Judd Legum

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. The Ohio bill would ban all abortion. It defines an "unborn child" as "an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth." This definition is so broad, it could prohibit common forms of birth control https://t.co/7phhdy5eaF — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. Major corporate contributors to the sponsors of Ohio's extreme abortion ban: @Nationwide @GetSpectrum @firstenergycorp @GM @DukeEnergy @pfizer @AnthemInc @UnitedHealthGrp @JNJNews (Johnson & Johnson) @ATT https://t.co/7phhdy5eaF — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. A new bill would subject Ohio to a more extreme abortion ban than Texas. It would outlaw all abortions. It may even prohibit certain kinds of birth control. The sponsors of the bill are backed by prominent corporations. Follow along if interested. https://t.co/7phhdy5eaF — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

RT @JuddLegum: 6. But Strickland remains behind bars today. Why? Mostly because of one man: Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Schmit… — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

RT @JuddLegum: 1. You've probably heard a lot about Kyle Rittenhouse in the last few days. But how much have you heard about Kevin Strickl… — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

Ask Kevin Strickland if there is still systemic racism embedded in the American criminal justice system https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

Yes we can (get $100 million from Jeff Bezos) https://t.co/PzZiWje3gN — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

15. The condition of Strickland's braids at the time of his arrest suggests they were in place for at least a week. "A Black person... would absolutely know right away that something was wrong" Strickland was convicted by an all-white jury https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

14. There was a key weakness in the prosecution's case that a Black juror may have been more attuned to. Douglas said the shooter was wearing his hair "natural" — in a short Afro But in his booking photo, shows "the plait growing away from the scalp" https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

13. The prosecution "did not provide a race-neutral reason justifying its targeting of these individuals." Today, targeting Black jurors w/o a "race-neutral" explanation is illegal But the SCOTUS decision banning the practice wasn't issued until 1986 https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

12. The prosecutor at the time "described the seating of that [Black] juror as 'careless' and a 'mistake' that he would not repeat" In the 2nd trial, the prosecutor "used its first four peremptory strikes to remove the only four Black jurors remaining" https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

11. Strickland actually had two trials in the 1970s and they both had disturbing racial dynamics. Strickland's first trial ended in a mistrial after the lone Black juror refused to convict him. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

10. For updates on this story and more reporting that reveals the reality of the American criminal justice system, check out my newsletter, Popular Information. It's free to sign up --> https://t.co/TfpCItdVSo — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

9. After 4 decades, Strickland finally got his hearing last week. The Missouri Attorney General's office was there, arguing that he should remain behind bars. (Bell and Adkin, who pled guilty, were released decades ago.) The judge could rule at any time https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

8. Schmitt also wrote a Supreme Court brief arguing the 2020 presidential election should be overturned. "As attorney general, I've spent my time defending President Trump and the America First agenda," Schmitt said earlier this year. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

7. Schmitt is vehemently opposing Strickland's release and using the case to convey that he is "tough on crime and is putting up a fight to keep a convicted criminal behind bars." He's repeatedly asked for lengthy delays of Baker's motion. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

6. But Strickland remains behind bars today. Why? Mostly because of one man: Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Schmitt is running for U.S. Senate and has "churned out litigation designed to win favor with Donald Trump’s angry, aggrieved GOP base." https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

5. All of this has convinced the county prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, that Strickland is "is factually innocent." A new Missouri law passed in May gives Baker the right to make a motion for Strickland's release. And that's exactly what Baker did. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

4. Douglas, who was shot during the murders, identified two other suspects, Vincent Bell and Kilm Adkins. They both pled guilty. Bell spent most of his sentencing hearing talking about how Strickland was not involved. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY https://t.co/Hlm1Fz43DA — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. That witness, Cynthia Douglas, recanted her identification. On February 4, 2009, Douglas sent an email to the Missouri Innocence Project with the subject "Wrongfully charged." https://t.co/712a5tdWsY https://t.co/A0RLqtPFli — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. Strickland was convicted on three counts of murder for a 1978 triple homicide and sentenced to 50 years w/o the possibility of parole There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime His conviction was based almost entirely on one eyewitness https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. You've probably heard a lot about Kyle Rittenhouse in the last few days. But how much have you heard about Kevin Strickland? He's been behind bars for 43-years for a crime the COUNTY PROSECUTOR now says he didn't commit. Follow along if interested. https://t.co/712a5tdWsY — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@BrendanNyhan @speechboy71 I think the idea that Dem candidates aren’t testing the messages popularists think would be effective is incorrect. Do you have evidence they are excluding these messages? — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@mattyglesias Ok good. I’m going to watch Succession. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@mattyglesias It’s tempting to believe that you can just re-run a previously successful campaign and get the same result. Doesn’t always work out. My point is that Obama and Biden arrived at their immigration positions the same way: by doing a lot of polling! — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@mattyglesias In your Obama piece, you approvingly note of his centrist-sounding immigration rhetoric, suggesting Dems get back to that. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@BrendanNyhan @mattyglesias I wasn’t attempting to describe all changes to the Democratic Party in a single tweet. But what positions is Biden taking that are unpopular today? The world changes. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@BrendanNyhan @mattyglesias I’m not denying they’ve moved left. I was involved in the 2008 campaign when all the major Democratic candidates opposed marriage equality. But what I’m saying is that they’ve moved because polls have moved. Not because they are ignoring what’s popular. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@mattyglesias So if you are arguing that Democrats should change their positions irrespective of polls to match your intuition about what will appeal to rural/lower income whites, I get that. But that wasn’t my understanding of “popularism.” — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@mattyglesias OK, that’s fine. My point is if you believe that Biden and his team are looking at polling on immigration and saying, “Let’s ignore what’s popular and pander to activist groups,” you are wrong. Same with Senate candidates. They are not doing that. — PolitiTweet.org