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John Hawkinson

@johnhawkinson.bsky.social
3.9K followers 550 following 9.9K posts

Cambridge, MA freelance reporter, usually for @CambridgeDay. MIT; public recs; data; legal news Lately: immigration. jhawk@alum.mit.edu 617.797.0250

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Reposted by John Hawkinson
Cambridge Day @cambridgeday.com · 17h
Developers of 1740 Mass Ave. will have to wait on injunction A judge did not grant their request for a building permit, and said she would issue a decision soon....
cambridgeday.com
Developers of 1740 Mass Ave. will have to wait on injunction
A judge did not grant their request for a building permit, and said she would issue a decision soon.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just out of the OND 1740 v. Cambridge PI hearing in Middlesex Superior. No answer yet, but the judge took it under advisement.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT (148) people signed up for public comment at tonight's #cambma City Council meeting. BUCKLE UP. Still, at one minute per, that's only 2.5 hours.
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Reposted by John Hawkinson
Cambridge Day @cambridgeday.com · 25/09/2026
Cambridge recommends raising property taxes by 6.9% As with last year, commercial properties would face the brunt of a rate increase, a 21 percent jump, if approved....
cambridgeday.com
Cambridge recommends raising property taxes by 6.9%
As with last year, commercial properties would face the brunt of a rate increase, a 21 percent jump, if approved.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Oof. At the BZA tonight, Patrick Barrett was seeking reduced setbacks for 17 Story / 127 Mt. Auburn / Harriet Jacobs, to give neighbors 13+ feet instead of 5 feet. Faced with a continuance request, Barrett plays hardball and requests to withdraw and he'll build a by-right project (5 feet from nbrs)
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Huh. The Sept. 28 #cambma City Council agenda is out and I see no references to the inclusionary nexus study. Not sure if it's delayed or what?
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We finally have some argument teed up to the Superior Court on the fight about 1740 Mass Ave. and the Cambridge's refusal to issue a building permit vs. the developers refusal to sign the affordable housing covenant at a time they see as premature:
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Back to local stuff: special city council meeting on Wednesday about the 1740 Mass Ave. litigation, where they sought a preliminary injunction to get their building permit the City is withholding it and requiring signing an affordable housing covenant that's not suppose to come until much later
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
OK, new thread to discuss advocacy about Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(c), the rule which restricts access to immigration documents in PACER and CM/ECF. There's a fair bit going on, not just the RCFP litigation referenced in the quoted post from Wednesday:
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
waiting for someone to call me out for saying blue/pink instead of cyan/salmon
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Melissa Peters (#cambma Ass't City Manager for Community Development) announces the inclusionary nexus study will be presented on Sept. 28, but the study "did find justification for the set-aside rate of 20%" SUMMARY: Nexus study finds Cambridge's 20% inclusionary rate still justified.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
As others noted, yesterday that AP (rep'd by RCFP) sued the US Courts in DDC, challenging the constitutionality of Rule 5.2(c) [aka the bane of my existence?], the rule that restricts remote electronic access to immigration case filings. RECAP docket: www.courtlistener.com/docket/74793...
courtlistener.com
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS v. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS, 1:26-cv-03219 - CourtListener.com
Docket for THE ASSOCIATED PRESS v. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS, 1:26-cv-03219 — Brought to you by Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal inf...
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Reposted by John Hawkinson
Reuters Legal @legal.reuters.com · 16/09/2026
The Associated Press sued the U.S. federal judiciary to challenge the constitutionality of a rule that has restricted reporters' ability to easily access lawsuits by people detained as part of President ​Donald Trump's immigration crackdown @nateraymond.bsky.social reut.rs/4h8XUKP
reut.rs
AP sues to challenge limits on access to US lawsuits by immigration detainees
The Associated Press sued the U.S. federal judiciary on Tuesday to challenge the constitutionality of a rule that has restricted reporters' ability to easily access lawsuits by people detained as part...
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The #cambma Cambridge Planning Board GRANTS HealthPeak's PB-410 PUD Special Permit for multiple decades of future Alewife Quad development, pedestrian bridge, &c., &c. PUD==Planned Unit Development. Years in the making, years to go. HTC y MF y ML y DM y AT y CZ y TS y
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Back to local politics. Tonight's #cambma City Council hearing…20 speakers signed up for public comment, so two minutes each. Looks like there were two late-breaking changes to the agenda. I'm remote tonight, I won't be able to pick up in-person handouts.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Today's Guerrero Orellana hearing is a bit spicier than I expected.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Northeast Mass. Region and #cambma were "downgraded" to Level 1 drought status (mild) yesterday (Sept. 10). www.mass.gov/info-details...
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Judge Leo Sorokin to DOJ/ICE: RIP your presumption of regularity. (ICE failed to oppose EAJA fees & sought reconsideration of the fee award after the unopposed motion was granted. burn:"Had ICE simply acknowledged in a single sentence that it missed the deadlines due to oversight despite notice")
