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Vanessa Miller

@vanessamiller.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.3K following 249 posts

Assistant Professor at FIU Law. Writing at the intersection of education and policing. Weightlifting at the intersection of metal and reggeaton. Miami born and raised.

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Reposted by Vanessa Miller
Maybell Romero @maybell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Police and prosecutors both shame victims and discount their stories because they cling to and believe in rape myths. I explain this in Shamed: virginialawreview.org/articles/sha...
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“A lawyer for Christa Pike said executioners have administered two syringes of lethal injection drugs to Pike but that she remains alive and breathing.” It’s been over an hour.
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It was my pleasure to present my current paper, “Federalizing the Campus Police,” to the faculty at University of Richmond School of Law. The discussions, feedback, and weather (yes, as a Miami girl I love the cooler weather) were incredible! @richmondlaw.bsky.social
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Thrilled to have been selected as an AALS Education Law Section Early Career Scholar! I will be presenting my work in progress, “Federalizing the Campus Police,” at Georgetown and look forward to connecting with other scholars writing about law and education. Will share the paper widely soon!
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NPR @npr.org · 02/09/2026
Lianyong Wei's death marks the 57th death of an immigrant detainee held in the care of the government since the start of President Trump's second term. Twenty-four of those have occurred since Jan. 1. n.pr/3UzCLBQ
n.pr
ICE detainee dies just hours after he was admitted into detention
Lianyong Wei's death marks the 57th death of an immigrant detainee held in the care of the government since the start of President Trump's second term. Twenty-four of those have occurred since Jan. 1.
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Andrea Mann @andreamann.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"By writing, you are literally firing up your brain and therefore stirring up your conscious thoughts and something new emerges. You are not, or at least not always, transcribing something already present in your conscious thoughts.“ LOVE this piece. www.historians.org/perspectives...
historians.org
How Writing Leads to Thinking (and Not the Other Way Around) – AHA
Writing is stressful. Sitting in my computer chair my neck and shoulder muscles almost immediately tense up as I dig around in my brain for the best phrase or even any coherent string of words.
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Laura I Appleman @lawandlitprof.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
It's just the tip of the iceberg with immigration enforcement, as I discuss in my latest article, "The Market for Deportation:" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Two weeks late but I wanted to express my gratitude for my selection to the SEALS New Scholar Program and the ability to present a work in progress on the “Policing, Prosecutorial Discretion, and Sentencing” panel. I look forward to sharing my article on the federal government + campus police soon!
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Emily Wood @ebwood.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
📷: Madrid, June 2018
Foto de un grafito en un muro corto al lado de un parque, pintado en rojo, que dice: “LA INMIGRACIÓN PELIGROSA VIENE EN LIMUSINA NO EN PATERA.”

Photo of graffiti on a short wall next to a park, painted in red, that says (translated from Spanish): “THE DANGEROUS IMMIGRATION ARRIVES IN A LIMOUSINE, NOT A DINGY.”
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Andrew Guthrie Ferguson @profferguson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
John Oliver covers police surveillance in his amazing, cutting way and gives a shout out to “Your Data Will Be Used Against You.” !!!! youtu.be/wagYax-0yJI?...
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
The squirrel distribution system has found me @msmith750.bsky.social
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
SEALS day 1 observation: There seems to be a game of how many times can someone use the phrase "historical analog." Stay tuned for more.
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Miami Herald @miamiherald.com · 24/07/2026
Florida follows a national trend of an increase in deportation orders, which hit an all-time high of 79,000 in June.
bit.ly
Florida’s deportation orders surged in June, new data shows
Florida follows a national trend of an increase in deportation orders, which hit an all-time high of 79,000 in June.
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Professa Murray @kalimurray.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
For my new followers, you know who can investigate the criminal actions of ICE? Congress.
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
helpful coverage from @elpais.com english.elpais.com/usa/2025-08-...
english.elpais.com
In the heart of the Miccosukee, the Native American tribe that shut down Alligator Alcatraz
The community found refuge from white persecution deep in the Everglades swamps centuries ago. Together with environmental groups, they succeeded in forcing the closure of the immigration detention ce...
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Rebecca Nagle @rebeccanagle.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
BREAKING: Alligator Alcatraz has officially closed. A lot of outlets won’t report on this, but the Miccosukee Tribe played a key role in the fight.
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Miami Herald @miamiherald.com · 06/06/2026
Florida is considering rules that could block undocumented students from adult education programs and public state colleges.
bit.ly
Undocumented students may no longer be welcome in Florida colleges, adult education
Florida is considering rules that could block undocumented students from adult education programs and public state colleges.
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Grateful to the Law of the Police Conference for inviting me to present my work on campus police. I’m especially thankful to Rebecca Robichaud and Molly Meoning for organizing such a fantastic event at Wayne State Law in Detroit!
