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Josh Spickler

@joshspickler.bsky.social
529 followers 606 following 209 posts

Tennessean, instigator, Memphis' "leading disseminator of false information" but don't believe it, former public defender, ED at @justcity901.bsky.social go Grizz

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Reposted by Josh Spickler
Holly McCall @jhollymc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is the second execution since May that Tennessee has botched. We are unclear now what Pike's medical status is.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Supreme Court’s majority gave no reason for its literal life-and-death decision to wipe out an appeals court order issued earlier today and which was, on its face, intended to be temporary in nature. Sotomayor wrote tonight’s dissent. Order and dissent: www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
The Court's decision to vacate that stay interferes with the Sixth Circuit's routine administrative handling of a capital case and unnecessarily prevents that court from giving due consideration to Pike's claim. Worse, the Court grants such extraordinary relief solely to allow the State to execute Pike before litigation over her conviction has properly run its course in the lower courts. I see no reason to short-circuit the ordinary process of appellate review, particularly in light of the grave consequences of an erroneous de-cision. Tennessee's desire to expedite Pike's execution by a few days or even weeks cannot outweigh her "fundamentalinterest in [her] own life." Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U. S. 1,
9 (1985).
In capital cases, "[a]ppreciation of our own fallibility, and respect for the judgment of an appellate tribunal," demand caution before "acting irretrievably." Bowersox v. Williams,
517 U. S. 345, 347 (1996) (Ginsburg, J., dissenting). Indeed, this Court often states that it is "'a court of review, not of first view?" McLane Co. v. EEOC, 581 U.S. 72, 85 (2017) (quoting Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709, 718, n. 7
(2005)). Today, the Court, as it has too often lately, chooses to overlook that principle precisely when it matters most.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I wrote at Law Dork more about why this SCOTUS order is so bad. www.lawdork.com/p/the-big-pr...
lawdork.com
The big problems with Wednesday’s SCOTUS order allowing a Tennessee execution
SCOTUS cleared the way for Tennessee to kill Christa Pike over the dissent of the Democratic appointees. The order from the court’s Republican appointees is alarming on several fronts.
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Steven Hale @iamstevenhale.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Christa Pike’s attorneys say the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a stay of execution. News spreading now outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, where the execution is scheduled for 10am.
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Luke Garrett @lukegarrett.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
My kingdom for a Democratic Party that understands Republicans *literally* want to cause them harm.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Lulz
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John Hollinger @johnhollinger.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Tanking is out of control
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
If you’re fact checking, you’re already behind 15 seconds in
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LeeAnn Wombat @jonnyauping.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
that taylor swift dance…i think yall got a whole new curse to worry about
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Indivisible Memphis @indivisiblememphis.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
🚨PACK CITY HALL🚨 📅 June 9 | 4:00 PM 📍 Memphis City Council, 125 N. Main St. 🚗 Free parking at the Mud Island Parking Garage 🔗 Sign up to speak: bit.ly/MPDViolence #NoKings #Memphis #AccountabilityForMPD #JusticeForMemphis #Momsky#sheshed
🚨PACK CITY HALL🚨
📅 June 9 | 4:00 PM
📍 Memphis City Council, 125 N. Main St.
🚗 Free parking at the Mud Island Parking Garage

