TK
Teri Kanefield
@teri_kanefield
Author and Former Appellate Defender
UC Berkeley Law graduate. Former appellate defender. Book prizes include the Jane Addams Book Award. My legal and political analysis in the Washington Post and other mainstream outlets. I write lots of stuff. Owned by a cute 12-pound guard dog named JJ.
171 Posts
With Post shutting down . . .
Hi everyone, With Post shutting down, the best way to keep in touch is to subscribe to my weekly blog post. This link should work: eepurl.com/h4xCMr Trump's First Criminal Trial: Theories of the Case
I have my weekend blog post ready. Good advocates organize their cases around a theme or focal point called the theory of the case. Ahead of Trump's first criminal trial, I offer an analysis of what we know so far about the theories of the case. This week's blog post: Sex, Lies, and Falsified Documents: Trump's First Criminal Trial (but it's mostly about Michael Cohen) The Ronna McDaniel Story Fall Out (But What About Fox?) and a few words about the next election
Last week I wrote about the hiring (and firing) of Ronna McDaniel. Then, something unusual happened in the comment section of my blog. I shut down the comment section and promised to write about it in this week's blog post. This week, I started by answering some of the questions I The Ronna McDaniel Story
I took some time to think about the Ronna McDaniel hiring and firing. The result is that I have written another blog post that (probably) has me going against the current. The Right to Vote
I have my weekend blog post ready. You don’t have an affirmative Constitutional right to vote. (Did you know that?) The right to vote was not (affirmatively) included in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or any other Amendments. For more, see: The Right to Vote The Outrage Industry, Misinformation, and Legal Pundits
I finished the Misinformation-Outrage Cycle. The parts are linked. I added a few sections and revamped the conclusion. For years I was perplexed by what I saw on Twitter. I had the sense that social media dynamics were causing pro-democracy people to act like authoritarians. Then Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry
Even if you are not caught up in the Outrage Industry, it affects you because it affects us all. Among other things, the Outrage Industry influences how we talk about politics with our friends and family—and why some people avoid talking about politics. Click here for: Invented Nar The Outrage Machine Strikes Again
Monday, when the Supreme Court decision on the 14th Amendment ballot issue came down, I said this: "If you are upset or enraged about the Supreme Court decision in the 14th Amendment ballot case, you are the victim of rage merchants." Some people took offense. I understand that. I p The Russian Disinformation Attack and the Disappearing Rabbit Trick
“The more I think about it,” Heather Cox Richardson said on Twitter this week, “the more it seems the main story of the past decade has been Russian disinformation to undermine U.S. democracy.” This was a notable comment because Richardson follows all the major political stories f Why Some Prefer Oligarchy and (🎶 What’s Russia got to do with it? 🎶)
You probably heard that the Biden impeachment probe hit a snag when the guy who provided the "evidence" was indicted by the DOJ for making false statements to a government agent with intent to impede an investigation. In other words: He made the whole thing up. Then we learned tha The Perennial Problem of Demagogues
I'll admit this week's blog post was fun to write (even if the topic, demagogues, is unsavory). How often do I get to quote Prof. Harold Hill, post a drawing of a stork, and mention that the latest judgment against Trump was for $344 million ($450 million with prejudgment interest A Firehose of Falsehood
Today is the publication day of A Firehose of Falsehood. (I've been sending out birth announcements for each of my books. I started this tradition in 2001 with my first published book.) I put an excerpt on my blog, here: I wrote an excerpt on my blog last year. It's here: Are Women and Black people “people” under the 14th Amendment? (The 18th and 19th Century Debate)
This week, I start with a few words on the Supreme Court oral arguments Trump-ballot case. Then I dive into this week's topic: Are Women and Black People "people" under the 14th Amendment? (You wouldn't think this would be difficult.) My dog is not there for click bait LOL. His pi A Bunch of Good Books
For this week's blog post, I thought I'd do some housekeeping and organize my blog. I have law, history, and political book recommendations all over the place. Now they are (mostly) all on one page. Come for a brief history of how the Party of Lincoln became the Party of the Ku Klu The Anti-Democratic Opposition
This week I plan to demonstrate that any democratic government—by its very nature and under its own terms—will have a dangerous anti-democratic opposition. The opposition can be blunted and, with constant work, can be prevented from weakening or toppling the democratic institution How do Democracies Thrive and how do they Die? (A journey through books)
This week, I will address these questions: How do democracies thrive and how do they die? How can backsliding democracies be saved? How can nations can begin a (peaceful) progression from an authoritarian government to a more democratic government? My method will involve a journey t Some Good Books
I have the cure for whatever ails you: Some wisdom from good books. Scholars mentioned: Robert O. Paxton, Heather Cox Richardson, Jason Stanley, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and Timothy Snyder. (Don't worry. There won't be a test.) Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Spirit of Liberty
Here I offer the radical idea that the Colorado-Trump-ballot case and the application of section 3 of the 14th Amendment isn’t easy or straightforward. Before you tell me I am wrong and that it is a slam dunk, please read and consider my arguments.
