Australian Censors Back Down, Highlighting the U.S. as a Free Speech Haven
Officials suspend efforts to force X to suppress the world’s access to video of a crime.
Free Speech
Louisiana's New 25-Foot Legal Forcefield for Police Threatens Accountability and Civil Liberties
A new law will make it much harder to film law enforcement officers in their public duties. Does that violate the First Amendment?
D.C.'s Rules for Subway Ads Are Blocked in Federal Court
The transit authority was sued after rejecting an ad that directed viewers to go to a website "to find out about the faith of our founders."
Journal of Free Speech Law: "True Defamation," by Prof. Jeffrey S. Helmreich
An article from the Defamation: Philosophical and Legal Perspectives symposium, sponsored by the Center for Legal Philosophy at UC Irvine.
Plaintiff's Idaho Murder Libel Claim Beats Defendant's "Tarot Readings" and "Psychic Intuition"
"[T]he only support for Defendant's statements about Plaintiff is that Defendant's 'spiritual investigation' into the murders using 'intuitive tarot readings' led her to Plaintiff."
Does the First Amendment Protect Speech on Private Property?
Yes, when the restriction is being imposed by the government.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Defamation, Presumed Damages, and Reputational Injury: A Legal and Philosophical Inquiry," by Prof. Benjamin C. Zipursky
An article from the Defamation: Philosophical and Legal Perspectives symposium, sponsored by the Center for Legal Philosophy at UC Irvine.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Defamatory in Whose Eyes?," by Prof. Kenneth W. Simons
An article from the Defamation: Philosophical and Legal Perspectives symposium, sponsored by the Center for Legal Philosophy at UC Irvine.
Jay Bhattacharya: 'I Sued the Biden Administration for COVID Censorship'
Bhattacharya explains the stakes of Murthy v. Missouri, the politicization of medical research, and his RFK Jr. endorsement.
Report: E.U. Censorship Laws Mostly Suppress Legal Speech
European speech regulations reach way too far to muzzle perfectly acceptable content.
Harvard To Stop Requiring DEI Statements for Many Faculty Positions
Harvard is taking steps away from politicization. Will other schools follow?
Palestinian Students at Columbia Are Still Protesting. Is Anyone Listening?
Protesters came back to Columbia during reunion weekend. Palestinians tried to share their tragedies amidst the carnival-like atmosphere of campus politics.
Maryland Elementary School Tries To Force Students To Say The Pledge
Students have a constitutional right to refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance, no matter what school officials think.
Photo: Cops Crack Down on Campus Protests
The University of Texas is just one campus that has seen police arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators.
The Supreme Court Was Right to Consider Andrew Cuomo's Unconstitutional Motives in NRA v. Vullo - and the same Principle Applies to Trump and Other Presidents
Chief executives' illicit motives can render their subordinates' actions unconstitutional. There is good reason for courts to enforce that rule.
SWAT Goes to College
Even in an era of police militarization, there’s something shocking about seeing cops in riot gear on college campuses.
The NRA's Unanimous Supreme Court Victory Is Good for Free Speech—No Matter How You Feel About Guns
The ACLU, another polarizing organization, was willing to defend the NRA in court. That should tell you that some things aren't partisan.
These Strange Bedfellows Want SCOTUS To Remind the 5th Circuit That Journalism Is Not a Crime
An ideologically diverse mix of individuals and organizations supports a Texas journalist who was arrested for asking questions.
My Identifying Would-Be Jane Doe Litigant in Law Review Article Wasn't "Harassment,"
notwithstanding the claim that it “invites worldwide haters to threaten, stalk, and commit violence against” her.
Harvard Announces It Will Stop Releasing Political Statements
Following months of campus protests over the war between Israel and Hamas, the university has announced that it will no longer weigh in on current events.
This Journalist Was Arrested, Strip-Searched, and Jailed for Filming Police. Will He Get Justice?
Justin Pulliam's arrest and lawsuit once again demand we ask if "real" journalists are entitled to a different set of rights.
Glenn Greenwald: Defund Israel and Free Assange
The free speech absolutist and co-founder of The Intercept dives deep into Israel, Latin America, and the necessity of decentralized media in the age of U.S. security state overreach.
Ending Section 230 Would Kill the Internet as We Know It
Don’t unleash censors; restrain them more!
Israel Raids the Associated Press and Seizes Equipment Over War Coverage
There's no justification for cracking down on news organizations for reporting the news during war.
No Pseudonymity for Student Challenging University Discipline in Non-Sexual-Assault/Harassment Case
"The disciplinary proceedings arose from Plaintiff's development of an 'artificial intelligence-based learning tool,' with another student, which the University's Honor Council eventually concluded 'was offensive to Emory's community standards' as it might result in academic dishonesty and cheating."
Delaware Court on the First Amendment Exception to "Speech Integral to Criminal Conduct"
"Some courts have incorrectly used this exception to rationalize upholding a statute that criminalizes speech ... simply because their legislature passed a law labeling it criminal. The limited line of United States Supreme Court cases that have addressed this exception in no way supports such a broad reading."
Vox Wants Progressives To Support Free Speech for the Wrong Reasons
Eric Levitz argues that the left should take a stand against censorship—for practical rather than principled reasons.
"After Edokobi's Employees Left, Smith Cast 'Evil Curses' upon Edokobi's Life and Business"—But Not Libelous Ones
More usefully, the case is a reminder that insults and other expressions of opinion aren't libelous.
Congressional Republicans Launch 'Fishing Expedition' Against Progressive, Jewish, and Palestinian Nonprofits
The House Oversight and Education committees are investigating the sources of “malign influence” behind campus protests. They’re using tactics Republicans used to hate.
Court Overturns Littering Conviction for Leaving Bags with Messages on Neighbors' Lawns in Response to Their Political Signs
"[A]ll the residences where he left materials had political signage in their yards and none of them had no trespassing signs posted. Thus, their consent to receive literature is 'implied from community custom and tradition.'"
Court Declines to Dismiss Libel Suit by Anthropologist Accused of Mishandling Human Remains from Project MOVE Bombing
The case was brought by Dr. Janet Monge against the University of Pennsylvania.
