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Justin Pidot

@justinpidot.bsky.social
393 followers 384 following 139 posts

Law professor at University of Arizona studying environmental and natural resources law. Occasional federal employee in favorable times.

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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Pidot on Participatory Abundance Justin R. Pidot (University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law) has posted Participatory Abundance…...
legaltheoryblog.com
Pidot on Participatory Abundance
Justin R. Pidot (University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law) has posted Participatory Abundance on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Americans do not trust the government, and the federal government least of all. An emerging abundance movement offers a vision for rekindling public trust by eliminating substantive and procedural constraints on the government’s capacity to increase the supply of infrastructure, housing, technological innovation, and other things people need to live flourishing lives.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Congress considers permitting “reform” to allow agencies to simply ignore science (and public comments too). legal-planet.org/2025/09/07/h...
legal-planet.org
House Natural Resources Committee Holds Hearing on Another Ill-Conceived Permitting Reform Bill - Legal Planet
The SPEED Act, the latest NEPA "reform" bill, would fatally compromise a recipe for ill-conceived decisions, not better government.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
OLC reared its head recently to opine that Trump can abolish any national monument he wants. Here are just a few of the problems with OLC’s opinion. www.yalejreg.com/nc/olc-rears...
yalejreg.com
OLC Rears Its Head to Recognize an Unlimited Presidential Power to Abolish National Monuments for Any Reason, by Justin Pidot - Yale Journal on Regulation
As Jack Goldsmith observed in February, one of the “innovations” of the second Trump presidency has been to “cut down or eliminate” the legal interpretive authority of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC...
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Trump is coming for libraries and museums too. Arizona Law’s Teresa Miguel-Sterns writes about what we stand to lose. tucson.com/opinion/colu...
tucson.com
Local opinion: Federal support is disappearing for Arizona's libraries and museums
What's at stake isn't merely buildings with books and artifacts, but our shared commitment to an informed society.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
A beautiful and haunting reflection on Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | What exactly does Trump think is in the Smithsonian?
Following his most recent executive order, I went in search of some “corrosive ideology.”
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Michele Okoh |🖤🩶🤍💜|🔺🐘 @okohlaw.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
This is the most important news right now. Finally, someone stands up in the Senate & uses the filibuster. We need to see more of this, but that only happens if we pay attention. He has committed to stand & talk on the Senate floor until he can’t anymore. Give this man some support!
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Northeastern Law @nusl.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Environmental Justice is Not About “Them.” It’s About All of Us. Check out this @acslaw.bsky.social op-ed co-authored by Prof. Sharmila Murthy @sharmilamurthy.bsky.social, former director for environmental justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. www.acslaw.org/expertforum/...
acslaw.org
Environmental Justice is Not About “Them.” It’s About All of Us. | ACS
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Trump is making the environmental review process under NEPA worse. Worse for the environment. Worse for the public. Even worse for business. John Ruple, Jamie Pleune, and I explain at the link and in a comment we filed with 25 other profs to CEQ. progressivereform.org/cpr-blog/tru...
progressivereform.org
The Trump Administration Is Making the NEPA Process Worse for Everyone - Center for Progressive Reform
On February 25, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued an interim final rule (IFR) rescinding the CEQ regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). On M...
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
We apologize to our Ukrainian supporters. We are embarrassed by how our president and vice president have behaved. We are fighting to redeem the soul of America. 🇺🇸
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Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Leadership is doubling down, but GOP members are getting nervous about the budget’s extreme unpopularity. You can call your Representative now at 202-224-3121.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 24/02/2025
Your regular reminder that the US air & water pollution laws passed in the 60s & 70s -- and the elaborate federal bureaucracy created to administer them -- constitute one of the most successful gov't interventions in history. WILDLY successful. The envy of the world.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Another Friday, another Friday night massacre. May the military’s new leadership remember that their first loyalty is to the constitution. amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/...
amp.cnn.com
Trump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership | CNN Politics
In an unprecedented purge of the military’s senior leadership Friday night, President Donald Trump fired the top US general just moments before his defense secretary fired the chief of the US Navy and...
