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Free Speech
San Francisco's Anti-NRA Policy Could Be Unconstitutional
The Supreme Court has said the First Amendment protects government contractors against termination based on their political views.
Alabama Dean Resigns After Conservative Snowflakes Publicize His Old Tweets
Right-wing cancel culture comes for Jamie Riley, who dared to criticize the American flag.
Mississippi Retreats on Stupid Attempts to Censor 'Veggie Burger' Labels
Nobody is being "confused" by vegetarian meat substitutes.
Prof. May Be Ordered to Refer to Transgender Student Using the Student's Preferred Title and Pronoun …
... or refer to all students without a title (e.g., by first name or by last name) and not use third-person pronouns to refer to them.
Corporations and the First Amendment: Free Speech Rules (Episode 6)
Episode 6 of Free Speech Rules, from UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh
YouTube Is Not the Government
Conservatives who argue that the video platform is constrained by the First Amendment are forsaking their constitutional principles.
The Media Claimed Andy Ngo Was Complicit in a Far-Right Attack on Antifa. But the Video Doesn't Support That.
“There’s some merit in some of the criticisms of things that I’ve gotten wrong,” admits the former Quillette reporter.
PragerU's Lawsuit Against Google Seeks To Rewrite the First Amendment
It flies in the face of precedent.
Neal Stephenson Wants To Tell Big Stories
An economist and a science fiction author discuss cryogenics, mythology, philanthropy, fragmentation, and simulation.
"Harm to Reputation Is Insufficient to Overcome the Strong Presumption in Favor of Public Access …"
"... , especially where, as here, the party who filed the suit alleges harm from the public availability of the record."
Pro-Democracy Activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow Arrested in Hong Kong
"Hong Kong is a place without basic political and economic freedom," Wong tells Reason.
New Hampshire Woman Can Keep Her 'PB4WEGO' Vanity Plate
The state attempted to recall the vanity plate on the grounds that it referenced "excretory acts or functions."
Free Speech Defenders Warn Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez That She Is Violating the Constitution by Blocking Critics on Twitter
The same First Amendment principles that apply to the president also apply to the congresswoman.
"A Narrative Summary Describing How the … Taxpayer … Shares California's Values with Regard to Women's Reproductive Rights"
That's what a California bill (passed 76-0 by Assembly and 6-0 and 5-2 by Senate committees) would ask film tax credit seekers to provide in their tax credit application.
Feds Kick Incoming Harvard Freshman Out of the Country Because of His Friend's Social Media Posts
Authorities questioned Ismael Ajjawi for eight hours at Logan Airport. Then they revoked his student visa.
No Sealing of Business Details "Directly Relevant to the Heart of [a Civil] Case"
"If the Court sealed the disputed materials, it would essentially conceal the very mechanism that REA used to perpetuate the scheme, leaving the public with little more than the judgment itself to establish the existence of the scheme."
OK for Restaurant to Eject City Councilman Whose Political Positions "Had Financially Harmed" the Restaurant
California public accommodations law has been read as banning discrimination based on "political affiliation," but the court concluded that this didn't apply to discrimination based on "political views" more broadly (or based on votes as an elected official).
One-Year Sentence for Forgery of Court Order, Aimed at Getting Patch.com Article Altered or Deindexed
... though the defendant's other crimes likely affected the sentence.
Bret Stephens Is Not a Bedbug. He's a Delicate Snowflake.
The New York Times columnist emailed a professor to complain about a mean tweet—and cc'ed the provost.
Watch Dave Chappelle Eviscerate Cancel Culture
The comedian's new Netflix special deftly skewers woke scolds.
Indian Government Attempts to Remove Material from Western Sites
That material: Photoshopped pictures of PM Narendra Modi "embracing his right-hand man Rajnath Singh on an idyllic beach."
Google Cracks Down on Employees' Political Speech
The unsurprising result of conservatives complaining about Big Tech bias: less speech, not more
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
Professor Forced to Resign Because He Supports Antifa
By punishing Jeff Klinzman, Kirkwood Community College has dealt a blow to free speech.
Lawyer Loses Bid To Redact Opinion Labeling Him a "Copyright Troll"
But at least he wasn't labeled a "copyright orc" ....
Videographers' Free Exercise Clause Objections to Having to Create Same-Sex Wedding Videos
The mysterious "hybrid rights" doctrine comes up again—but might not matter.
Florida Cops Arrest a 15-Year-Old Boy for Joking About Perpetrating a Mass Shooting
"Joke or not, these types of comments are felonies under the law," says the Volusia County Sheriff's Office
How I Was a Criminal Defendant in a N.J. Harassment Case
"Eugene Volokh told the police he refuses to leave me alone."
OK to Oppose Sealing of Court Documents Without Local Counsel
... if you're asserting your own rights of access (which all of us have) to court records.
Beto O'Rourke Proposes Plan to Punish Tech Companies for Failing to Censor Hate Speech
The move would violate the First Amendment.
"Right to Be Forgotten" as to Court Opinions Rejected …
... by a federal district court decision yesterday, in a case brought by a pro se litigant in New Jersey.
The Government Wants a 'Red Flag' Social Media Tool. That's a Terrible Idea.
The FBI is looking for companies to comb through social media posts and pinpoint possible threats ahead of time. Think of it like a meme-illiterate Facebook-stalking precog from Minority Report.
Kamala Harris Promises To 'Disarm Violent Hate' by Seizing Guns From Bigots
The Democratic presidential contender suggests that "racist threats or anti-immigrant manifestos" could justify federal gun confiscation orders.
Calling Informants "Snitches" May Be a Federal Felony
That's so regardless of whether the statement is seen as a true threat or incitement—and it applies to any "harmful" speech "inten[ded] to retaliate" against anyone giving law enforcement "any truthful information" related to a federal crime.
The U.K. Banned a Cream Cheese Commercial and Car Commercial Due to Gender Stereotypes
The ads are the first to be banned since the new law went into effect in June.
Why Governments Should Not Bar Entry Based on Political Views
Israel's decision to bar two US members of Congress from entering the country is part of a much broader problem. Many nations, including the US, have similar policies. Here's why such restrictions should be abolished.
Is YouTube Discriminating Against Both Conservatives and LGBT Videos? Two Lawsuits Say Yes.
Trying to get the government involved in what sort of videos online platforms promote or hide is going to end badly.
James Alan Fox: There Is No Evidence of an 'Epidemic of Mass Shootings'
The nation's leading scholar of mass shootings explains how media coverage of horrific events such as El Paso and Dayton stoke unwarranted fear and anxiety.
Florida Senate Member Gets Restraining Order Against Critic
Fortunately, the Florida Court of Appeal has just reversed.
Restraining Order Issued to Ban Unwanted Contact with Mayor by City Commission Candidate
... vacated by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
