Tony Webster @tony@mastodon.tonywebster.com

Hey I survived my midterms. Came close to asking the Fed to bail me out, but we did it. Off to Colorado for spring break to go snowboarding and do more LSAT prep in a hot tub somewhere. Kbye.

Me, staring at the three sentences I’ve written in my 10-page paper due tomorrow: “If I hopped in the car right now, I could get to Denver before the vegan poutine place closes”

Took my first timed cold LSAT practice test today before doing any studying for it. I thought I was messing up so many answers and felt really deflated until the number popped up on the screen, and it was actually... enough to get in. (Am I really doing this?)

PSA: Data broker LexisNexis sends out requests to colleges for student directory data, which can contain full name, DOB, address, phone, etc. Students have the right to block this data from being made public. Google your college + FERPA/privacy request/directory information.

... is Arizona v. Evans/Herring v. U.S. If a police officer’s computer wrongly says you have an arrest warrant due to clerical error, and cops find contraband in your car when falsely arresting you, the evidence they find is still admissible to charge you. Not great!

Finished my criminal procedure class today and I’m even more concerned about the state of Fourth Amendment rights than when I went in. Didn’t know that was possible!

Today I asked to file an amicus brief in Energy Transfer v. Unicorn Riot at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. After a judge rejected the Dakota Access Pipeline owner’s subpoena for @UnicornRiot's unpublished journalistic material, the pipeline company is appealing, making this a big press freedom case.

is “i want to snuggle with my dog instead” a valid reason to cancel a meeting

Dispatch tells Minnesota cop there’s no dogs available, so he lets a driver go. Then cop learns there *is* a dog, catches up to driver, “continues” first stop. Dog alerts; 76 grams meth.

Judge: This is fine. 11 years prison.

Court of Appeals: Nope. Reversed. https://mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/Appellate/Court%20of%20Appeals/Standard%20opinions/OPa220459-022723.pdf

Feeling very frustrated by the right-wing criticism of Fetterman today. This is your chance to show your community that getting help when you need it is a great thing, and yet your behavior just drives people to suppress their need to seek help.

Police discipline files are public in Minnesota—but about a decade ago, Minneapolis Police came up with a new word to describe discipline they didn’t want to be public: “coaching.” Paul Ostrow’s commentary in the @mnreformer: https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/02/16/public-needs-access-to-police-discipline-records-legislature-needs-to-end-coaching-loophole/

Here’s the Star Tribune’s story on my public records settlement: DEED commissioner, incoming Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove settles journalist's lawsuit https://m.startribune.com/deed-commissioner-incoming-star-tribune-publisher-steve-grove-settles-journalists-lawsuit/600251882/

My thoughts on the Star Tribune’s new CEO. https://tonywebster.com/journalism/steve-grove-star-tribune-deed

okay no UFOs today please, i have a paper due in four hours and i haven’t started it yet

I just reached a settlement in my public records lawsuit against the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development and its Commissioner Steve Grove. They’ll provide me all the data I requested and pay $17,000. When government agency heads use their social media for government purposes, who they block is public data.

On the upside of being pretty overwhelmed with school right now, I am developing an excellent ADHD playlist of songs suitable for repeating on loop for six hours. Today’s addition is this indie-folk-pop gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJbCsIreQas

Went to Boulder, Colorado for one (1) hour, and I left with a Patagonia hoodie and an intense desire to learn how to make carrot kombucha at home.

Hello, I would just like to recommend aimlessly driving around dirt roads in Wyoming at sunset while blasting Taylor Swift, and stopping to Google the random LLC names on no trespassing signs to see which minor celebrity unexpectedly owns a cattle ranch.