Free Speech
Deplatforming Backfired
Progressive censors failed to suppress our political demons. It's finally time to confront them.
Jake Tapper on Terrorism, Executive Power, and Venezuelan Boat Bombings
"Once a president establishes for himself that he has a shiny toy, good luck getting that toy ever wrested away from whoever the president is," the CNN anchor tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
UW Professor's Parody of Land Acknowledgment in Class Syllabus Protected by First Amendment
"[I]n the public university setting, student disagreement with a professor's academic speech on an issue of public concern cannot alter the Pickering analysis in the government's favor."
Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom
The self-made tycoon was convicted this week of violating Hong Kong's "national security" law. But he could have escaped it.
This Tennessee Man Spent 37 Days in Jail for Sharing an Anti-Trump Meme. He Says the Cops Should Pay for That.
Larry Bushart's lawyers argue that his arrest for constitutionally protected speech violated the First and Fourth amendments.
The Trump Administration Is Abusing a Law To Threaten ICE Protesters. The Cases Are Falling Apart.
The administration doesn't want to win these cases. It wants to intimidate Americans who oppose its immigration policies.
18-Month Sentence for Anti-Asian/Anti-Gay Threats Sent by Montana State Univ. Chinese Culture Club President
(Not the Chinese Boy George.)
Yes, the First Amendment Applies to Non-Citizens Present in the United States
A conservative federal judge questions the reach of free speech.
A Texas News Vlogger Asks SCOTUS To Decide Whether Criminalizing Journalism Is 'Obviously Unconstitutional'
This is Priscilla Villarreal’s second trip to the Supreme Court, which last year revived her First Amendment lawsuit.
Mother's Telling Children She Thinks Thor Actor Chris Hemworth Is Their "Spiritual Father" Didn't Preclude Award of Custody to Her
"There was also evidence presented regarding Liza's alleged delusional thinking and hallucinations. Eli testified that Liza told him Kenneth was his physical father, but actor Chris Hemsworth was his spiritual father. Eli also testified that for years Liza had talked about having another daughter someday, whom she would name Phoebe, and Hemsworth would be the father. Brigham testified that Liza told him she believed Hemsworth was the children's father." Plus unschooling, unbathing, and more.
Penn State Basketball Player vs. Head Coach Defamation Lawsuit Can Go Forward (but Not as to the Disrespectful "Bro")
"[The coach's alleged statement] can reasonably be inferred as ... defamatory ... about Clary—that Clary himself was greedy and only interested in money and, as a result, abandoned [his] team and refused to play for Penn State."
Court Refuses to Block Medical Journal's Retraction of COVID Vaccine Study That Had ~150K Views
The court concluded that a retraction likely wouldn't breach any publication contract, and that under the circumstances a temporary restraining order would be especially unjustified given the publisher's First Amendment rights.
Netflix and Paramount Will Fight for Trump's Favor
Which is what progressive fans of antitrust want, no?
Want To Vacation In America? Trump Wants To See Your Social Media Posts First.
The move is bad for free speech and bad for American businesses that depend on tourism.
Massachusetts Church's 'ICE Was Here' Nativity Scene Is Protected Speech, Even if ICE Doesn't Like It
Rev. Stephen Josoma of St. Susanna Parish defended the message against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
How Foreign Governments Police U.S. Speech
Sarah McLaughlin reveals how foreign governments pressure American universities through speech codes and satellite campuses, and examines the broader threat international authoritarianism poses to free expression.
Survey: 91 Percent of College Students Think 'Words Can Be Violence.' That Could Feed Real Violence.
But there's a silver lining—sort of.
No Injunction Against Prosecution for Taking Photo of Transgender Politician Washing Hands in Women's Restroom
So holds a Fifth Circuit panel, over a dissent. Note that part of the majority's rationale is that the photo would only violate the statute if the prosecution can show that defendant intended to invade privacy in a way "highly offensive to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities."
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Incitement, Enthusiasm, and the Dangers of Negligent Protest," by John Inazu
From the "Gitlow v. New York at 100" symposium, held this year at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.
Bill of Rights Day: How Your Rights Keep Authoritarianism in Check
The document remains remarkably resilient, even as Republicans and Democrats keep launching assaults on liberty.
Ayn Rand Denounced the FCC's 'Public Interest' Censorship More Than 60 Years Ago
In her 1962 essay "Have Gun, Will Nudge," Rand foresaw how government officials would seek to silence people they don't like.
Plaintiff Can Add Claims to Case Alleging Carnegie Mellon Prof Said Time on Jewish-Related Project "Would Have Been Better Spent" Exploring "What Jews Do to Make Themselves Such a Hated Group"
One claim is that CMU's Chief Diversity Officer illegally recorded meeting with student and the accused professor—and then apparently "asserted her Fifth Amendment rights when ... asked her if she did so or if she had a pattern or practice of recording student meetings, without their consent, in the scope of her duties."
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Gitlow as a Guide to Holmes," by Joseph Blocher
From the "Gitlow v. New York at 100" symposium, held this year at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law; other papers from that symposium will be published shortly.
Anti-Stalking Injunction Requires More Than Just a Showing of "Being Weirded Out or Uncomfortable"
"[Appellants'] homemade signs talked about May being mental health awareness month, one referenced the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and included a photograph of actor Jack Nicholson, one mentioned perimenopause and empty nest syndrome, one said '[h]ere comes da judge' around the time that Appellee had a divorce hearing .... Another sign included the language '[h]ere's looking at you kid' and contained a photo of Humphrey Bogart."
Free Speech Unmuted: Defamation Law in the Age of AI with Lyrissa Lidsky
My cohost Jane Bambauer and I are joined by Prof. Lyrissa Lidsky (Florida), who is also a co-reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) of Torts: Defamation and Privacy.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Free Speech and Incorporation: A Reassessment," by Ilan Wurman
From the "Gitlow v. New York at 100" symposium, held this year at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law; other papers from that symposium will be published shortly.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "What Did Gitlow Do?," by James Stern
From the "Gitlow v. New York at 100" symposium, held this year at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law; other papers from that symposium will be published here in the coming weeks.
