In recently committed java.net.http.ExecutorWrapper, there is a synchronize() method [1], which is used as "memory fence" [2]:

 public synchronized void synchronize() {}

 public void execute(Runnable r, Supplier<AccessControlContext>
ctxSupplier) {
   synchronize();
   Runnable r1 = () -> {
     try {
       r.run();
     } catch (Throwable t) {
       Log.logError(t);
     }
   };

   ...

   executor.execute(r1);
 }

How's that supposed to work? Is that supposed to guard from bad Runnable $r?

The problem is, once you get $r via the race, there is no way to recover with local synchronization (IOW: There is no way to sanitize a racy input, once it happened. Races are bad like that) And if $r got to you properly, you don't need to do anything special too (IOW: API may as well assume it is coming from the current thread).

Therefore, I think synchronize() method there is superfluous.

In fact, assuming that a synchronized method has any *detached* memory semantics is wrong too -- compilers are known to elide associated fences. E.g. if ExecutorWrapper is known to never escape a thread, or a single thread locks on it, and biases a lock towards itself.

[1]
http://hg.openjdk.java.net/jdk9/jdk9/jdk/file/e0da6c2a5c32/src/java.httpclient/share/classes/java/net/http/ExecutorWrapper.java#l74
[2]
http://hg.openjdk.java.net/jdk9/jdk9/jdk/file/e0da6c2a5c32/src/java.httpclient/share/classes/java/net/http/ExecutorWrapper.java#l77