Free Speech
Philosophy Prof, Discussion of Adult-Child Sex Bans, and the First Amendment
SUNY Fredonia philosophy professor had been barred from campus over podcast questioning illegality and immorality of adult-child sexual contact; a federal court has just allowed his First Amendment claim to go forward.
Court Blocks Florida Gov. DeSantis's Executive Order Designating CAIR as Terrorist Organization
The order "prevents CAIR or 'any person known to have provided material support or resources' to CAIR 'from receiving any contract, employment, funds, or other benefit or privilege'" from Florida state or local governments.
Florida Legislators Advance a Bill Authorizing Government Surveillance Based on 'Views' or 'Opinions'
House and Senate committees were unfazed by the obvious First Amendment problems with the proposed Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit.
DOJ Briefly Abandons Trump's Unconstitutional Orders Targeting Law Firms
The administration's capricious behavior underlies the inherent problem with giving a single person so much power.
First Amendment Protects Right to Use Nudity as Protest (There, a Pro-Trans Protest) in Public
So the Washington Supreme Court said yesterday, though other courts have disagreed.
Why Libertarians Should Be Wary About Releasing the Epstein Files
The federal government shouldn't use its police power to gather personal, embarrassing information on people and then blast it out on social media.
Iowa Officials Arrested This Guy for Criticizing Them—Twice. A Federal Judge Says They Are Liable.
A mayor and a police chief "mistook their authority to maintain order for a license to suppress criticism," says U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose.
The Government Wants Your Posts Before It Grants You Papers
The Trump administration will start collecting social media account information on immigration forms.
Can You Trust Wikipedia?
Wikipedia shapes our perception of reality today more than ever before because it informs the large language models like ChatGPT. But can we really trust it?
Trump Administration May Grant Asylum to Turkish National Who Burned a Quran in the U.K.
Like free speech in the U.K., the White House’s interest in this case shows that free speech is for some, but not for all.
Teacher's First Amendment Claim Related to Sharing "What Is Privilege?" Post Can Go Forward
"Superintendent Hamlet testified that Defendants viewed the Privilege Post as a criticism of the Black Lives Matter ... movement. He did not think such criticism was valid and believed criticism of BLM was enough in itself to justify punishing a teacher."
Stephen Colbert Says CBS Killed an Interview Because of FCC Equal-Time Rule
If anything, the incident just provided further proof that the equal-time rule should be abolished.
Security Clearance Denied for Past Child Porn Downloading; Hearing Officer Unmoved by Claims That Behavior Stemmed from Since-Resolved Gender Dysphoria
"Applicant believed she was pre-adolescent or during adolescence when she was downloading images of children on her computer in 2013 to 2014 even though she was chronologically about 30 years old."
Carnegie Mellon Must Provide Discovery About Relationship with Qatar, in Ex-Student's Lawsuit Alleging Anti-Semitism
The student was explaining the concept of an eruv, a feature of certain Jewish neighborhoods, in class to an architecture professor, who allegedly said the time the student had spent on project "would have been better spent if [Ms. Canaan] had instead explored 'what Jews do to make themselves such a hated group.'" …
The Trump Administration's War Against ICE Critics
By conflating opposition with terrorism, federal officials go down a dangerous path.
Trump's Blatantly Unconstitutional Attempt To Punish His Congressional Critics Hits 2 Roadblocks
A grand jury and a federal judge rejected the president’s vendetta against legislators who produced a video about the duty to refuse unlawful military orders.
The Olympics Will Never Achieve World Peace If It Keeps Clamping Down on Free Speech
Plus: Olympic hockey almost didn’t happen, how to pad the medal count, and a reader survey on fixing the Olympics
No Pseudonymity for Man Suing Harvard Alleging Jews Aim "to Exterminate or Enslave All Non-Jews"
The plaintiff claims he was denied admission to Harvard Business School, apparently because he is a "non-veteran, non-queer, non-Jewish White male applicant[]."
Trump's FTC Chairman Sends a Threatening Letter to Apple for Not Promoting Enough Conservative Media
Chairman Andrew Ferguson continues the Federal Trade Commission’s crusade against free speech with an official letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Mr. Wonderful v. BitBoy Crypto: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Awarded $2.8M in Defamation Suit
Defendant has apparently "informed his psychiatrist ... that he believes he is dead and in a waiting room for Hell."
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Cancel Culture and the Constitution: Three Reasons Why We Should Embrace Free Speech," by Judge James Ho
Based on a Constitution Day Lecture delivered at Wofford College last September 11.
