I can get all lists from the subsites with this query: http://rootsite/_api/Web/webs?$expand=Lists/RootFolder&$select=Lists/RootFolder/ServerRelativeURL
But I would like to get a specific list from all the subsites...is it possible to pass a filter in the query to specify a list and columns?
No, you'll need to loop through the sites you want and make separate calls for each list.
However, you could also use the Search REST api and use search to query for items of a particular content type, or items in a set of paths, etc. With this, you could certainly return items from multiple lists in a single call.
Docs for the search rest api are here.
