Friday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Month: February 2025
Sheriff Says 'Public Trust' in New Mexico Law Enforcement 'Is Completely Lost' Because of Police Corruption
"This is a gut punch," says Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen. "This is a kick to my balls and two black eyes, to be honest with you."
How Trump Imperils Free Markets and Personal Liberties
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank provides a helpful summary, with a little help from me.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr Wants More Control Over Social Media
Carr advocates greater control over social media by federal regulators, despite a reputation for supporting free speech.
D.C. Circuit Stays Mandate in Marin Audubon Society v. FAA
After refusing to order remand without vacatur, the D.C. Circuit pauses the effect of its decision.
So Much For RFK, Jr.'s Promise of 'Radical Transparency' at HHS
RFK, Jr.'s Health and Human Service has inexplicably cancelled two vaccine-related advisory meetings since he took the helm of the agency.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Private islands, signal fires, and a salmagundi of sadness.
Divided Fourth Circuit Denies Partial Stay of Preliminary Injunction Against Executive Order Curtailing Birthright Citizenship
If nationwide injunctions were okay against other administrations, the Fourth Circuit see no reason they are not okay now.
Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Shows Potential in Early Trial
The five-year survival rate of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is currently 13 percent.
The Role Where Gene Hackman Was State Violence Personified
Hackman's performance as "Little Bill" Daggett in Unforgiven is an unflinching portrayal of how far the state will go to protect its corrupt monopoly on violence.
Defaming Businesses Doesn't Protect Consumers
If the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't have enough data to enact a rule, it shouldn't be making informal recommendations either.
Tariffs on Imports From Canada and Mexico Are Still a Terrible Idea
And an increasingly unpopular one. Will Trump pay attention to the polls, if not the economists?
Trump Admin Argues DOGE Is Exempt From Records Requests in FOIA Lawsuit
Elon Musk promised "maximum transparency," but that apparently doesn't include Freedom of Information requests to DOGE.
The Sad Quest for a Secret 'Epstein Client List'
The Trump administration’s spectacle rehashed information that journalists, lawyers, and victims had already unveiled.
The Government Named This Baby 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel.' Years Later, Her Father Still Can't Change It.
He also can't get a birth certificate or Social Security number for his daughter.
NATO Could Effectively Die This June
Trump's negotiations and German elections may augur the end of collective security as we've known it.
Hamas, Israel, and the Death of International Humanitarian Law
Taken over by the far left, the IHL community discredited the field by going easy on Hamas and libeling Israel.
Expressive Discrimination: Universities' First Amendment Right to Affirmative Action — Part 1
Maybe some universities can continue to do race-based affirmative action, even after SFFA v. Harvard.
Germany's New Political Leaders Face Big Problems of Their Own Making
Regulations, taxes, bad energy policy, and a lack of entrepreneurial spirit hold the country back.
Review: Rethinking the Stanford Prison Experiment
Did participants exhibit a natural inclination for cruelty, or were they just doing what they thought researchers wanted?
Fifth Circuit Panel Issues 24-Page Unpublished Opinion In Favor Of Planned Parenthood and Reverses Judge Kacsmaryk
Is this opinion a "one and done" decision to evade en banc review?
Should the Charges Against Mayor Adams Now Be Dismissed With Prejudice … Because of Prosecutorial Misconduct?
That's the powerful argument that Mayor Adams's lawyers are making, citing (among other grounds) the leaking of a resignation letter containing "the wildly inflammatory and false accusation that Mayor Adams and his counsel had, in essence, offered a quid to the Department of Justice in exchange for the quo of dismissal."
More on Free Speech on Campus, Title VI, and Anti-Israel Speech
"[I]n seeking to hold Cooper Union liable for [students'] expression, [plaintiff] cannot help but say the quiet part loud: sweeping otherwise-protected political expression into the hostility analysis will create pressure on institutions 'to suppress speech to ensure compliance with Title VI,' causing 'regulated entities to adopt restrictive policies in an effort to avoid liability' for a hostile environment."
Tennessee Supreme Court Rules State Can Revoke Personalized '69' License Plate Because It's Government Speech
Most courts have ruled that vanity license plates are private speech and protected from viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment.
Matt Taibbi: The Collapse of the Censorship Regime
The award-winning journalist discusses the collapse of a post–World War II consensus, online speech police, and the legacy media on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Trump Finds a Face-Saving Way To Give Ukraine 'the Right To Fight On'
Forget boots on the ground. Now we’ll have Americans “on the land.”
Colorado SWAT Team Raids Wrong Apartment, Locks Innocent Family in Police Car
The cops tried to cover up their mistake after they "terrorized" the family, according to a lawsuit.
Trump Promised To Lower Prices. Will Congress Help Him Deliver?
At the current rate of inflation, the dollar will lose 33 cents of purchasing power within a decade.
WaPo Embraces Free Minds and Free Markets
"I'm confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America," wrote Bezos.
Ukraine Minerals Deal Won't Fix America's Mineral Problem
“We’ve basically made an agreement with very little data,” warned one expert.
Interest Rates Are Falling—Thank Government Spending Cuts for That
Cuts to government spending mean fewer bonds, lower borrowing costs, and potentially a break for borrowers.
Banning Diet Supplements Won't Stop Teen Eating Disorders
Dietary supplement bans for minors may spread—but they’ll be costly, confusing, and ineffective.
Cert Petition in Georgia Adult-Entertainment Tax Case: Part 2
The rest of the cert petition in Georgia Ass'n of Club Executives v. Georgia
Gay Penguins Face Florida's Classroom Speech Regulations
The authors of a picture book about two male penguins raising a chick together argue excluding their book from school libraries violates their free speech rights.
If The Courts Want Their Orders To Be Followed, The Courts Must Issue Orders That Can Be Followed
Federal judges are walking on thin ice by issuing unappealable TROs and failing to stay their rulings.
Second Amendment Roundup: Supreme Court Should Hold its Decision in VanDerStok
The new Administration should notify the Court of its change in position on ATF regulations.
No One Cares When Presidential Advisers Want Bigger Government
Elon Musk's vague White House role is only controversial because he's trying to slash bureaucracy.
Why Do 36 Percent of Americans Have a Positive View of Socialism?
Socialism promises many things and claims to prioritize people over profits. But what people actually get is different.
Judge Orders Newspaper To Delete Editorial Critical of City Government
After a lawsuit from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the city backed down. But it's still part of a worrying trend.
Unvaccinated Kid Dies of Measles in Texas
Odd coincidence that RFK Jr. is now Secretary of Health and Human Services?
