U.K.'s Awful Internet Bill Becomes a Bit Less Hostile to Free Speech
At a dangerous moment for the free exchange of ideas, civil libertarians can tally a win.
Free Speech
You Can Record Video of Police in Action. But Can You Livestream That Video?
Plus: Court rejects Biden plea on student loan plan, Ohio cops don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
Twitter Quits the Biden Administration's Ham-Handed Crusade Against COVID-19 'Misinformation'
Elon Musk's rescission of the platform's prior policy, which forbade dissent from official guidance, is consistent with his promise of lighter moderation.
Iran Attempted To Use the World Cup To Stoke Nationalist Pride
And their team wanted nothing to do with politics.
From Kansas S. Ct. Justice, About Univ. of Kansas Law School's Response to a Federalist Society Event
"Consider that—as reported in the local paper—several students were so distraught over this event and afraid for their 'physical and emotional safety' that they claimed they could not even be inside Green Hall at the same time as the speaker. Perhaps this should alert us to an institutional failure to cultivate the norms, habits, and skills necessary to the task of lawyering."
China's Lockdown Protests Show Why You Shouldn't Let Government Weaken Encryption, Anonymity
Too many Western governments want to follow in the footsteps of authoritarians when it comes to tech privacy.
Publius Publicola Must Make His Identity Public
to continue with his appeal, holds the Second Circuit; because he didn't do so, the appeal was dismissed.
Biden's Support for COVID Protests Hinges on What Country They're in
The president has urged the Chinese government to respect the rights of anti-lockdown demonstrators. He actively encouraged the Canadian government to end the trucker protests.
Abortion Rights Advocates Ask DOJ To Defend Section 230
While "the 26 words that created the internet" have been under fire from both sides, two groups argue that the 1996 law is essential to the future of abortion rights.
Slander Suit After "Two Wealthy … Men … Got Into a Fistfight While Trick or Treating with Their Families"
"Gimelstob and Kaplan were friends for a while, but their relationship soured when Kaplan got upset because Gimelstob did not show up to his birthday party."
Free Speech on Twitter? Not If Europe Has a Say
EU officials threaten to make their restrictive content rules a global standard.
California's COVID-19 'Misinformation' Law Chills Constitutionally Protected Speech
The state is threatening to punish doctors whose advice deviates from the "scientific consensus."
Mastodon's Content-Moderation Growing Pains
[I asked Prof. Alan Rozenshtein (University of Minnesota) to write a post about Mastodon and one particular recent controversy related to it, and he very kindly agreed. -EV]
Magistrate Judge "Openly Scoffed" at Former Press Secretary Jen Psaki's "Efforts to Escape a Deposition"
"in a suit over alleged pressure on social media firms to censor posts on topics like Covid-19 vaccines and election fraud."
Crime to Publicize Man's DUI (with Insults) as Part of "Feud," "Intended to Shame and Provoke"
So holds the Pennsylvania intermediate appellate court, rejecting a First Amendment defense.
A Federal Court Blocks Florida's Stop WOKE Act. Again.
On Thursday, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction against the portion of the law applying to higher education, with one judge describing the law as "positively dystopian."
"Enforcing the First Amendment on Campus Won't, by Itself, Address the Problem of Academic Freedom"
"We also need to improve university culture."
Amusing Passage from Gateway Pundit's Motion for TRO to Get Press Credentials
"Meanwhile, if a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there to hear it, everyone will still tell the public what it sounded like and what it means."
The ACLU Says California's Ban on COVID-19 'Misinformation' From Doctors Is Gratuitous and Unconstitutional
Two chapters of the organization say the law violates the First Amendment.
Defendant's "Cyber Campaign" "Was Multi-Faceted, Intricate and Extensive, Sly, Anonymous, and Horrible"
A court grants summary judgment in a #TheyLied case, after the defendant had stopped defending it, concluding that "Ms. Abid's refusal to litigate is purposeful and consistent with her malign, manipulative character shown in this record."
Mother Loses Custody of Daughters Partly Because She Talked to Them About Her Sex Life,
and because she left a sex toy where one of them could find it.
A Michigan Mayor Tried To Stop Constituents From Criticizing Her. Now, They're Suing.
Monique Owens shouted over critical speakers at a September city council meeting, claiming it was her "First Amendment right."
'A Pretty Scary Moment': Dissident Chinese Students Say George Washington University Is Failing Them
The CCP’s tyranny extends even to U.S. college campuses, where Chinese and Taiwanese students fear censorship.
Pseudonymity Allowed to Relatives Suing Grindr Over Minor's Suicide
The court cites the relatives' privacy interests, and in particular the risk of "harassment by the adults alleged to have committed sexual crimes against the decedent" (and who aren't named as defendants in the case).
Unconstitutional for Court to Threaten Suspending Custody Rights for "Any Further Unfounded Allegations" of Abuse
The order “could encompass speech ... that [the mother] believe[s] valid and substantiated even if CPS ultimately determines that [it is] not.”
Court: Students Can Have Statement Opposing Michigan Pro-Abortion-Rights Ballot Measure Read Over P/A System …
when the school generally allows other non-election-related but still political statements to be read, and is allowing an election-related pro-abortion-rights student walkout.