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Sharon Brett @sharonbrett.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Had a lovely two days at the Law of the Police conference (always a treat to be with @vanessamiller.bsky.social!). Snuck in lunch with @jdmortenson.bsky.social as a bonus. Now I’m smuggling Zingermans pickles back to Kansas. IYKYK.
The best pickles on the planet.
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Colin Miller @evidenceprof.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
New book by rockstar law professor @valenabeety.bsky.social, "Pink Crime," will spotlight wrongful convictions affecting women, LGBTQ+ people: news3lv.com/news/local/n...
news3lv.com
New book "Pink Crime" spotlights wrongful convictions affecting women, LGBTQ+ people
As Pride Month shines a spotlight on LGBTQ+ issues, a growing debate over wrongful convictions is drawing renewed attention to how the criminal justice system a
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I graduated with my JD & PhD in 2020. Due to the global shutdown, I graduated at home via zoom. I never walked or got hooded by my chair. However, last week, I attended graduation as a faculty member for the first time. Best of all, my family came to celebrate with me. Coolest 6 year delay
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Coming to a close on my first year as a law professor back in my hometown of Miami, and my spirits are as high as the humidity
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
If we play our cards right, soon we’ll be able to send handguns through the postal service but not birth control or ballots
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
This semester, a student wrote a paper that touched on the intersections of environmental law and policing. The harms of tear gas are devastating. Thread and article below worth a read.
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Emily Steinlight @emilysteinlight.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
College is not a “stamp of approval” for “select people”; it is, overwhelmingly, public infrastructure whose function is to educate the public and advance inquiry in all areas of study. It should be free to all because learning serves the social good and prepares people to participate in social life
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 15/04/2026
Happy Tax Day. Just a reminder, as you potentially owe Uncle Sam: Mass incarceration costs the U.S. $445 billion every single year.
Flow chart showing the U.S. spends $445 billion on mass incarceration each year.
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Adam Sawyer @adamjst.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
ICE just released new detention statistics. First update in about 2 months. As of April 4, 2026, ICE was detaining 60,311 people across the United States. www.ice.gov/detain/deten...
ice.gov
Detention Management
An official website of the United States government
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Tomorrow we’re covering conspiracy, which means introducing the students to The Wire and one of the greatest moments in the series
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Kyle Barry @kylecbarry.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
BREAKING: The PA Supreme Court holds that mandatory life without parole sentences for all "felony murder" convictions -- a sentence more than 1,000 people in PA are serving -- violates the state constitution's "cruel" punishment ban. This is GROUNDBREAKING: www.pacourts.us/assets/opini...
CHIEF JUSTICE TODD           OPINION No. 3 WAP 2024 Appeal from the Order of the Superior Court entered June 13, 2023, at No. 1008 WDA 2021, Affirming the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County entered December 19, 2016, at No. CP-02-CR-0016878-2014. : : : : : : : : : : : ARGUED:  October 8, 2024 DECIDED:  MARCH 26, 2026 In this appeal by allowance, we granted allocatur to consider whether a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for a felony murder conviction violates the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution or Article I, Section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.1  For the reasons that follow, we determine that a mandatory life without parole sentence for all felony murder convictions, absent an assessment of culpability, is inconsistent with the protections bestowed upon our citizens under the “cruel punishments” clause of our Commonwealth’s organic charter.2  Thus, we reverse the order of the Superior Court, vacate Appellant’s judgment of sentence, and remand for resentencing.  However, as we have done under similar circumstances, we stay our order for 120 days to provide a reasonable amount of time for the General Assembly to consider remedial measures.
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Sally Hudson @sallylhudson.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
96-year old Dolores Huerta made a gutting confession today. She deserves to be heard in her own words. Even the most righteous movements find ways to make space for misogyny. medium.com/@dolores_hue...
medium.com
March 18, 2026
Today, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta issued the following statement:
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Andrew Guthrie Ferguson @profferguson.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Book launch day! “Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self Surveillance” is out. Bluesky friends, I would be so grateful if you would buy a copy. And if you can’t afford it, could you at least share this announcement. Thank you. #BookSky politics-prose.com/search?q=You...
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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
People on awards shows don't "make it political." The world is political. Our lives are political. Our choices are political. The only decision is whether to acknowledge it.
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Jimmy Hoover @jimmyhoover.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
SCOOP: Federal judiciary approves new Supreme Court defender office to help represent indigent defendants at #SCOTUS. Its full-time director will serve as a counterweight to the U.S. solicitor general in federal criminal cases. The first will be former Kagan clerk and SG atty Ashley Robertson.
