David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026This 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. 020
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Went 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Man, 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. 001
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Been playing around with an arts and crafts style finishing recipe, and folks, we might have a winner. 010
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026You 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026This might be the closest thing to a seller's market as I've ever seen in academia. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Another 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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026I 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. 020
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026I was raised in an evangelist culture---that ain't normal. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Maybe 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. 010
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026But seriously, guys, what the heck? Hitting the print button somehow makes the thing impervious to change? 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Well, 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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Now 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 13/09/2026One 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. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Manuscript submitted! May the peer-review gods be ever on our side. 040
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026The big takeaway: Politics in stagnant southern states continues to exhibit exceptional racial polarization that impedes minority representation on courts. 020
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026What'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. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026With 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. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I'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 173
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Maybe the folks in Dune had it right with the whole, "no thinking machines," thing. www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...reuters.comAnthropic disrupts bioweapons research efforts, Russian hacking, Chinese Claude misuseAnthropic 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. 001
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I'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. 010
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026The 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! 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I'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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I 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. 010
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I 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. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Bob Lincoln and Mr. Wilson are going to be calendar boys, it appears. My alma mater is creating a calendar featuring alumni pets. 030
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Doom. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...reuters.comGlobal bond rout deepens as Japan yield hits key milestoneJapan'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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Checks 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I'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. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026I 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." 130
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026And the vacuum is dead. Banner day! 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Apparently 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. 210
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/08/2026College football is back, it's only *partially* oppressively hot, so I'm calling it fall and making a gumbo. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Found a baby snake in the yard. So that's great. Snakes are breeding near, or possibly under, my home. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Indian 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026This 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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026What 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. 020
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I 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.comWe Tried to Cover a Tom Kean Campaign Event. Someone Called the Police. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Interesting reporting by CNN here. edition.cnn.com/2026/08/18/b...edition.cnn.comIran has lost significant control of the Strait of Hormuz | CNN BusinessThe 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... 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026I turned some ebony pulls recently, and they look stunning with this tiger maple. 010
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Not 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026When 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 firmJennifer Mascott’s tenure at public affairs firm Adfero sparked questions around conflicts of interest and partisanship. 110
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026It'd be awesome because those things are always looking for some way to give you what you want. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026My 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. 000
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026I 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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026The 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. 100
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026What 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. 300
David A. Hughes, Ph.D. @davidhughesphd.bsky.social · 02/08/2026I 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. 000