🔗 Sign up to speak: bit.ly/MPDViolence

#NoKings #Memphis #AccountabilityForMPD #JusticeForMemphis
#Momsky#sheshed
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
The ghouls at BRENTWOOD, TN-based private prison behemoth Core Civic are not satisfied: “Despite recent revenue growth, some Wall Street analysts had a complaint: ICE wasn’t arresting enough people.” www.nashvillescene.com/news/citylim...
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ACLU @aclu.org · 28/05/2026
BREAKING: We filed new declarations in federal court revealing a disturbing pattern of the Memphis Safe Task Force retaliating against people seeking to record their actions. No one should have their personal safety or privacy compromised for exercising their First Amendment rights.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
⚽️⚽️⚽️
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Indivisible Memphis @indivisiblememphis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
#sheshed #voterizer #momsky
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Pearl Preserves
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 12/05/2026
The Purcell Principle means it always too late for courts to fix something racist and never too late for states to do something racist
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Adam Mockler @adammockler.com · 11/05/2026
Could you get any more vile?
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
"In the last five years in Tennessee, Gichner said, 10 innocent people have been exonerated after serving a combined 300-plus years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit." nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/01/t...
nashvillebanner.com
Advocates ask to delay Tony Carruthers' execution for DNA testing - Nashville Banner
Death row exonerees and advocates appeal to Gov. Bill Lee to halt execution of Tony Carruthers to allow for DNA testing of untested evidence.
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Nashville Banner @nashvillebanner.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
FACT CHECK: No, Tennessee’s new Congressional map does not balance urban and rural communities. Data shows it does exaggerate gerrymandering and put Black and Democratic voters at a disadvantage. nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/08/t...
nashvillebanner.com
Congressional map redrawn: redistricting or gerrymandering? - Nashville Banner
A scientific look at whether Republican rationale for, or Democratic criticism of the Tennessee's redrawn congressional map is valid, or if both are true.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
How it’s going… how it started @GovBillLee strips representation from Memphis for Trump is no surprise edition
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Holly McCall @jhollymc.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The Tennessee House has passed new congressional maps and adjourned. The crowd is roaring. Can't tell if someone pulled the fire alarm or we are hearing sirens. Chaos in the Capitol.
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Doug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
My 8yo asked if I would post something to Bluesky for her, then grabbed a piece of paper and made this So here is your advice for the day:
Handwritten sign that says "Stand up fight BACK"
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
WHAT they are doing is abhorrent and immoral. But lost in all of it is HOW they are doing it: in relative secret, out of the public eye. It's next to impossible to follow even for a seasoned observer. They know what they are doing. And they will have to answer for it some day.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
In Todd we trust
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
“There’s nothing quite like going to the bail window, paying cash and getting a receipt for a human being.” mlk50.com/2026/04/22/a...
mlk50.com
A new bill would limit bail funds, leaving fewer defendants in Memphis with access to community support
The Bail Hearing Room at the Shelby County Justice Center is seen on April 2. Photo by Kevin Wurm / MLK50 / CatchLight Local / Report For America Laramie
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 31/03/2026
the clock is ticking heatmap.news/energy/hormu...
heatmap.news
Why the Real Oil Crisis Hasn’t Started Yet
If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed much longer, things will get really bad, really fast.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23/03/2026
with the country at war, Trump announces he's going to do some sightseeing at Graceland later today
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Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 06/03/2026
In every Republican presidency of my lifetime there's been a recession and a new war in the Middle East.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
TN is several years into these kinds of pretrial justice rollbacks. There is barely a hint remaining of the presumptions and burdens of proof originally written into the state law and constitution. This fall, TN votes on a constitutional amendment removing the right to bail from dozens of offense.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
When we say that jail conditions are not about the building, this is what we mean. One the left: a 50-year old description of The Tombs in NYC On the right: a recent description of Rikers Island, which replaced The Tombs
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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 17/02/2026
The difference between a judicial warrant and an administrative warrant is the difference between a $20 bill and a napkin that a fascist wrote "twenty dollars" on.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Obviously, the "task" was to pull over as many Black drivers as possible. This is not how you address violent crime. This is not how you investigate and solve crime. This is a roundup as a demonstration of strength and control. Shame on the City of Memphis and MPD for playing along.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
"Despite the fact that the Constitution requires counsel to be appointed for defendants unable to afford legal representation, the government spends only $7.9 billion on this right." Funding for the only constitutionally guaranteed component of the system is DWARFED by all other spending. 😡
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Smash your Ring camera.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
"And if using our local police and sheriffs to disappear them from their homes and cars doesn't work, we'll starve them, force them out into the streets, and deny them healthcare."
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
This failure of imagination and vision severely afflicts criminal justice policy as well. Believe it or not; we can have both safety AND justice.
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 09/02/2026
Benito is a threat b/c he makes art so alluring and enjoyable you want to understand everything about it and then you end up learning about sugar and slavery and colonialism and the Taínos and Hawaii and then you probably have some thoughts of your own, and that's why art is powerful and dangerous
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Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
If this halftime show doesn’t make Stephen miller wade into the sea
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 07/02/2026
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is Just Who Trump Is
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Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
"By the end of the two-year period, 94% of participants reported they were housed." A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends. Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
Homeless Oregon youth got $1,000 a month for two years. Most found housing after • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon is the second of its kind in the nation to implement the direct cash transfer program after New York City.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Hey, Tennessee. This is our leadership.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
It’s like living in China, but without the trust in science, progress on renewable energy, uptake in EVs, amazing high speed rail network, and great food.
nytimes.com
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This is near constant in CJ reform work.
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
“Faceless officials with guns and body armor are crying about how scared they are of having their names on the internet, while shooting unarmed Americans in the face.”
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Josh Spickler @joshspickler.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
We just lit candles for Alex in Midtown #Memphis
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Also, may I say that I don’t agree with people saying ICE and CBP need “more training.” They’re doing exactly what this administration has trained them to—impose a reign of fear in blue cities. They don’t need more training. They need to be ripped up root and branch.
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
NYT video analysis confirms victim’s gun was removed before he was shot. So he was unarmed. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/minne…
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