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Margaret H. Zhang @marzhang.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
There are some (rare) law review pieces that I click into and then find myself unable to stop reading. This was one of them! Highly recommend everyone read it!!
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SUNY Press @sunypress.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
An important introduction to the rationale and risks of using AI and big data in higher education, including novel applications for improving educational practice. sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-...
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Excited to share this work soon! Forthcoming June 2026 @sunypress.bsky.social sunypress.edu/Books/T/The-...
sunypress.edu
The Digitized Campus
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending & speaking at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law 2026 Symposium: Rethinking Juvenile Law Through Education and Trauma. I presented my forthcoming article, Rethinking the School-Prison Nexus, which will be available on SSRN soon.
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Quinn Yeargain @yeargain.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
When visiting FIU last week for a workshop (shoutout to @vanessamiller.bsky.social), I saw Xavier Cortada's "May It Please the Court" series of paintings of Florida-related U.S. Supreme Court cases, which I didn't know about. His depiction of Jardines is quite striking. cortada.com/art2021/pain...
Florida v. Jardines, as painted by Xavier Cortada
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Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
GW‘s student newspaper appears to have broken the story that the institution has sold a satellite campus to Amazon to be turned into a data center, which is just about chef’s kiss for the state of American higher education rn
Screenshot of a 3hr old post from the GW Hatchet: “BREAKING: GW sold its Virginia campus to Amazon Data Services, an Amazon subsidiary that manages the company's data centers, for $427 million on Friday. The deed, obtained by The Hatchet, authorizes ADS to develop the campus into a data or information technology center.
STORY TK”
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 27/12/2023
Likewise, many of the folks coming after Ivy League schools went to Ivy League schools. The hypocrisy suggests they believe only they and people who think like them should be considered smart or should have the access to what they thought were private clubs.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
They beat a blind refugee who speaks no English for failing to obey police commands he could not understand. Then instead of apologizing, they charged him with possession of a “weapon”—HIS WALKING STICK. Then they dumped him miles from home without notifying anyone, after which he was found dead.
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Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 23/02/2026
Florida Hands Down Sociology Curriculum to State Colleges The sociology curriculum is likely just the state’s first foray into course development; the Florida Department of Education is already working on a similar framework for American history classes. bit.ly/4s6gkQj #EDUSky #AcademicSky
Students walk around Robert Manning Strozier Library at Florida State University
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Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם) @bestonetx.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
ICYMI, Rice University students have developed a free online map to track ICE activity throughout the country. Find it here: www.icemap.dev. Gift link to @houstonchronicle.com story about it: www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
houstonchronicle.com
Rice students create nationwide ICE tracker to monitor immigration enforcement
The students had been teaching weekly children's classes as volunteers. One day, the kids stopped showing up.
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MPR News @mprnews.org · 21/02/2026
Newly released records show a U.S. citizen was shot and killed in Texas by a federal immigration agent last year during a late-night traffic encounter that was not publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security.
mprnews.org
Texas man fatally shot by federal immigration agent, records show
A U.S. citizen was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer during a late-night traffic stop nearly a year ago in a Texas beach town crowded with young people celebrating spring break.
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Rachel Lopez @rlopez.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Working on Restoring Justice kept me grounded this past year, so I share it w/ excitement & some nervousness. Written w/ Meredith Elizalde, whose son Nick was killed in a shooting at his high school, we argue for a right to restorative justice. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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Joseph M. Pierce @pepepierce.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
If you were hoping for some sort of overt political statement: see the literal plantation Benito created to perform in.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
That critique of the government extracting resources from PR. The power poles.
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Vanessa Miller @vanessamiller.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Writing currently feeling like the second heavy rep: pushing through 🥲
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eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Probably a day to promote this research from David Cortez. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Abstract
Once an exclusively white enterprise, the last forty-five years have witnessed the emergence of a disproportionately Latinx immigration law enforcement workforce. This article addresses the question of why Latinxs elect to work for agencies that have systematically targeted the ethnic communities to which they belong. Where existing scholarship has often implied Latinxs may self-select into immigration law enforcement due to a lack of identification with the immigrant-experience, a dissociation with ethnic identity, and generally restrictionist immigration attitudes, this article finds little empirical evidence to support such an assumption. Analysis of interviews with sixty-one Latinx Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across Arizona, California, and Texas reveals, instead, Latinxs elect to work in immigration law enforcement in service of economic self-interest and survival, with “money,” “a good job,” and “benefits” cited as the primary motivation(s) behind applying for and accepting a job in immigration. This pattern holds irrespective of individual agents’ levels of identification with the immigrant-experience and particular attitudes toward immigration, and suggests a diversity in the demographics of immigration law enforcement agencies that extends beyond mere race and ethnicity, to include a diversity of perspective and potential for empathy.
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