Civil Liberties
250 Years Later, Benjamin Franklin's Warning Is Still Relevant
He famously said the Founders had created "a republic, if you can keep it." How have we kept it? And can we continue?
Defamation Claim Against University-Owned Public Radio Station Dismissed on State Sovereign Immunity Grounds
"Eby alleged an anonymous group of KWMU's staffers published an article on Medium.com [in 2020] accusing him of upholding 'white supremacy at the station by remaining complacent with the status quo.'"
How to Make Sure AI Doesn't Spy on Us or Kill Innocent People
If we want powerful AI systems to respect liberty, now is the time to train them to be more libertarian.
Texas Juries Decide Child Custody Cases
UPDATE: I've included a reader's pragmatic perspective on why many Texas parents choose not to ask for jury trials.
A SWAT Team Destroyed an Innocent Woman's Home. She's Been Waiting 6 Years for Justice.
Vicki Baker is more fortunate than several other similarly situated victims. But it took a very long time to get there.
A Florida Detention Center Was the Harshest in the Country. Then ICE Stopped Tracking Details on Use of Force.
Leaked reports showed troubling uses of force and restraint chairs at the Krome North Service Processing Center—until the details disappeared.
In New Hampshire, a Setback for Second Amendment Rights on Campus
A legislative effort to eliminate gun-free zones on public college campuses has died. But for its student sponsor, the fight isn’t over yet.
Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Is Built on a Contradiction
The president has fought to make sure alleged victims of government misconduct cannot get compensation. What changed?
Law School Recommended Against Student's Bar Admission, Partly for Alleged "Celebration" of Charlie Kirk Assassination in Law School Clinic
The student sued seeking to undo the reprimand and report to the bar, but a federal court concluded that this particular remedy is barred by state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment/
Review: A Victim of Chinese Authoritarianism Explains Censorship and Surveillance
"A primary aim of censorship is to normalize itself," Ai Weiwei writes in his new book On Censorship.
The $1.776 Billion in Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Fits a Pattern of Fanciful Figures
In one lawsuit after another, the president has claimed damages in amounts completely disconnected from reality.
The Supreme Court Protected Donor Privacy. The IRS Didn't Get the Memo.
The federal government is still fighting to collect nonprofit donor information despite Supreme Court warnings that such demands chill free speech.
Is the DHS Tracking ICE Critics? The Public Deserves Answers.
The DHS reportedly maintains a database tracking critics of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Free speech advocates warn it could chill constitutionally protected speech.
Racial Slurs as Actionable Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
UPDATE: Link to transcript in the earlier criminal case, and quotes from the transcript, added
It's Not Just ICE Stockpiling Weapons—the IRS, EPA, and Other Feds Are Arming Up Too
An armed IRS agent roaming the streets should send shivers down the spine of any freedom-loving American.
The New York Times Sues Pentagon Over 'Retaliatory' Escort Requirement
The Pentagon instituted its new press rules in the fall, prompting a months-long legal battle over the First Amendment.
A Tennessee Man Jailed for 37 Days Because of an Anti-Trump Meme Will Get $835,000 for His Trouble
Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems preposterously claimed that Larry Bushart had threatened "mass violence" at a school.
"Plaintiff Was Enticed by an Attractive, Busty Jewess, and Wet His Mouth with a Drink of Partially Unknown Provenance"
"Plaintiff suspects he was poisoned by Jews."
Use This One Weird Trick to Keep Your Name Out of an Upcoming Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against You
Or at least try: A court considered it, but ultimately said no.
Body Cam Video: Tulsa Police Arrest Food Not Bombs Volunteers for Feeding Homeless People
Food Not Bombs argues it has a First Amendment right to feed the needy without a permit. That's led to crackdowns and lawsuits around the country.
Pennsylvania Family Says the DEA Battered Down Their Door While Raiding the Wrong Home
The family is suing the federal agency and their local police department for violating their Fourth Amendment rights.
Filming Cops Is a First Amendment Right. The Feds Keep Harassing People for It Anyway.
Most federal appeals courts have recognized the right to record police. DHS employees nevertheless seem to view it as a crime.
Jared Polis' Controversial Commutation of Tina Peters' Prison Sentence Upholds Freedom of Speech
Colorado's governor agreed with a state appeals court that the former Mesa County clerk had been punished for her wacky beliefs about the 2020 election as well as her illegal conduct.
Plaintiff Can Sue Pseudonymously Because She's a Criminal Defense Lawyer with a Gambling Addiction
But reputational and professional harm is generally not a basis for allowing pseudonymity in most cases (since so many litigants face some such harm from the allegations in their cases being public). Did it make sense to allow it here?
An Alabama Mom Delivered a Preterm Baby in a Jail Cell. She Says Staff Refused To Help.
The mother is suing after she delivered her preterm baby on the jail's floor following 24 hours of labor with no medical assistance.
Virginia's New 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Plainly Unconstitutional, a Federal Lawsuit Argues
Three Second Amendment groups say the law violates the right to own arms in common use for self-defense and other lawful purposes.
Judge Stops U.S. Treasury From Sanctioning Someone's Speech
The Trump administration accused Francesca Albanese of “lawfare that targets U.S. and Israeli persons.” But a court said that’s not ground to seize her property.
Trump's 'Golden Dome' Estimated To Cost $1.2 Trillion, New Report Reveals
The project’s critics have compared it to Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” initiative.
The Global War on Free Speech
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff discuss the global decline of free speech, why democracies are embracing censorship, and what can be done to protect open debate.
The Federal Government Tried To Spy on Your Financial Transactions. A Texas Court Just Said No.
The ruling is a victory not just for one Texas title company, but for the principle that agencies like FinCEN can only do what Congress actually authorized.
Abortion by Mail
Plus: Chinese relations, far-right extremists, Yale discriminated, and more...
