Twitter Caves, Bans Alex Jones. For a Week. Sort Of.
The conspiracy theorist's account has been restricted for seven days.
Free Speech
Matt Welch Interviews Zach Weissmueller, Libertarian State Rep. Brandon Phinney & More on Sirius XM!
From the alt-right to Twitter deactivation, bands drinking booze to presidents crowing for cronyism, we'll hash it out on Sirius XM Insight channel 121 today from 9-12 ET
Plaintiff Dropping Case in Which He Got Order to Google to Vanish Photo from Search Results
This will lead the order to be vacated; and the parallel case seeking removal of a Chicago Tribune post has also been dropped.
The Great Deplatforming War Rages On: Podcast
Should libertarians cheer, boo, or do a shrug-emoji when a private social media platform bans the likes of Alex Jones?
The Pro-Lesbian Anti-Transgender "Pussy Church of Modern Witchcraft" Recognized by IRS as Church
"The IRS recognized it as a 501(c)(3) organization and went the extra step of recognizing PCMW as a church, the most enviable of all tax statuses. exempt not only from income tax but also from the transparency that filing Form 990 creates. A church does not have to apply for exempt status, but it is a prudent step particularly for an innovative organization like PCMW."
Social Media Giants Shouldn't Be Arbiters of Appropriate Speech
It's implausible to imagine a future in which liberal activists don't demand that right-of-center groups be de-platformed.
Demonstrators Might Have to Pay a Fee to Protest on the National Mall
The National Park Service says there's an "enormous cost" to managing large political protests.
Popehat's Ken White: 'Free Speech Is in Just as Much Danger from Conservatives'
The idea that "free speech is a conservative value and censorship is a liberal value" is "historically completely illiterate."
Facebook Deactivates the Free Brazil Movement
The classical liberal group accuses Facebook of bias.
Apple's Attempt to Ban Alex Jones Backfired in an Unexpected Way
Alex Jones tweeted "When they try to ban you, but you keep on winning" above a celebratory glass of champagne.
The "Arrest and Alleged Charges No Longer Exist -- as If It Never Happened"
From a lawyer's letter demanding that a story about a now-expunged arrest be expunged from a newspaper as well as from the government records-but the law, fortunately, does not support this argument.
Gun Control Becomes Speech Control
People appalled by Cody Wilson's firearm fabrication software tend to forget about the First Amendment.
N.J. Case Ordering Google to Stop Showing Picture of Plaintiff Removed to Federal Court
The same happened to the case against the Chicago Tribune, in which the judge orally ordered the Tribune to take down a post that contained the picture (though the written order failed to reflect that).
The Chinese Government Destroys Ai Weiwei's 'Zuoyou' Studio
"Free speech and free expression have simply never existed in China or in its artist communities."
Can It Be a Crime to "Intimidate" Police Officers by Threatening to Complain About Them?
No, says the Fifth Circuit, striking down as unconstitutionally overbroad a Louisiana statute that apparently bans threatening public employees with lawsuits or complaints -- and not just with violence -- "with the intent to influence [the employee's official] conduct."
Banning Alex Jones Isn't About Free Speech—It's About the Incoherence of 'Hate Speech'
No one will miss Infowars, but that's beside the point.
Downloadable Gun Designs Are Here To Stay, Whether Politicians Like It Or Not
Officials trying to stop people from sharing information online are still raging against Napster.
Major Internet Platforms Ban Alex Jones
Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple accuse him of violating their platforms' speech codes.
'It's Not About Donald Trump Being Crappy, It's About the Government Being Crappy': Podcast
The podcast crew takes on the The New York Times' controversial new hire, Trump's trade war escalations, Medicare-for-all, and 3D-printed guns.
District Court Strikes Down Licenses for Tour Guides in Charleston
Prospective tour guides won't have to cough up nearly $100 and study for weeks to talk about their city anymore.
"Racial Ridicule" Is a Crime in Connecticut -- and People Are Being Prosecuted
There is no First Amendment exception for "hate speech," and the government can't specially target racist or religiously bigoted speech -- but some Connecticut prosecutors seem not to know that.
Videorecording Public Servants in Public
Most federal circuit courts have held that people generally have a right to record what police officers do in public places. But how far does that extend?
