Everybody Wants To Regulate the Internet Except Ajit Pai: Podcast
One year after Net Neutrality, connection speed is up, the discrimination critics feared is non-existent, and the debate about Internet regulation is abysmal.
Free Speech
First Amendment Lawsuit Challenges U.T.-Austin's Prohibition of Speech That Is 'Offensive,' 'Biased,' 'Uncivil,' or 'Rude'
The university's definition of "harassment" is breathtakingly broad.
Fourth Circuit Rejects Libel Claims over Misleading Edits in Katie Couric's "Under the Gun"
The "questionable" "editing choices," the court said, weren't sufficiently injurious to reputation to qualify as libelous (whether or not they conveyed a false message).
"Free Speech Rules," My New YouTube Video Series -- Episode 1 (Speech in Schools) Now Out
Please share it widely -- there will be at least nine more in the upcoming months.
7 Things You Should Know About Free Speech in Schools
Episode 1 of Free Speech Rules, a new video series by UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh
Unconstitutional "Hate Speech" Prosecution in New York
"[SUNY] Purchase College student Gunnar Hassard was arraigned in Harrison Town Court for Aggravated Harassment in the First Degree, a class E felony, for hanging posters with Nazi symbolism in areas of the campus."
James Fields Killed Heather Heyer Because of Her Opinions, and Now the Government Is Trying to Do the Same to Him
The federal case against the Charlottesville murderer illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for their bigoted beliefs.
Plaintiff Can't Seal Case He Brought Against Ex-Employer
"Protection against the possibility of future adverse impact on employment does not overcome the presumption of public access."
Vape Shop Challenges Oregon's Nitpicky Censorship of E-Liquid Labels
A lawsuit argues that the state's elaborate restrictions, ostensibly aimed at preventing underage vaping, violate the right to freedom of speech.
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.
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.
