A Huge Blow to Hongkongers' Freedoms
New legislation proposed in Beijing signals the likely end of the "one country, two systems" policy that has allowed Hong Kong to flourish.
Free Speech
Requiring Creation of Computer Code Doesn't Violate the First Amendment
Seems right to me, at least as a general matter.
N.C. Trial Court Holds Preliminary Injunctions Against Alleged Libel Are Unconstitutional
But permanent injunctions after a full trial on the merits might be a different story.
Do Tattoo Shops Have a First Amendment Right To Remain Open During a Pandemic?
The idea is not so far-fetched.
Supreme Court Won't Hear Suit Saying Facebook Helped With Hamas Attack
Hamas "used and relied on" Facebook "as among its most important tools to facilitate and carry out its terrorist activity," the plaintiffs claimed.
Court in Devin Nunes Libel Lawsuit: "The Tedious and Laborious Exercise …
of dissecting each of the sixteen bullet points illustrates the deficiency of plaintiffs’ complaint."
Anti-Porn Groups Target Websites' Ability to Accept Credit Card Payments
We've seen this before...
Court Strikes Down Injunction Banning Divorcing Parents from Disparaging Each Other
An important decision from the Massachusetts high court.
Supreme Court Can Put a Stop to Rule Compelling Anti-Prostitution Speech From Anti-HIV/AIDS Groups
The anti-prostitution pledge is unconstitutional when applied to U.S. nonprofits. But the feds say it's still OK to compel speech from these groups' foreign affiliates.
New Facebook Oversight Board Will Handle Tricky Moderation, but Will It Value Free Speech?
Mark Zuckerberg can't please the anti-tech populists on the left and the right, no matter what he does.
Josh Duggar ("19 Kids and Counting") Lawsuit Thrown Out
Josh Duggar had sued over the government's releasing records of his juvenile investigation.
"Clear, Compelling, Written Language Is Required to Waive" Free Speech Rights
An important First Amendment holding in a factually fascinating case, which involves an alleged breach of contract, a World War II Medal of Honor, a dispute over a history book, and a discussion of anti-libel injunctions.
District Court in Ninth Circuit Issues Anti-Libel Injunction
But other courts in the Ninth Circuit have categorically said that such injunctions are unconstitutional—the law remains quite unclear.
"Well, We Have Reviewed That Order, Too"
Not a great thing to see in an appellate opinion, if you claimed that reviewing a court order shows that you should win.
North Carolina Supreme Court: Flipping Off Cop Did Not Justify Traffic Stop
A state trooper believed a man driving by and flipping the bird at the cops constituted disorderly conduct. (It didn't.)
Woman Banned from "Making Any … Public Allegations Against" Ex, a Police Sergeant, "on Social Media"
We've filed a friend-of-the-court brief asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to review the case.
The National Labor Relations Board Wants To Punish a Conservative Publisher for a Joke About Unions
The Federalist's Ben Domenech is fighting the government in court.
Fifth Circuit Anti-BDS Lawsuit Dismissed as Moot
The Eighth Circuit lawsuit remains pending.
People Stuck at Home Are Making and Watching Porn. Everybody Panic!
Anti-porn crusaders get their panties in a twist about a uptick in porn consumption during COVID-19.
Prisoner in Ohio Halfway House Complains About Lack of COVID-19 Preparations. He's Sent Back to Prison. Now Ohio Prisons are Exploding with COVID-19.
While his own prison is not yet facing a huge problem, Brandon Baxter had a prescient complaint for which he seems to be being punished.
"Car Parades, Cruises, and Joyriding" "Are NOT Prohibited," at Least in Osage County, Kansas
And they would, I think, be peaceable assembly protected by the First Amendment, even in a time of epidemic.
Teenager Threatened with Arrest for Posting About Being Sick with Covid-19
She thinks she was -- but the police thought she wasn't (based on a negative test).
Attempt to Vanish (Cubed) Post Critical of the Sandy Hook Hoax Libel Judgment
"Anything you can do, I can do meta."
Facebook Removes Coronavirus Misinformation but Will Only Ban Lockdown Protests If They Violate Social Distancing
"Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook," a company spokesperson tells Reason.
Students Don't "Shed Their … Freedom of Speech … at the Schoolhouse Gate" …
... they apparently shed it well before the schoolhouse gate.
D.C. High Court Strikes Down Order Temporarily Blocking Facebook from Disclosing Existence of Subpoena
The subpoena had been issued on behalf of a criminal defendant, who wants to buttress his self-defense argument by getting a copy of an expired Instagram Story that had been sent to him by the alleged victim.
Five Years in Prison for Posting Facebook Videos Accusing Pastor of Sexual Misconduct
The Mississippi Court of Appeals just overturned the conviction, and struck down the underlying statute, which banned posting messages "whether truthful or untruthful" "for the purpose of causing injury to any person."
Woman Mocked for Being Sexually Attracted to a Chandelier Loses Claim
before UK independent press standards tribunal.
California Appellate Court Rejects Sealing of Alleged Libel
The common law, the First Amendment, and California court rules provide a broad right of access to court documents.
Raleigh Police Department: 'Protesting Is a Non-Essential Activity'
The government has broad emergency powers, but that doesn't mean the Constitution is suspended.
12-Year-Old "Politically Vocal Boy" Loses Libel Claim Against Newsweek
The Newsweek article, among other things, quoted a professor who said two young public supporters of Trump "'camouflage' positions of the hard right 'as feel-good sweetness and light, when, in fact, they are defending raw racism and sexual abuse.'"
UCLA Law Dean Apologizes for My Having Accurately Quoted the Word "Nigger" in Discussing a Case
I, however, do not apologize.
Hospital Technicians Ignore Copyright Law to Fight COVID-19
They trade tips and manuals through a decentralized information-sharing network. Biomedical technicians say it's the fastest and easiest way to get life-saving information.
Trump Campaign Sues TV Station for Running 'Defamatory' Coronavirus Attack Ad
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of frivolous suits the president's reelection campaign has filed against media outlets.
Litigant Can't Seal Case to "Improve Her Chances of Employment"
A federal magistrate holds that the right of access to court records precludes such sealing.
N.Y. Court Invalidates Conviction Under Anti-Crime-Hoax Law
The case was a hate crime hoax perpetrated by a SUNY Albany student.
Mississippi City Bans Drive-in Church Services
That violates the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and probably the freedom of assembly and association.
Jerry Falwell Jr. Has a Free Speech Problem
The Liberty University president thinks two reporters' coverage was unfair—so he wants them arrested.
Texas Teen Booked on Terror Charge for COVID-19 Snapchat Video
She posted on social media about deliberately spreading the disease, but she's not actually sick.
