Sign in

Niko Bowie

@nikobowie.bsky.social
13K followers 624 following 614 posts

Law professor at Harvard (hls.harvard.edu/faculty/nikolas-bow…) Author with Daphna Renan of Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People (W.W. Norton 2026) (readsupremacy.com)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Rachel Shelden @rachelshelden.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Many thanks to @ala-booklist.bsky.social!!
3205
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Mathew Strack @gs-badger.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Every once in a while, a book comes along that is so transformative and so persuasive that it has the potential to shape our institutions and our democracy. Supremacy is one such book.”
074
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I reviewed SUPREMACY for the Los Angeles Review of Books! @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social lareviewofbooks.org/article/supr...
lareviewofbooks.org
Who Is Supreme, the People or the Court? | Los Angeles Review of Books
Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan’s new book challenges the supremacy of judicial review over democracy itself.
19229
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@leahlitman.bsky.social makes the case for Supremacy (the book, not the idea!) in @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social:
lareviewofbooks.org
Who Is Supreme, the People or the Court? | Los Angeles Review of Books
Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan’s new book challenges the supremacy of judicial review over democracy itself.
04213
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm grateful to Radcliffe and the Schlesinger Library for ensuring that my mom's work will be accessible to her many students, past and future
hls.harvard.edu
Lani Guinier’s legacy, in her own words - Harvard Law School
Schlesinger Library collection offers scholars a closer look at Lani Guinier's work on voting rights, race, education, and equality.
419840
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This Sunday!
48410
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Daphna Renan @daphnarenan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If you're in Chicago, join me on 10/4 for a conversation about Supremacy -- @nikobowie.bsky.social and my new book -- with @petersagal.bsky.social and Don Verrilli at the Chicago Humanities Festival! Two of the greats, and I can't wait to discuss with them the case against ultimate judicial rule.
chicagohumanities.org
Peter Sagal’s Constitution Sessions: Supremacy
The case against ultimate judicial rule
093
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Dave Kamper @dskamper.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just finished @nikobowie.bsky.social and @daphnarenan.bsky.social’s new book, Supremacy, and I cannot recommend it enough. Clear, compelling, and accessible, it makes a powerful case for democratic constitutionalism. Outstanding stuff.
1104
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
some ~personal news~ as they say .... I'm writing a second book! I loved writing Lawless & working with One Signal. And I'm having a 💥blast 💥working on ... IDENTIFIED! more info coming, soon(ish)?
Author of LAWLESS and cohost of the Strict Scrutiny podcast Leah Litman's IDENTIFIED, chronicling the paradigm shift in how law and politics approach issues of identity, with right-wing ideology transforming identity-based discrimination into a tactic to restructure government and civic institutions, to position themselves as victims, and to persecute the very minorities those classifications were created to protect, to Alessandra Bastagli at One Signal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2028, by Amelia Atlas at CAA (world English).
716913
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Nate Ela @nateela.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hey hey yay yay it‘s twofer Tuesday with new arrivals from @athenais.bsky.social @nikobowie.bsky.social & @daphnarenan.bsky.social! 🎉🎉📖📖🤓🤓
2101
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Ben Eidelson @beidelson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
10/ This restatement of the law of Title VI & the First Amendment—offered unanimously by a bipartisan commission created by Congress—should offer a legal roadmap for schools and universities facing pressure to suppress student speech for fear of litigation.
1132
Reposted by Niko Bowie
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 29/09/2026
Why has abortion faded from America’s national conversation? | Moira Donegan
theguardian.com
Why has abortion faded from America’s national conversation? | Moira Donegan
The US has already grown used to the horror caused by abortion bans. And Republicans have sought to quash the stories
1721771
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Kevin Morris @kevintmorris.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Next week! Get it while it's hot!
093
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The proponents of all-party primaries in MA miss the fact that all-party primaries do not promote more parties; they reinforce the major ones. Systems like proportional representation actually promote multiple parties. Systems like RCV expand choice.
0467
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Did the Supreme Court just strip basic rights from us all? Must be a good time to tune in to this great discussion!
0101
Reposted by Niko Bowie
John Haubenreich @johnhaubenreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Couldn’t agree more with @nikobowie.bsky.social here. The whole “eh, real reform is too hard politically/ legally / whatever” argument is just giving up without even trying. Weak sauce.
