Thursday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Month: March 2022
Lawyer Gets Harassment Restraining Order Against Ex-Clients Based on (Among Other Things) Online Criticism
No, says the Appeals Court of Massachusetts: "We take this opportunity to reiterate that, where a c. 258E order is sought on the basis of speech alone, the plaintiff must prove that the speech rose to the level of true threats or fighting words and not merely that it was 'harassing, intimidating, or abusive in the colloquial sense.'"
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
Do Studies Show Gun Control Works? No.
Out of 27,900 research publications on gun laws, only 123 tested their effects rigorously.
Blame Insane Government Spending for Inflation
Some want to solve the problem with subsidies for gas, housing, child care, and more. That only risks greater stagnation.
No, We Don't Need To Become More Like Putin To Contain Him
Illiberalism in the defense of liberalism is a vice.
Department of Education Prepares Rules Prohibiting School Discrimination Against Gay and Trans Students
It’s about a lot more than transgender girls’ participation in sports under Title IX, but expect that controversy to dominate the discussion.
In Afghanistan, Private Aid Fills Void Left by Bureaucratic Failure
Small, private groups are working to feed the hungry and evacuate the endangered.
Gigi Sohn, Biden's Pick for FCC Vacancy, Is Still Pushing Pointless 'Net Neutrality' Regulations
Sohn, whose nomination could go before the Senate for a final vote within the coming weeks, is stuck in the past.
The College Campuses That Still Force Students To Wear Masks
"In practical terms, COVID-19 poses zero threat to the G.W. community."
Veggie 'Meat' Maker Tofurky Wins Free Speech Challenge to Food-Labeling Law
Plus: Meta's campaign to smear TikTok, new research on immigrants and welfare, and more...
Trial Court Focused Too Much on Racial Slurs by Defendant Towards Police Officers
So holds the California Court of Appeal, in sending back to a different judge defendant's motion to retroactively downgrade her conviction (for non-slur resistance to the officers) to a misdemeanor.
Biden May End Title 42 "Public Health" Expulsions of Migrants [Updated]
The policy caused immense suffering, in exchange for meager public health benefits, if any at all. Its history undercuts the case for granting broad powers and judicial deference to the CDC.
Nathan Rabin: Why Gen X Is Super Media-Literate
The Joy of Trash author talks about how D.A.R.E., bad TV, Weird Al Yankovic, and 9/11 created a generation of ironic idealists.
America's Post-Pandemic Reopening Is Passing Public Transportation By
Ridership is dismally depressed and a federal mask mandate for straphangers remains stubbornly in place.
The Nones and the Religion Clauses
Two new empirical studies on the influence of Nones in law and religion cases
He Spent 28 Years Behind Bars for a Murder He Didn't Commit and Died Before Seeing Justice
The police officers who allegedly framed William Virgil were denied qualified immunity. But they're still trying to delay a trial.
Does the Risk of Terrorism Justify Migration Restrictions?
My essay for the German Verfassungsblog site, explains why the answer to that question is generally "no."
21 States File Lawsuit Against CDC Mask Mandate For Public Transportation
The lawsuit raises some of the same issues as earlier successful challenges against the CDC's eviction moratorium. But, in this case, the federal government has a stronger legal rationale for its policies.
How Markets Make Economic Growth Sustainable
Market-driven dematerialization is the unsung environmental success story of the 21st century.
New Jersey Town Sues Elderly Woman for Filing Too Many Public Records Requests
Irvington Township says it's being bullied by 82-year-old Elouise McDaniel and is asking a court to block her from filing public records requests.
Deadly Pot Shop Robberies Underline the Need for Marijuana Banking Reform While the Senate Dithers
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer worries that approving the SAFE Banking Act would make broader changes less likely.
The Pandemic Is Over. California's Pandemic-Era Eviction Protections Are Getting Extended.
A.B. 2179 would stop some local-level eviction moratoriums from going into effect, while leaving untouched ones that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic.
Joe Manchin on Biden's Wealth Tax: 'You Can't Tax Something That's Not Earned.'
Joe Manchin keeps saying out loud the part that Joe Biden would rather keep quiet.
He Disarmed a Gun-Wielding Menace in a San Jose Taqueria. Then the Cops Shot Him.
Plus: Russia update, literary censorship, myths about American workers, and more...
On Removing Conflict of Laws from the Bar Exam
Will the field survive if it is not a "bar class"?
Handgun Carry Permits Transform a Right Into a Privilege
The argument for loosening restrictions on armed self-defense goes beyond the measurable impact on public safety.
Here Is Why a Federal Judge Says Trump Probably Committed Felonies When He Tried to Overturn Biden's Election
A ruling in a dispute over emails sought by the January 6 committee agrees that Trump's actions likely violated two federal laws.
Want To Stop School Book Battles? Give Parents Real Choice in Education
State-level "gag orders" on teaching certain texts and ideas are terrible and utterly predictable in a one-size-fits-all K-12 educational system.
The U.S. Should Welcome Russians Who Don't Want To Fight Putin's War
Immigration policy has been used as a non-martial weapon of war before. Let’s do it again.
Louisiana Supreme Court Allows Police Officer's Lawsuit Against Black Lives Matter Organizer
DeRay Mckesson didn’t cause or encourage violence against police in Baton Rouge in 2016. The court says he can still be held responsible.
Biden's Desperate Wealth Tax Flip-Flop
On the campaign trail, Biden rejected wealth taxes as punitive, divisive, and unworkable. Now, as president, he’s embraced the idea.
Important New Articles on Mootness and on Judge-Made Law
from Tyler Lindley and Micah Quigley.
Taxpayers To Be Billed a Billion Dollars for Buffalo Bills' New Stadium
If approved by the New York legislature, it would be the biggest public handout in NFL history.
Police Officer Gets Critic Prosecuted for "Harassment," Based on Critical Online Posts
Now the critic's First Amendment lawsuit over this (and other matters) can go forward.
Nathan Rabin: Confessions of a Trash-Culture Connoisseur
Nathan Rabin celebrates The Joy of Trash—and Gen X irony and cynicism—one terrible movie, book, and TV show at a time.
No, Schools Aren't Accommodating Students Who Identify as Animals
Plus: Biden wants to ramp up military and law enforcement spending, study challenges conventional wisdom about social media misinformation, and more...