The ACLU Appears to Endorse a Ban on Catcalling, Despite Huge Free Speech Concerns
What a deleted tweet says about the direction of a civil liberties organization.
What We Talk About When Talk About Russian Meddling: Talk
When Americans do it, it's called participating in democracy. When Russians do it, it's called undermining democracy.
N.J. Court Orders Google to Vanish Plaintiff's Photo -- Published at the Chicago Tribune -- From Search Results
The "right to be forgotten" sneaking into American courts? Google has not complied with the court order -- and the plaintiff is now trying to get it held in contempt of court.
The Important but Arcane Procedural Issue That Might Upend the Restraining Order Against Defense Distributed
Did the settlement with the distributor of home gun-making hardware and software remove computer files from the United States Munitions List or just temporarily stop treating them as affected munitions?
Free Speech and Computer Code -- 3-D Printer Gunmaking Files and Beyond
Three ways of thinking about the problem: 1. Software is like hardware. 2. Software is like instruction manuals. 3. Alexa, read this book and make me a gun.
The New York Times Shouldn't Fire Sarah Jeong for Racist Tweets About White People
Call out hypocrisy, but don't join the lynch mob.
Freedom of Speech Is Important, the ACLU's Top Lawyer Explains to So-Called Liberals
David Cole defends the First Amendment's viewpoint neutrality, obliquely rebutting critics who question his group's commitment to it.
3D-Printed Guns Are a Great Example of Technophobia in Media, Politics
They are years away (if ever) from becoming the choice of bad guys, who can already make untraceable weapons, so why all the fear-mongering?
Facebook Blocks Searches for Pages that Reference Marijuana—Even Those of Government Agencies
The platform is struggling to handle contradictory laws about legal and illegal use of pot
President Trump Is No Friend to 3D Printed Plastic Guns, Says WH Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders touts President Trump's support for printed gun bans.
Facebook Removes More Fake Pages Trying to Make You Mad About Politics
If you were planning to attend an anti-right rally in D.C. next week, we've got some awkward news for you.
Likely Sarcastic Facebook Post Can't Justify Arrest of Author for Threats
Police generally need to investigate matters further, to see if the post was really a threat or sarcasm -- and if they don't investigate further, and don't have a good reason for the immediate arrest, they can be sued for a Fourth Amendment violation, and be denied qualified immunity.
What Janus Got Right -- and Wrong
Compelled Subsidies and the First Amendment -- a new article with co-blogger Eugene Volokh, forthcoming in the Harvard Law Review
Defense Distributed Sues New Jersey, Los Angeles Over Legal Threats
The authorities threatened the gun-making software and hardware company. Now the company is striking back, citing its First and Second Amendment rights.
Gun Control Groups Fail to Stop Distribution of Gun-Making Computer Files
The previously prohibited computer files related to making guns at home are now legally available in resolution of long-standing lawsuit involving Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed.
School District Provides $25K + Apology to Student Barred from Wearing "Trump Border Wall" T-Shirt
A follow-up to the May federal court decision holding that the school district's actions violated the First Amendment.
Twitter Sucks Because We Suck. Don't Blame @Jack
If social media feels like a cesspool, don't go swimming.
Cleveland City Councilman Got Order Requiring Two Citizen Critics to Stay 500 Feet Away from Him
Yet the order (narrowed on appeal to 50 feet, but still unconstitutional) seems to have been based on pretty normal -- if acrimonious -- local political debate. We're asking the Ohio Supreme Court to review the decision upholding it.
Trump Says 'Shadow-Banning' Conservatives on Twitter Is 'Illegal,' Promises Investigation
Trump used Twitter to blast Twitter for allegedly censoring several prominent conservative leaders.
Liberty Makes Us Unfree, Says the ACLU
The government wouldn't abuse us if we'd stop making it upset, according to the one-time civil liberties advocacy group.
Twitter 'Shadow Bans' Affect Some Conservative Leaders but Not Their Liberal Counterparts
Devin Nunes gets the Richard Spencer treatment.
Nikki Haley Warns Young Conservatives Against 'Owning the Libs'
"I know that it's fun and that it can feel good, but step back and think about what you're accomplishing when you do this-are you persuading anyone?"
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Rails Against Campus Bias Response Teams
"Donald Trump doesn't believe anyone can tell him how to speak," said Sessions.
