Facebook to reckon with its past. Continue reading >>
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29 January 2021
Does Twitter trump Trump?
Some of the biggest social media platforms recently decided to suspend the accounts of former US President Donald Trump. Even though such bans are not unprecedented, the fact that it concerned the then-still US President has triggered quite some controversy. But what about the European perspective - would the doctrine of positive obligations under Article 10 ECHR mean that Donald Trump’s right to freedom of expression was violated? Continue reading >>21 January 2021
Zum Glück der Vereinigten Staaten
Joseph Biden ist als neuer Präsident der USA vereidigt und Donald Trump hat das Weiße Haus verlassen. Amerikanische Gerichte wiesen die Klagen seiner Wahlkampagne auf Wahlbetrug als „substanzlos“ ab; Geschäftspartner*innen und Teile der Republikaner wanden sich in den vergangenen Wochen von ihm ab, und im Kongress ist nun – zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte der USA – ein zweites Impeachment Verfahren gegen ihn eröffnet worden. Der amerikanische Rechtsstaat und die Institutionen haben sich bewährt. Ende gut, alles gut also? Ganz so einfach ist es nicht. Continue reading >>
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18 January 2021
Re-impeachment
Public law accountability is the hallmark of any constitutional government worthy of the name precisely because it would be less arbitrary. But private law accountability is better than nothing. Given that we don’t know how the impeachment trial will turn out, and given that Trump’s fellow Republicans do not yet seem ready to cut themselves lose from him, private retribution may be all we have. Continue reading >>15 January 2021
Press Here to Reset the System
Why removing Trump from an office he no longer holds is a good thing to do Continue reading >>
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