Civil Liberties
District Court Dismisses Another Kids Climate Suit, As Existing Law Requires (Updated)
A suit asking a district court judge to undo every Trump Administration energy policy initiative is dismissed with prejudice; appeal to follow.
What I Saw at the No Kings Rally in New York City
Fully peaceful protesters who hate President Donald Trump with intensity but not much specificity took to the streets on Saturday.
Trump Erroneously Thinks Killing Suspected Smugglers Is the Key to Winning the Drug War
Until now, the president concedes, interdiction has been "totally ineffective." Blowing up drug boats won't change that reality.
Federal Judge in Chicago Demands Body Cams for Immigration Agents Amid Brutality Claims
U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis is “profoundly concerned” about the continued clashing between protestors and federal agents despite her temporary restraining order issued last week.
Trump's DOJ Indicts John Bolton for Leaking Classified Information
The former Trump administration official is facing a maximum of 180 years in prison.
California's Latest Dumb Gun Law is a Ban on Glocks
According to California lawmakers, Kamala Harris’s pistol is a potential machinegun.
IRS Agents Who Revealed Details About Hunter Biden Investigation Lose Libel Suit Against Biden's Lawyer
The lawyer's claims that plaintiffs had violated federal law were opinions based on disclosed facts, the court concludes.
How the Military Exposed the Tools That Let Authorities Break Into Phones
The Marine Corps is trying to close a no-bid contract with Cellebrite, a company that helps police get into locked phones. The specs weren’t supposed to be public.
Mom Placed on Child Abuse Registry for Letting 13-Year-Old Babysit
Pennsylvania’s “Reasonable Independence for Children” bill pushes back on overzealous child neglect laws.
The Pentagon's New Press Policy Is Absurd
Mainstream and conservative news outlets were correct to reject it.
Texas City Council Approves $500,000 Payment to Former Member Who Said Her Advocacy Led to a Bogus Arrest
The settlement, which followed Sylvia Gonzalez's victory at the Supreme Court, also includes remedial First Amendment training for city officials.
Meta Removes ICE-Sightings Group After DOJ Outreach
Meta is the third tech company in two weeks to succumb to DOJ pressure to remove apps and groups used to share information on immigration officer sightings.
Can the ACLU Serve Progressives, Libertarians, and Conservatives?
ACLU legal director Ben Wizner warns that Donald Trump’s war on dissent endangers the First Amendment, urges Americans to protect speech they dislike, and reflects on Edward Snowden’s enduring legacy.
The NRA Supports SCOTUS Petitioners Who Lost Their Gun Rights Because of Nonviolent Offenses
The cases give the justices a chance to address a constitutionally dubious policy that disarms peaceful Americans.
13-Year-Old Boy Arrested by ICE in Massachusetts and Transferred Over 500 Miles From Family
After waiting for an hour and a half for her son to be released to her, the boy’s mother was told he was instead transferred to an ICE facility in another state.
I Listened to Over 7 Hours of Peter Thiel's Leaked Antichrist Lectures. They're Surprisingly Libertarian.
The PayPal and Palantir co-founder warns about the dangers of government overreach and a one-world state.
My New Paper on "How Speech-Based Immigration Restrictions Threaten Academic Freedom"
It is forthcoming in Academic Freedom in the Era of Trump, (Lee Bollinger and Geoffrey Stone, eds., Oxford University Press).
The Zoning Theory of Everything: Abortion Edition
Every political issue ultimately becomes a zoning issue.
Can Police Enter Your Home Without a Warrant? The Supreme Court Will Soon Decide.
Even well-intentioned “community caretaking” can’t justify ignoring the Fourth Amendment.
California Wants To Punish Social Platforms for Aiding and Abetting the First Amendment
Another entry into the "algorithms are magic" school of imposing liability on tech companies.
Friday Oct. 17 12:30pm-1:30pm Zoom event: Trump, the Media, and the First Amendment
The Trump Administration’s threats to revoke broadcasters’ licenses and President Trump’s lawsuits against media companies implicate important, and contested, Supreme Court First Amendment doctrines. Should these actions affect how courts and scholars analyze these doctrines?
The U.S. Military Is Helping Arab Dictatorships Run Psyops
The Pentagon spends a lot of taxpayer money on propaganda worldwide. Some of it is coordinated with Middle Eastern dictators, The Washington Post revealed.
This Indiana City Doesn't Have To Pay an Innocent Mom $16,000 After Police Wrecked Her Home, Court Rules
Law enforcement launched 30 tear gas canisters into Amy Hadley's home, smashed windows, ransacked furniture, destroyed security cameras, and more. The government gave her nothing.
Trump Won't Invoke the Insurrection Act—As Long As He Can Use the National Guard However He Wants
If the courts try to enforce legal limits on the president's military deployments, he can resort to an alarmingly broad statute that gives him more discretion.
A Discussion of "Campus Free Speech After October 7" at NYU
The discussion of campus free speech that almost did not happen at NYU.
Tennessee Man Arrested, Gets $2 Million Bond for Posting Facebook Meme
Larry Bushart posted a meme on a local Facebook page about Charlie Kirk. He now faces years in prison.
Venezuela's María Corina Machado Wins the Nobel Peace Prize for Standing Up to Socialism
The award goes to a classical liberal and free market advocate who has risked her life to challenge Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship.
FBI Spied on Republican Lawmakers Using Surveillance Powers Many Supported
Senate Judiciary Committee head reveals legislators’ communications were monitored.