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Greg Shill @gregshill.com · 20/02/2025
I'm quoted along with @rickhills.bsky.social and other experts in this deep dive on the attempted revocation of federal approval for congestion pricing, by @henrygrabar.bsky.social. slate.com/business/202...
slate.com
Trump’s Attempt to Kill Congestion Pricing Will Backfire
Traffic tolls, welcome to the resistance.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
And just like that, all of the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act are gone. Don’t know how they are going to avoid this causing massive chaos and unpredictability for anyone seeking a federal permit. ceq.doe.gov/docs/laws-re...
ceq.doe.gov
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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut. This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
How can we have fair elections if the incumbent president controls the Federal Elections Commission? We need an independent agency to oversee our elections, not a political operations designed to steamroll opposition parties.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
That THIS EO does not infringe on the independence or authority of courts doesn't mean those core principals aren't under threat (see statements of Vance). We need to save our fire on that front for when it's needed. 3/3
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Trump's EO asserts that the President and AG provide "authoritative interpretations of law for the executive branch." The effect is to bind independent agencies, which have been understood to have the authority to adopt their own legal interpretations, not the "independent judiciary." 2/3
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Let's be clear about the nature of Trump's latest power-grab . He is effectively ending the independence of independent agencies (if the courts allow him to). He DID NOT assert that the President's interpretation of the law overrides Congress or the Courts. 1/3 www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
whitehouse.gov
Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Avi Zevin @azevin.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Musk and his lackeys are taking the unprecedented, outrageous, unnecessary, and suspect step of accessing the tax returns and social security payments of every American family and business. Will the public wake up? Will Democrats successfully make hay? Will Republicans finally speak up?
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Scientists explaining the devastating impact of Trump's assault on science. "[Trump's] actions will end research that is working to cure cancer, develop new technologies, drugs, and therapies, clean up environmental contamination, or solve climate change." tucson.com/opinion/colu...
tucson.com
Local opinion: Cutting funding for science in Arizona hurts our economy and our future
The cuts are leading us down a path that will cede the United States' world leadership in science, medicine and health.
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
In response to Trump’s assertion, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” we say: The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants.
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Barb McQuade @barbmcquade.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Here is the oath all executive branch employees take. It is to support and defend the Constitution, not to “implement the president’s agenda.” If the two purposes diverge, the Constitution prevails.
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John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
I hear the nagging question you ask inside your head a few hundred times a day: "Is it me, or has a huge portion of this country lost its mind?" It isn't you. johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dont-gasli...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
Don't Gaslight Yourself. You're Right To Grieve What's Happening to America.
I know what you're thinking.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
“And though it may be objectively shocking that a modern American president would repeatedly admit to this, without fear of significant pushback, on a random Saturday, it is regrettably unsurprising for this particular president.” www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
rollingstone.com
Trump Publicly Admits He Thinks He Can Break Any Law He Wants
Trump posted on Presidents Day weekend, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law” — a startling, if not surprising admission.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
This is what slashing the federal workforce looks like. Human suffering. Opportunity squandered. And the continuing selflessness of (former) civil servants. And for what? Nothing that serves the America people. taskandpurpose.com/news/veteran...
taskandpurpose.com
A Marine vet thought he found a 'home' working at the VA. Now he's one of 1,000 fired.
Andrew Lennox, who was terminated from the VA, noted the irony of the VA claiming it had fired some veterans to help veterans.
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Dahlia Lithwick @dahlialithwick.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Make your calls. Go to your town halls. Ask your state and local officials what they are doing under state and local law. Rest. Hydrate. Make soup for the hungry. Don’t let people tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Not a sprint. Not a marathon. A relay. Find your team. Thank you.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Musk said he was occasionally going to make mistakes. So what if it was almost immediately and involved nuclear weapons? What’s the big deal, we have lots of them. . . Oh wait, maybe this is a big deal.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Thankfully, it appears that “felonious individual” remains available.
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Reposted by Justin Pidot
Ricky Davila @therickydavila.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
I support our federal workers. I support our federal workers. I support our federal workers. I support our federal workers.
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The interim US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a FedSoc member and former Scalia clerk, has done more to publicly expose the corruption of the Trump administration this week at greater personal cost than any elected official I can think of.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
If we needed even more evidence that Trump wants a DOJ loyal only to him and not the constitution or the rule of law . . .