091
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I've never been called a "zealot" before, but I'll take it if the alternative is believing the only thing we can do to save our democracy is an ethics code.
newrepublic.com
The Most Likely Avenue for Supreme Court Reform
Among the many ideas to change a wayward court, there is one that already has broad support—and is very likely to succeed.
7334
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Daphna Renan @daphnarenan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Really appreciated this conversation with @fivefourpod.bsky.social about why five justices shouldn’t have supreme power over our laws and the path forward.
073
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I think I managed not to sound too starstruck being on @fivefourpod.bsky.social with @daphnarenan.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com
De-Supremify the Supreme Court with Niko Bowie and Daphna Renan
Podcast Episode · 5-4 · September 25 · 43m
3958
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Deep dives like this really put into perspective what Chief Justice Rehnquist was doing in 2000 when he resurrected the Court’s precedents of the 1870s and 1880s, writing that their authors “had intimate knowledge and familiarity with the events surrounding the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
10715242
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Kate Shaw @kateshaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
And check out the conversation @nikobowie.bsky.social & @daphnarenan.bsky.social recently had with @leahlitman.bsky.social on @strictscrutiny.bsky.social as part of our Supreme Court reform series ! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
podcasts.apple.com
We Need To Talk About Judicial Review
Podcast Episode · Strict Scrutiny · S7 Bonus · 51m
12812
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Kate Shaw @kateshaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So great to be in conversation with @nikobowie.bsky.social & @daphnarenan.bsky.social about their fantastic new book. Seriously pick up a copy if you haven’t; it will make you rethink a lot of what you thought you knew about the supreme court and its role in our democracy
1429
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The AI book club spam is getting more creative
AI-written email about the author going on vacation in Yosemite and getting inspired to do a book club about Supremacy
030
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's on 10th Street, not 5th Avenue, but close enough
041
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thank you so much, Kate, for moderating such a rich conversation. And thank you to everyone who filled @nyhistory.bsky.social last night to participate. I left feeling inspired and optimistic.
Kate Shaw, me, Daphna Renan on the NYH stage
0151
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Tonight! See you soon!
184
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Rachel Shelden @rachelshelden.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Terrific review of SUPREMACY by @nikobowie.bsky.social and @daphnarenan.bsky.social alongside my book, THE POLITICAL SUPREME COURT: 
Picture of this quotation from Pema Levy’s article “How the Supreme Court seized power to rule over the rest of us”:

“As Bowie, Renan, and Shelden show, this is not how its always been, or how it's supposed to be. To take back their power, the people must simply demand it.”
212550
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Happy Labor Day
nytimes.com
Networks Suspend Pool Coverage of Trump After White House Bans CNN
The move was an escalation of President Trump’s showdown with the White House press corps after he moved to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
093
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Erik Loomis @erikloomis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This Day in Labor History: September 21, 1908. The Industrial Workers of the World met for its 4th annual convention in Chicago. This convention would reshape the struggling nascent organization, moving it clearly from an intellectuals’ movement to a workers’ movement!!!
522058
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Daphna Renan @daphnarenan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A great conversation about how the Court took supreme power over the Constitution and how the people and our representatives in Congress can take it back. As the legendary @sifill.bsky.social has said, it is “planting time.”
0162
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Friday night at @politicsandprose.bsky.social in D.C. we had a great convo with @nikobowie.bsky.social and @daphnarenan.bsky.social about their remarkable new book Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Govt By the People.
531268
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The whole founding purpose of the White House Correspondents Association was that they'd all walk out if a president tried to do exactly this.
1346576
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Serious Kent Brockman energy
Kent Brockman: “I for one welcome our new insect overlords.”
091
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Aspiring to critical thinking @criticalthinkngfan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"It is up to all of us to uphold the Constitution by organizing, engaging with our neighbors, and electing representatives who understand that the promise of self-government was written for us to keep, not for a court to hold in trust"
042
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Rebecca Rauber @defeatthefascists.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Very good read. “The Constitution says that federal law, and the Constitution itself, are supreme over the laws of the states. It says nothing about what happens when the justices’ reading of the Constitution collides with the reading Congress has written into a statute… 1/2
1103
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Daphna Renan @daphnarenan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Those who wrote the Reconstruction Amendments offered us a path. Pass a law that requires a consensus among the justices before the Court can reject acts of Congress said Bingham. Pass a law that designates our most fundamental statutes political questions beyond the reach of courts said Trumbull.
