It Took a Jury 9 Minutes to Decide a Man Could Legally Blast 'Fuck tha Police' Near an Officer
The deputy said he took issue with the word "fuck" in the song despite using it himself moments earlier.
Free Speech
India at a Crossroads
India is known as the land of contradictions, and recent events do little to undermine that reputation.
Is Rand Paul Right About Special Prosecutors Being Wrong?: Podcast
Also: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez owns the cons while spouting policy B.S.
Facebook Cripples Community Organizing With Overzealous Attempts to Stop Russian Trolls: Reason Roundup
Plus: Trump changes his mind about military spending and why Rand Paul hates Trump's new attorney general pick.
Help! We Need a Name for a Series of Short Videos Explaining Free Speech Law
We've got a grant -- we've finished the first video (under 4 minutes) -- but we need a good title for the whole series.
Facebook Also Becoming a Sexuality-Free Zone: Reason Roundup
New rules ban erotic art, talk of shared sexual interests, kink groups, and anything that "encourages sexual encounters between adults."
9th Circuit Says a Federal Law Making It a Felony to 'Encourage' Illegal Immigration Violates the First Amendment
The statute is "unconstitutionally overbroad," the appeals court says, because it criminalizes "a substantial amount of protected expression."
Tumblr Says It's Banning Porn. This Will Not End Well.
Research shows a fifth of its users seek out sexual images. But the sharing site is now part of a massive media conglomerate.
SEC Goes After Cryptocurrency 'Influencers,' Starting With DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather: Reason Roundup
Plus: the First Amendment problems with prosecuting Wikileaks and the trans troops ban is dealt another blow.
Court Throws Out Season Ticket Holder's Lawsuit Over Football Anthem Protests
A creative legal theory, roundly rejected.
Expect More Conservative Purges on Social Media If Republicans Target Section 230
Killing Section 230 would only lead web platforms to ban even more speech.
Trigger Warnings Aren't Confined to College Campuses: Here Are 3 Unusual Places They Appeared
"I had to add a content warning or else."
New IRS Rule Seems to Violate the First Amendment by Denying Tax-Exempt Status to Drug Policy Reform Groups
It is unconstitutional for the government to discriminate against organizations based on their viewpoint.
Facebook and Big Tech Discover That Political Friends Are Fickle Friends
As Facebook's supposed ideological allies unfriend the social media giant, the tech industry is learning that there are no permanent allegiances in politics.
First Amendment Victory for Strip Club Gives New Jersey Businesses the Right to Advertise a BYOB Option
A federal judge overturns a state ban on telling customers they can bring their own beer or wine.
The #ThotAudit Is Deeply, Painfully Stupid
The snitch crusade is ostensibly about making sure hot women aren't making money off their hotness without giving the government a cut.
Is the First Amendment Flourishing or Floundering in the 21st Century?: Podcast
Nadine Strossen, Eugene Volokh, and Stephanie Slade discuss freedom of speech, assembly, and religion at Reason's 50th anniversary.
E-Mails With Graphic Anti-Gun Messages, Sent to Gun Rights Activist, Weren't Threats
So holds a federal court, concluding that such e-mails with photos of gun crime victims, coupled with statements such as "Thought you should see a few photos of handiwork of the assault rifles you support," were protected by the First Amendment.
U.K. Anti-Terrorism Efforts Are Terrifying to Anybody Who Favors Free Speech
Clicking the "wrong" link can get you interrogated by the authorities-and the situation may soon get worse.
Suppressing Trump's Bigotry on Facebook Is Another Form of Bias
Censoring politicians' racist, sexist, and abhorrent behavior on social media does a big favor to racist, sexist, and abhorrent politicians.
Chinese Novelist Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence Because Her Homoerotic Books Sold Too Well
Yet under Chinese law, some rapists get only three years behind bars.
A Reminder About Rumsfeld v. FAIR
The statute in that case was a funding condition on federal money given to universities -- but the Court's decision held that the government could impose the same rule categorically, whether or not the universities got funds.
New Article on Compelled Speech, Forthcoming in the Texas Law Review
I'd love to have people's comments this week, since I owe the journal a final draft Saturday the 24th. [UPDATE: Just to be clear, the article aims to provide a coherent framework for understanding the current precedents, not to come up with new rules from scratch.]
Should Facebook and Twitter Censor Themselves? A Debate.
What should the culture of free speech, free expression, and ownership look like on our social media platforms?
Charges Against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Accidentally Revealed by U.S. Prosecutors: Reason Roundup
Plus: the NRA versus New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and CNN versus the White House
N.Y. Appellate Court Reverses Injunction Against Online Tabloid's Publishing "Images Depicting … Lynching in Association with Plaintiff"
The latest in the Brummer v. Wey (TheBlot) litigation, brought by Prof. Christopher Brummer, a former Obama nominee for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Rutgers University Reverses Course, Affirms Free Speech Rights for Professor Accused of Anti-White Racism
"Any other result would have undermined the free speech and academic freedom rights of all Rutgers faculty members."
Facebook Supported 'Sex Trafficking' Law FOSTA to Cozy Up to Republican Critics: Reason Roundup
Plus: Trump endorses sentencing reform and Bitcoin's value continues to fall.
High School Boys Made the Nazi Salute in a Prom Photo. That's Terrible, But Not a Crime.
Social media can shame them and the school can punish them, but the police shouldn't intervene.
Right to Wear T-Shirts That Depict or Mention Guns
... extends to public high school students, holds a federal judge in Wisconsin.
Forged U.K. Court Order Aimed at Vanishing Newspaper Article About English Businessman Mason Soiza
So reports the Times of London, which was the target of the purported order.
Lawsuit Challenging New Jersey Ban on Distributing "Digital Instructions" for 3D Printing of Guns
An interesting motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing based on the First Amendment, the dormant Commerce Clause, 47 U.S.C. § 230, and more.
Federal Judge Says It's Plausible That Andrew Cuomo Violated the First Amendment by Pressuring Banks and Insurers to Shun the NRA
The organization's lawsuit against New York's governor survives a motion to dismiss.
Andrew Cuomo's Unconstitutional Assault on the NRA
New York's governor is violating the First Amendment by pressuring banks and insurers to shun "gun promotion organizations."
NRA's Free Speech Claims Against N.Y. Officials May Proceed
The NRA alleges that New York officials are trying to pressure banks and insurance companies not to deal with the NRA, because of the NRA's political activities.
Is Your Ballot Selfie Legal?
Banning ballot selfies to stop voter fraud is like "burning down the house to roast the pig" said the First Circuit Court of Appeals. But many states still do it.
Libel Case Can't Be Litigated with the Alleged Libel Sealed, Says Federal Court
"Once a matter is brought before a court for resolution, it is no longer solely the parties' case, but also the public's case."
D.C. Unfriends Silicon Valley
Social media execs did themselves no favors by becoming so closely identified with the Democratic Party.
No Preliminary Injunction Against Alleged Political Campaign Libel, Rules Federal Judge
Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson was trying to block ads that criticized her and allegedly defamed her.
Condemning Extreme Rhetoric, NYT Columnist Says Conservative Pundits Incite Murder
Jim Rutenberg's indictment of "the Incitement Industry" charges right-wing provocateurs with complicity in violence.
In Europe and in Pakistan, Two Women Are Condemned for Insulting Muhammad
Anti-hate speech laws have gone too far.
Fourth Circuit Rejects Gag Order on Parties and Potential Witnesses, in Murphy-Brown Hog Farm Litigation
"Whatever differences the parties and their supporters have, they possess in common a passionate First Amendment interest in debating their futures. It seems very wrong that a court would take that from them."