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
“If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.” static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics... All of this. All. Of. It.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The original proc: The quest for LGBT equality after Stonewall evolved from protests and small gatherings into a nationwide movement. Lesbian women, gay men, bisexual and transgender people united to ensure equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The proclamation establishing Stonewall recognizes the importance of transgender people to the place and the movement it catalyzed. It’s shameful that NPS removed any reference to them. It’s also contrary to the legal document creating the monument. obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-of...
obamawhitehouse.archives.gov
Presidential Proclamation -- Establishment of the Stonewall National Monument
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT - - - - - - -
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
“I’m completely serious that the lawyers involved should be honored by law schools, the ABA, and any other institutions who care about the rule of law. Hell, they should get a ticker-tape parade down Broadway for this.” Agreed. They defended democracy at great personal cost as they are now targets.
cost.as
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Steven Salzberg @stevensalzberg.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
98% of NIH grants that should have gone out this month, didn't. Despite court orders 'unfreezing' the funds, they are frozen. Biomedical research will grind to a halt. Clinical trials will end. All for no reason: the total impact on the US budget is miniscule
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Avi Zevin @azevin.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Honestly terrifying. How about securing nuclear stockpiles, managing nuclear export controls, nonproliferation around the world?
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Between the Bove/Sassoon/Adams contretemps and Attorney General Bondi’s preposterous letters to Apple and Google, Thursday was about as bad a day for the Department of Justice’s credibility as we’ve seen in generations. Me, via “One First”: www.stevevladeck.com/p/124-the-th...
stevevladeck.com
124. The Thursday Night Massacre(s)
Two very different episodes on Thursday provide growing evidence of a Department of Justice that is showing less respect, by the day, for the rule of law.
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
If you support any of this, you’re honestly just a terrible person. People’s lives are being upended and destroyed. For every 1% increase in unemployment, 40,000 people die—yet some are celebrating.
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Kati Kovacs @ksquare90.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
I'm looking for recommendations for lawyers who handle cases for wrongfully dismissed federal employees, specifically for probationary employees dismissed without adequate justification. Thanks.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Many more lives of people who have dedicated themselves to serving the public disrupted by Trump’s reign of terror. This isn’t about saving money - compensation for ALL federal employees is only 3% of the federal budget - it’s about incapacitating government. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come
The Trump administration is intensifying its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce by ordering agencies to lay off all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil servic...
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Danielle Sassoon and I probably don’t agree on a lot. She is a former Scalia clerk, federalist society contributor, and Trump appointee. But we agree that prosecutorial decisions should not be political favors. Thank you for standing up for the rule of law. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n...
nytimes.com
Danielle Sassoon and Other Officials Resign After Order to Drop Eric Adams Case
The interim U.S. attorney in Manhattan and two officials with the federal public integrity unit quit after the Justice Department ordered the charges against Mayor Eric Adams to be dropped.
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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
This former US Atty supports the courage of Danielle Sassoon, the acting US Atty in SDNY, who put service ahead of self & refused to let politics interfere with prosecutions. True American hero. Thank you for your service, Danielle. You are the best of us. Who's with me?
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Truthout @truthout.org · 13/02/2025
“We should not have to prove our citizenship. We are the original people in this country, but we’re in a scary time right now, and I don’t want any American Indian to get lost in the system. [ICE] ‘lost’ children the last time they did this. It’s just like the boarding school experience.”
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Indigenous Nations Mobilize Against ICE Targeting and Profiling
Many are working to ensure their citizens’ safety amid rising reports of Native people being stopped and questioned.
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Thank you @repbarragan.bsky.social, @repyassansari.bsky.social, + 39 others for demanding answers on gutting DOJ's environment division. This is how the opposition must act: calling Trump to account. Where's the rest of the caucus @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social? barragan.house.gov/wp-content/u...
barragan.house.gov
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Justin Pidot @justinpidot.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Another small sign that all is not yet lost: They still feel compelled to backtrack when an egregious example of the fleecing of America comes to light. time.com/7221880/stat...
time.com
Tesla Removed From $400M Federal Contract Amid Musk Scrutiny
The State Department updated its 2025 procurement forecast after the line item was publicly questioned about potential conflict of interest.
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Peter M. Shane @petermshane.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
The title of my essay published today in The Atlantic is pretty much what I'd have thought to be a unanimous understanding of the Constitution: “Presidents May Not Unilaterally Dismantle Government Agencies.” Yet Trump's assault on checks and balances continues. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
theatlantic.com
Presidents May Not Unilaterally Dismantle Government Agencies
That’s not how separation of powers works under the U.S. Constitution.
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