26430
Reposted by Niko Bowie
LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Out now: @nikobowie.bsky.social and @daphnarenan.bsky.social’s *Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People.* wwnorton.com/books/978132... And don’t miss an upcoming event (virtual + in person) on the book at the Center for Law and the Economy (Thursday, Sept. 24).
law.columbia.edu
"Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People"
Join leading constitutional law scholar and Harvard Law Professor Daphna Renan for a discussion of her new book, "Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People," co-written wit
141
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Just arrived in DC for this conversation tonight. I can’t wait!
POLITICS AND PROSE PRESENTS
NIKOLAS BOWIE & DAPHNA RENAN
W/ SHERRILYN IFILL
SUPREMACY
HOW RULE
BY THE COURT
• REPLACED •
GOVERNMENT BY
THE PEOPLE
NIKOLAS BOWIE DAPHNA RENAN
FRI, SEPT 18 7PM
CONN AVE
0105
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Daphna Renan @daphnarenan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It is a tremendous honor to get to discuss Supremacy with the incomparable @sifill.bsky.social. If you're in DC on Friday, Sept. 18, join us at Politics and Prose!
1144
Reposted by Niko Bowie
patrick mcneil (he/him) @patrickryne.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Those statutes handed the executive branch power with strings attached so that Congress, judges, and ordinary people could check whether the laws were being faithfully executed. Today’s court has kept the power and cut the strings.”
063
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Ed Morrison @edmorrison.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
An important understanding about the relationship of Congress to the Supremes. Very mich worth the time to read.
063
Reposted by Niko Bowie
jhstoo @jhstoo.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Good piece by two Harvard law professors on the Supreme Court's usurpation of power, the history of the conflict between Congress and the Court, and what to do about it. Recommended.
061
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Americans did not declare independence from a king only to submit to the supremacy of a different court. @daphnarenan.bsky.social and I are in today’s Globe. Gift link:
bostonglobe.com
The Constitution belongs to ‘We the People,’ not nine justices - The Boston Globe
The Supreme Court was never meant to have the last word on self-government.
829095
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Kate Shaw @kateshaw.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I could not be more excited that @daphnarenan.bsky.social & @nikobowie.bsky.social’s extraordinary new book Supremacy is now out in the world - & that I get to talk to them about it next week @nyhistory.bsky.social. Tuesday, September 22, 6:30pm - join us if you can!
0338
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Can't wait!
134
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bret Stephens’s take is dangerous. He urges us not to “tinker” with the Court—one that gutted the VRA, allowed billionaires to dominate spending, and gave Trump immunity to commit election crimes—because it didn’t ALSO let Trump illegally control mail ballots. Daphna & I anticipated his move here.
slate.com
John Roberts’ New Role Model Demonstrates Everything Wrong With the Supreme Court (Gift Article)
If the court is curling up anywhere, it is at the feet of a presidency increasingly unchecked by law.
1207
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Worried about the Court? We talk all the ways we can actually do something about the intolerable power it has—including options more immediate than term limits and ethics rules
0123
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Takes like these—the court just acted with integrity! how could we “tinker” with such an upstanding group—are good evidence for @dfroomkin.bsky.social’s hypothesis that today’s Supreme Court rules certain ways to preempt future regulation by Congress
Bret: I have no doubt Trump will try to do his worst if the midterms prove to be the shellacking I suspect it's going to be. My point is that the court still defends its own independence and acts with integrity, whether or not you agree with this or that ruling. It's an excellent reason to resist attempts to pack it with four additional justices, which is Senator Adam Schiff's brainstorm, or tinker with it in other ways, such as imposing term limits. I can think of better ways to improve the democratic system.
Frank: I agree with you on court packing.
1247
Reposted by Niko Bowie
Mary Lewis @profmarylewis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Excellent oped in @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social by my @harvard.edu colleague Jill Lepore. www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
But of course, the machine conversation is not free. It comes at the cost of our common life together as teachers, learners, and researchers, colleagues, mentors, and friends. Not to mention, supervising student researchers is our job.
825689
Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Here's a gift link to our piece today in Slate
slate.com
John Roberts’ New Role Model Demonstrates Everything Wrong With the Supreme Court (Gift Article)
If the court is curling up anywhere, it is at the feet of a presidency increasingly unchecked by law.
0136