Demand The Impossible

ORDER: A history of Stephen Bright’s pursuit of equal justice. For nearly 40 yrs he led @southerncenter. @wwnorton In stores everywhere.

[Demand The Impossible @DTheImpossible]

If you are an academic, member of a civic group working on issues of criminal justice or access to justice or otherwise wish to order copies of #DemandTheImpossible in bulk, reach out to @robertltsai or @wwnorton directly.

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Today is publication day!⭐️
Learn how a boy of humble origins became one of the fiercest critics of the criminal justice system and a fearless advocate for racial equality. I hope you enjoy DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE as much as I enjoyed writing it. @wwnorton https://t.co/W1ZkKMpYuv

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

“At the time of the crime, he performed math at a kindergarten level, spelled at a third-grade level and read at a fourth-grade level.”

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

“The dream of legal transformation through the federal courts has been killed.” @Roosevelt_House

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Tiny bit of good news. Whether it actually makes a difference to offset philosophical, partisan, and institutional trends against addressing the needs of poor people during mass incarceration will require future study.

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

First time I’ve had a book shouted out at a commencement. Thank you @DeanEboniNelson! @UConnLaw @DTheImpossible

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Love being back in my office. @BU_Law

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

District Attorney Joe Briley put some 40 people on Georgia's death row. Steve Bright and @southerncenter showed how Briley exploited the unequal justice system to do so, manufacturing all-white juries and defeating overmatched court-appointed lawyers. @DTheImpossible

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Thanks to @InTheDetailsPod for mentioning @DTheImpossible!

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Deeply unfortunate they were worried about discussing racial and gender disparities in the administration of the death penalty. #DemandTheImpossible

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Watch “Demand the Impossible: A Conversation Between Author Robert Tsai and ACLU President Deborah Archer” on #Vimeo https://t.co/BbDTvqzCjg

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

“I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

🙏 “This is the type of book that should be on school curriculums and adult read lists”

[Luke Pickrell @LukePickrell]

I spoke with @robertltsai on the Democratic Constitution Podcast about his book, "America's Forgotten Constitutions." Robert covers various constitutional projects and reflects on how discussions about the Constitution have changed over the last decade.
https://t.co/EOeEq6YmMu

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Some news.

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

Good to see some colleagues and listen to Justice Sotomayor for a bit.

[Beth Shelburne @bshelburne]

Everyone who cares about the Constitution should do everything in their power to stop executions by nitrogen hypoxia. Anthony Boyd, the 8th person killed by Alabama using this method, gasped for air 225 times on the gurney before he died. #deathpenalty
https://t.co/iNfI9zFFf5

[Lee Hedgepeth @lee_hedgepeth]

Just over an hour after 3 Supreme Court justices warned that Alabamian Anthony Boyd would suffer psychological torture, he was subjected to the longest nitrogen gas execution in US history, gasping for air more than 225 times. Read my eyewitness account: https://t.co/56eTbGtrCY

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

“In 1989, [Justice] Powell's committee produced a set of recommendations [to restrict habeas corpus], which Senator Strom Thurmond introduced as legislation … Aides on Capitol Hill had a nickname for the project: ‘Fry Them Faster.’” https://t.co/3Fn4rUFUCC

[Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ L. Tsᴀɪ @robertltsai]

My new essay (with @BojanBugaric) for @DemJournal: “How long can judicial resistance last when it is to come from unelected lower court judges, if it comes at all? We believe that the momentary flurry of judicial activity is fool’s gold.”