Free Speech
Section 230 and the Curse of Politics
Gonzalez v. Google presents the Supreme Court’s first opportunity to weigh in on Section 230.
Lawmakers Use Kid Safety as Excuse To Violate Adults' Rights
Plus: New York "hate speech" law is likely unconstitutional, FTC Commissioner quits because of chair Lina Khan's antics, and more...
The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
No First Amendment Protection for 12 Cypress Trees,
when plaintiff's "connection to his trees [was] rooted in a vague and indeterminate concept of spirituality, quantum physics, and cosmic mechanics."
U.S. State Department Funds a Disinformation Index That Warns Advertisers To Avoid Reason
Reason is listed among the "ten riskiest online news outlets" by a government-funded disinfo tracker.
Studies Find Conservatives More Committed to Free Speech Online, Federalism
Plus: Government regulation of speech is on trial, biohackers flock to experimental charter city in Honduras, and more…
Phoenix's Delegation to NFL of Power Over Signs Near Super Bowl Violated First Amendment, and
was an unconstitutional delegation of government power, an Arizona trial judge held.
Can the Feds Prosecute Douglass Mackey for His Twitter Trolling?
Because of a series of misleading memes, a troll has been charged with conspiracy "to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate one or more persons in the free exercise and enjoyment of a right and privilege secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States."
A White Employee Is Suing the City of Seattle for Alleged Racial Discrimination
"If I disagreed or offered another opinion, I was told I had cognitive dissonance," Josh Diemert says.
Federalist Society Panel on "Discussion, Coercion, and the Pursuit of Truth" at Law Schools
The panel was moderated by Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho, and included former Solicitor General Paul Clement, Prof. Renee Lettow Lerner, legal journalist David Lat, lawyer Jay Edelson, and me.
Illinois Appellate Court Reverses Conviction for Threatening a Judge
A defendant's telling his lawyer, "when I get out of here, I'm going to get that judge" and "I don't make threats[,] I make promises" isn't a true threat, the court holds.
In Britain, You Can Be Arrested for Silently Praying Outside an Abortion Clinic
"I pray wherever I go, inside my head, for the people around me," said one priest. "How can it be a crime for a priest to pray?"
Do Politicians Have a First Amendment Right To Lie to You?
Plus: Missouri's "Don't Say Gay" bill, exempting parents from income tax, and more...
Free Speech Group Calls Out 10 Censorship-Prone Colleges To Avoid
A rogues’ gallery of institutions that anybody with an independent mind should skip.
The New York Times Warns That Freedom of Speech 'Threatens Public Health' and 'Democracy Itself'
The paper is unfazed by First Amendment objections to the Biden administration's crusade against "misinformation" on social media.
Yes, You Have a First Amendment Right To Livestream Cops
Plus: Some State of the Union fact checking, a livestream discussion about gun rights and violence, and more...
House Oversight Committee Is Fighting Twitter Censorship the Wrong Way
Congress should set its sights on bad government actors who pressured social media companies.
Visitors Sue Over National Air & Space Museum's Alleged Demand That They Remove "Rosary Pro-Life" Hats
"We are a museum that promotes equality, and your hats do not promote equality.”
Libel Lawsuit (Related to Causing-Suicide Allegations) Between Two Trans Political Commentators,
"Defendant White would go on to accuse Ms. Erlick of sexually abusing and—most importantly, including by Defendant White’s own reckoning—causing the death of the person (Danie) who made the accusation."
A New Federal Bill Could Require You To Show Facebook and Twitter Your Government ID
The age verification proposal is a disaster for both children and adults.
Throuple Trouble
Threats of suicide and of disclosing an ex's sexual orientation may count as threats for harassment purposes (for the non-polyamorous as much as for the polyamorous, of course).
School District Consents to Protecting Citizens' Rights to Read from School Library Books at Board Meetings
"The Court permanently enjoins the District ... from ... prohibit[ing] ... speakers ... from reading or quoting verbatim from the text of any book or written works available in any FCS library or classroom, while addressing the school board during the public-comment period at school board meetings."
An Iowa Town Charged a Man With Disorderly Conduct Because He Called a Cop a 'Domestic Abuser'
Now a judge has cleared him of wrongdoing and struck down the rule used to justify the arrest.
A Federal Judge Has Dismissed the Trump Campaign's Defamation Lawsuit Against The Washington Post
The last of the reelection campaign's defamation lawsuits against media outlets looks like it is headed for defeat, like all the others.
Cop Orders Reporter To Leave a Park for Daring To Interview a Child
Normal human interaction should not automatically be considered creepy or criminal.
Police Harassed a Man Holding a 'God Bless the Homeless Vets' Sign. He's Suing.
"My intention is to ensure that all Americans from the wealthiest millionaire to the poorest homeless person can exercise these rights without fear of consequence from our government," said Jeff Gray.
Government Keeps Meddling With Private Company Decisions
In the Twitter Files, every conversation with a government official contains the same warning: You can do it happily, or we’ll make you.
Washington State's Democrats Float a Proposal To Make Voting Mandatory
The proposal is "about behavior modification," argued state Sen. Patty Kuderer, likening the government's role in promoting voting to that of a parent.