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The agenda for the Sept .14 meeting of the #cambma City Council finally came out this afternoon. Apparently the result of 14 months of screening committees and interviews is to just hire Deputy City Clerk Paula Crane as the actual City Clerk, because…all the outside candidates withdrew? huh.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I assume everyone knows the First Circuit denied the Government's stay request in League of Women Voters &c. 12:36pm. (I've been distracted by the #cambma Recount).
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Hello from the Brownsberger/ Lander recount in Cambridge! Starting with Precinct 8-2.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The #cambma Mid-Cambridge NCD commission votes to deny a certificate of appropriateness to 9 Ellsworth (DND Homes, represented by Patrick Barrett). (The motion was put in the negative form, votes: CT y SG y AC y PC y AvP y MHK y JFS y) Last-ditch attempt at a continuance denied.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So apparently Cambridge WILL be doing a Brownsberger/ Lander recount. On Thursday. "We just haven't posted it yet." #cambma
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
#cambma posted its Official results from Tuesday's primaries a few minutes ago: www.cambridgema.gov/departments/... Notably, no change in Browsnberger/Lander from Wednesday: Brownsberger 1614 Lander 1862
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
So much so that in the anticipation of the PI ruling from Judge Talwani, I even forgot to ask, "Where are the Cambridge Official Results?" I guess they have until Saturday to release them but I was expecting them today, but I can't really justify that expectation. I guess we'll see them tomorrow.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
PI granted ten minutes ago. Happy Friday.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Meanwhile, the 2nd circuit agrees to rehear Mohsen Mahdawi en banc! That's very good for him and I guess his judicial headcounting analysis in the en banc petition played well or was at least correct. (He and Ozturk drew an esp. bad panel.)
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Good morning from the Moakley Courthouse, outside Courtroom 9, where we'll have the 9am preliminary injunction hearing in League of Women Voters v. Trump and California v. USPS. It's pretty rainy in Boston today and I think I biked through the worst of it.
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Reposted by John Hawkinson
City of Cambridge @cambridgemass.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We have updated results for Senator in General Court Suffolk and Middlesex District. These results include the unofficial results released election night as well as hand counted ballots: www.cambridgema.gov/departments/...
cambridgema.gov
September 1 2026 State Primary Unofficial Results
Election night results include in-person early voting, mail-in ballots received by election day, and ballots processed by tabulators in polling places. These results do not include hand-counted ballot...
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Reposted by John Hawkinson
John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Cambridge just sent out updated Brownsberger/Lander results, narrowing Lander's Cambridge lead from +261 to +248: "These results include the unofficial results released election night as well as hand counted ballots."
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
826 uncounted auxiliary ballots in Cambridge, but that's over all precincts. Brownsberger/Lander is only in 5 of 33 precincts so that's only an estimated 125 ballots (averaging all precincts equally), not likely to change things in a 60 vote margin.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Hello, Primary election day! As in past years, I will attempt to collect Cambridge election results from machine tapes as polls close or tapes are posted at the Senior Center. (But many races go outside #cambma boundaries, so value of this is limited!) Google Sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
Cambridge 2026 state/federal primary realtime tally
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Over in the USPS mail-in voting litigation (Cal. v. Missouri, LWV v. Trump), appellate division, it's like the First Circuit is turning over their tortoise-like speed record. TRO motion filed at 10:25pm, scheduling order entered at 6:37am. Plaintiff's responses now due at 5pm today.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Total of 1,913 in-person Early Voters in #cambma this past week (Friday was the last in-person early voting day). The Main Library beat out the Water Department:
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
WELL THEN: Just in time for the September Primary, the Secretary of State's Office has ORDERED Cambridge #cambma to make chain-of-custody changes to how ballot data is handled between computers and tabulators, as a result of the Nov. 2025 mis-reporting of School Committee results.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Advance Depositing for #cambma early/absentee voting is about to begin, starting with 10-2.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Some #camba Early Voting stats. Pretty quiet. 319 early in-person voters on Saturday and 189 early in-person on Sunday, with the Main Library and the Water Dept. running neck-and-neck for most popular of the three locations.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
"Advance Removal" of early ballots for the September primary is beginning in #cambma with Precinct 6-2. They'll be run through the tabulator on Friday and not before.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
FOLLOWUP: @cambridgepolice.bsky.social says that ShotSpotter is back on in #cambma, although apparently different parts of the City's emergency/law enforcement apparatus got their access back on at different times (Friday for Emergency Communications, today for the Police proper).
Good evening,

