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David A. Hughes, Ph.D.

@davidhughesphd.bsky.social
297 followers 409 following 372 posts

Political scientist studying American law and courts, state politics, and southern politics | Coonhound dad | Southern highlander | davidhughesphd.com

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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This is why I do state politics. There just aren't that many interesting questions left about scotus, in my opinion. You can still take big swings in subnational politics.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Went to buy some eastern white pine for some secondary wood on a desk I'm building, and I sometimes forget what a delight it is to mill up compared to the dense hardwoods I'm usually working. Just zips through a table saw, smooth as butter.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Past time for a show cause order.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Man, I really hate this playoff format. Atlanta shouldn't have to play the Phillies after beating them in the division. Not in round 1 at least. If we're going to do wildcards, you shouldn't have the division winners playing the teams they just beat in a best of 3 series.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Been playing around with an arts and crafts style finishing recipe, and folks, we might have a winner.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
You know, if I was a murderer, and Poirot asked me to attend a get-together with all the other suspects in the case, I'd probably just not attend.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This might be the closest thing to a seller's market as I've ever seen in academia.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Another day, another public law job for tenure line faculty in an American university. I've never seen a public law job market like this before.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I tweeted (no, I'm not using the other word--gross) a while back that I was experimenting with using video essay assignments for my undergraduate courses for take-home work. Early results--I love it. I'm getting genuine student engagement, and I'm not reading AI slop.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I was raised in an evangelist culture---that ain't normal.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Maybe the single best Star Trek line uttered in any series. Worf: "Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago....They were more trouble than they were worth." Kills me every time.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
But seriously, guys, what the heck? Hitting the print button somehow makes the thing impervious to change?
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Well, I managed to bungle my backcountry permit in the GSMNP, and apparently you're not allowed to amend or change it after *printing* it. SO! I'm now considering this hike on the AT, southbound from Fontana Dam to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. About a 28 mile 1 or 2 nighter.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Now if we want to talk about hiking clubs and their rebellion against cars, that's fair. The Appalachian Trail exists in large part due to Benton MacKaye's hatred of suburbia, etc. But he never made the AT happen. That was Myron Avery, who bears more in common with Boone than MacKaye.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
One could argue that a walk in the woods is baked into the American identity. We've long been explorers and long been drawn into wild spaces. Daniel Boone, Meriwether Lewis, David Crocket, ..., the list goes on.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Manuscript submitted! May the peer-review gods be ever on our side.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The big takeaway: Politics in stagnant southern states continues to exhibit exceptional racial polarization that impedes minority representation on courts.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
What's more, we help show that since the state has partisan realigned, black representation is best furthered by popular election. The catch: We find a circuit has to be at least 58% black before the likelihood of a black judge winning exceeds even odds.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
With some phenomenal research assistance by the Alabama Supreme Court Library, we tracked down every circuit (trial) court judge since the state's admission in 1819 through 2024. We show that the trial courts were a quarter-century behind the legislature in integrating.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I'm really proud of this one, y'all. This paper, "The Racial Integration of a Deep South Judiciary," with my coauthor, Nathan Jordan, is forthcoming at SPPQ. Using a single-state case study, we show how the Alabama trial courts were racially integrated. davidhughesphd.com/wp-content/u...
davidhughesphd.com
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Maybe the folks in Dune had it right with the whole, "no thinking machines," thing. www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
reuters.com
Anthropic disrupts bioweapons research efforts, Russian hacking, Chinese Claude misuse
Anthropic broke up attempts to use its Claude ​models to develop biological weapons and carry out a suspected Russia-linked cyber espionage campaign against Ukraine, the AI heavyweight said.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Manuscript accepted!
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I've used that in the past to interesting, though varied effects. I like the idea of getting them to think creatively, beyond the written word.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The first assignment is due tomorrow. Students are asked to explain the research question, hypotheses, etc. in a short PS article. Students record themselves via Zoom and have an accompanying slide-show while they verbally explain its content. We'll see how it goes!
