Trump Is Coming for Tech Companies
It looks like we can expect the antitrust assaults to continue.
Free Speech
City's Christmas Parade May Not Exclude Pride Float Because Risk of Thrown Objects or Slashed Tires
The court rejects the City's action as implementing a "heckler's veto."
Olivet University "Pled Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering"; Newsweek Reported That as "Pleaded Guilty to Money Laundering"
Not libel, says the Second Circuit: "the truth is so near to the facts as published that ... no legal harm has been done."
D.C. Circuit Court Upholds TikTok Ban, Prioritizing 'National Security' Over Free Speech
The popular but beleaguered social media app will have until January 19 to find an American buyer or be banned.
Plaintiff "Spraypainted a Picture of an Ejaculating Penis and the Slur 'Fag' on the Sidewalk Leading up to the Jewish Resource Center"
Is it libelous to (1) accuse him of "antisemitism" and (2) accuse him (incorrectly) of having painted a swastika?
Kash Patel's Threats Against Journalists Make Him an Alarming Choice To Run the FBI
"We're gonna come after the people in the media," the Trump stalwart warns. "Whether it's criminally or civilly, we'll figure that out."
Defendant "Allegedly Provided Confidential Information About Dissident Saudi Twitter Users to a Close Associate Of [Saudi] Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman"
The Ninth Circuit upholds defendant’s conviction.
Court Rejects Promissory Estoppel Claim by Lawyer Whose Job Offer Was Revoked for Speech About Israeli Retaliation Against Gaza
"Plaintiff offers no evidence to support a finding that Defendant's promise of support was an unambiguous promise to not penalize Plaintiff for any actions she took as long as she believed they were in support of her Arab Muslim heritage."
Eighth Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc as to Whether "Equity Training" Requirement for Public Employees Violates First Amendment, …
including when employees were required to "correctly" answer multiple choice questions based on the training content.
Speech to Idaho Minors Urging Them to Get Legal Out-of-State Abortions Protected by First Amendment, Even When …
it's intended "to conceal the abortion from the minor's parents or guardian," holds a Ninth Circuit panel. But the panel rejects a challenge to restrictions on "harboring" or "transporting" the minor under such circumstances.
"Beautiful," "Exceptional" "Design" Test for Sunset Strip Billboard Approval Violates First Amendment
This is in West Hollywood, right near where I lived for a while; many of the Sunset Strip billboards are indeed visually striking, but that doesn't mean the permitting scheme can rely on city officials' aesthetic judgments.
No Defamation Liability for False Statement That Congressional Witness's Lawyer Was Partly Paid for by Trump PAC
So a federal judge rules in a case brought by Tony Bobulinski, who testified about the Bidens before the House Oversight Committee, against Jessica Tarlov, a Fox News commentator and co-host of The Five.
Why the California Ban on "Disseminat[ing] Information" "Relating to a Sealed Arrest" Violates the First Amendment
The heart of our argument for a preliminary injunction in First Amendment Coalition, LaRoe & Volokh v. Chiu.
Court Decision About Discovery in Libel Lawsuit Against Council on American-Islamic Relations Foundation
CAIR's allegedly libelous press release about a dismissed former high-level employee "opened the door" to discovery about various allegations the employee had made about CAIR.
Backpage Founder Michael Lacey Released on Bail
Lacey can await the resolution of his appeal outside of prison.
First Amendment Coalition, LaRoe & Volokh v. Chiu
We're challenging a California statute that bans publishing "information relating to a sealed arrest."
Deepfake Crackdowns Threaten Free Speech
From criminal penalties to bounty hunters, state laws targeting election-related synthetic media raise serious First Amendment concerns.
Incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Beef With NewsGuard Is Legally Dubious and Empirically Shaky
The company, which says it takes an "apolitical approach" to rating news outlets, faces regulatory threats and a congressional probe because of its perceived bias against conservatives.
"Far from Representing a Powerful Avant-Garde Leading the Way to Political Change, …
the politicized class of professors is a serious political liability to any party that it supports."
An Alabama D.A. Filed Legally Impossible Charges Against School Board Members Who Crossed Him
A board employee and a local reporter were arrested on the same bogus charge of divulging nonexistent grand jury secrets.
Reference in Sentencing to Defendant's Disliking "Judeo and Christian Values Because They Are Good for Civilization" Didn't Violate the First Amendment
"[The] reference was made in the context of describing Melzer's and the O9A's views of those values to explain why, according to them, those values had to be defeated through violent conduct if their goal of chaos was to be achieved"; "the Order of the Nine Angels ('O9A')" "is a violent, white supremacist, neo-Nazi, Satanist, pro-jihadist group."
The New FCC Chairman's Agenda Contradicts Conservative Principles
Brendan Carr’s plans for "reining in Big Tech" are a threat to limited government, free speech, free markets, and the rule of law.
Trump's Pick To Run the FCC Wants To Restrict the Editorial Discretion of Social Media Platforms
"Reining in Big Tech," Brendan Carr says, requires scrapping liability protections and restricting moderation decisions.
Texas Bill Takes Aim at Online Speech About Abortion Pills
Abortion battles are becoming tech policy battles.
College Baseball Coach's Defamation Case, Alleging School Said He Was Fired Because He Acted in Racist Ways, Allowed to Go Forward
After the federal judge denied the university's motion for summary judgment, the case settled. Among other things, the judge concluded that allegations that a coach acted in a racist way were "defamation per se," so that plaintiff didn't have to show specific damages stemming from the allegations.
Map: Pearl Clutchers in Hot Spring County
A rural Arkansas county files more than twice as many FCC complaints per resident than anywhere else in the United States.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Has Fueled a Surge in Campus Censorship
The portion of college students who say it's OK to shout down campus speakers is rising, according to a new survey.