 

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) can confirm that ShotSpotter was reactivated for the Emergency Communications Center late Friday afternoon, August 14, and for the Cambridge Police Department this morning, August 17.

 

The system is now operational across all previously covered areas of the city.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
What is going on with the #cambma Cambridge Police? It looks like they are almost a month behind on issuing their Daily Log? (I admit, I am very bad about reading it!) www.cambridgema.gov/departments/... Same deal with the Data Portal: data.cambridgema.gov/Public-Safet...
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Guerrero Orellana update, 9:04pm: The First Circuit (Montecalvo, Lynch) joins most of the others in finding mandatory detention is not required of non-criminal aliens. Dissent from Dunlap. District court (PBS, D.Mass) affirmed.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Looks like #cambma has been "downgraded" to a less severe Level 2 drought status, as of…last week? Why does it always feel like these announcements come well after-the-fact? (It's like calculating UTC, it can only be done historically????) www.cambridgema.gov/news/detail?...
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
. @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social out with a look at Rep. Marjorie Decker's $100,000+ outside job that she doesn’t like to talk about. @shawnboehmer.bsky.social and Jack Reardon report. www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
thecrimson.com
Inside State Rep. Marjorie Decker’s Decade-Long Work at a Boston Law Firm | News | The Harvard Crimson
For nearly a decade, State Rep. Marjorie Decker has earned at least $100,001 annually from a Boston law firm. Records obtained by The Crimson reveal new details about what she does there.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Well, that's a new one on me at tonight's #cambma Historical Commission. KS: "Are these floorplans done in AI?" Petitioner's architect: "Yes." (apparently they were outlined by the architect and then some of graphics/icons were added by AI, which explains lack of kitchens, weird bed positions, &c)
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The Brown Petition cannot come back for two years. A little less clear as to some of its constituent elements.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Approval for ShotSpotter is back in Cambridge, MA. #cambma (Not sure how fast it'll actually be turned back on. Tonight? Tomorrow?)
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"Only" 50 people in line for public comment at tonight's #cambma City Council summer meeting. It's been a month since the last regular meeting and will be another until the next, so long agenda with controversial topics.
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Tonight is the #cambma City Council's one meeting of the summer, with a huge agenda including questions about revisiting the removal of Shotspotter. Perhaps John Oliver read the agenda: he included a segment on Shotspotter in his show last night: youtu.be/lnBPhelCdWE?... (Also appearing: Flock)
youtu.be
Police Surveillance Technology: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Coming up at 5:30pm, a special #cambma City Council meeting in light of the shooting death of Xavier Bautista on July 4. There's public comment and a discussion of technology (i.e. ShotSpotter).
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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
And by vote of 7-2, the #cambma City Council votes a Negative Recommendation on the Brown Petition, but some of those votes would likely support some pieces if they didn't affect affordable development. BA's motion. AAZ y BA y TF n MM y PN y EDS y JSW y CZ n SS y bsky.app/profile/john...
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