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I'm trying something new in my undergraduate research methods class. It's a hybrid course, meaning most days we don't meet in-person, and assignments are completed at-home. How to prevent a bunch of AI cutting/pasting? I'm having students record themselves giving a presentation.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I hiked the northern half of the Smokies 15 years ago going southbound, so I've already climbed from the bottom to the top. Hence, I feel like I've earned the easy way back down, going from the top down to the bottom, lol.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I think I'm narrowing down my fall backpacking trip to do the southern 1/2 of the #GSMNP. Start at Kuwohi, camp night 1 at Siler's Bald. Next, hike to Russell Field to camp night 2, and then hike down to Fontana Dam. Total of around 32 miles, 6k ft ascent, 11k ft descent.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Bob Lincoln and Mr. Wilson are going to be calendar boys, it appears. My alma mater is creating a calendar featuring alumni pets.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Doom. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
reuters.com
Global bond rout deepens as Japan yield hits key milestone
Japan's ​10-year bond yield hit 3% for the first time since 1996, the latest manifestation of trader angst about energy-driven inflation, monetary tightening and worsening fiscal conditions.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Checks and balances just don't work when SCOTUS demands judicial supremacy (that only they have the right to interpret the law) and when the formal check is an amendment. In other contexts, the president has a veto, and Congress has achievable majorities to override. A re-balance is necessary.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I'll do you one better: Article III is half-baked at best and should have been over-hauled 200 years ago. Giving the Supreme Court the ability to interpret the scope of their own power was foreseeably stupid.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I got the whole DS9 series, so I'm watching season 1 for the first time in a while. And I regret to inform you we've made it to "Move along Home."
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
And the vacuum is dead. Banner day!
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Apparently one of the dogs had some gastric distress in the kitchen last night. Which the robot vacuum hit. It's a darn good thing I love these animals to death because this has been an unpleasant morning.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
College football is back, it's only *partially* oppressively hot, so I'm calling it fall and making a gumbo.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Found a baby snake in the yard. So that's great. Snakes are breeding near, or possibly under, my home.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Indian removal, and the decades of political struggle that led to it, is one of the most important developments in the history and politics of the south, and scholars like me do a ruddy job teaching it.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This is one of the most interesting books I've read on southeastern Indians, pre-removal. The next time I teach southern politics, one unit will be on the politics involving southern tribes, the US and various states, and Europeans, Indian resistance, accommodation, and removal.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
What was meant to be a 2 day project turned into a 3 week comedy of errors, but this bedside cupboard is at long last done (enough). Tiger maple, and I turned the pulls from ebony.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I was pretty sympathetic to Kean following his revelation on the floor of the House, but no public servant has a right to this degree of privacy. When you throw your hat into the public arena, you do it all the way. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/n...
nytimes.com
We Tried to Cover a Tom Kean Campaign Event. Someone Called the Police.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Interesting reporting by CNN here. edition.cnn.com/2026/08/18/b...
edition.cnn.com
Iran has lost significant control of the Strait of Hormuz | CNN Business
The battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the focal point of the Iran war. Over the past several months, both Iran and the United States have claimed the upper hand – and the competing...
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I turned some ebony pulls recently, and they look stunning with this tiger maple.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Not much to look at, but this is my first effort at turning--in this case a drawer pull. I immediately understand how folks fall im love with this.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
When I teach the institutional design of the federal judiciary, a point that keeps coming up with students is how half-baked Article III is. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
politico.com
‘Is she even allowed to be doing this?’: Inside a federal judge’s side gig running a PR firm
Jennifer Mascott’s tenure at public affairs firm Adfero sparked questions around conflicts of interest and partisanship.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
It'd be awesome because those things are always looking for some way to give you what you want.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
My total hiking milage for that time frame is 300 miles, so I've spent 79% of my hiking since 2023 in the Smokies. And I barely hiked in 2024 (22 miles) due to my move from AL to LA.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I also tend to do a lot of my hiking in the Smokies that *aren't* the Appalachian Trail. I'd guesstimate I've done around 300 of the 800 miles of trail on the NC side of the Smokies. Some portions I've done many times over. Since 2023 alone, I've done 237 miles in the Smokies.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The objective is to eventually finish all of the Appalachian Trail contained in Georgia (done), Tennessee, and North Carolina. I've thought about going to Harper's Ferry, WV (the midpoint, around mile 1,020). But I'm not sure my heart's in it for all 500 miles of Virginia.
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
What I need to do is knock out the 100 of the 235 miles of the AT I still haven't done from the trail's southern terminus up to the northern end of the Smokies. But I've fallen in love with the highlands in northern NC and southern VA. I was there last fall, and it was stunning.
Grayson Highlands in southwestern Virginia, Rhododendron Gap
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David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I think the idea is to start at Iron Mountain Gap and hike north to US 19E. The tricky part of this, however, is that a loop isn't possible, meaning I'll have to arrange a shuttle--which I hate. But I also hate re-hiking the same trail twice, so we'll have to live with it.
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