Civil Liberties
National Firearms Act Seminar
Free and online, Oct. 18, from U. Wyo. Firearms Research Center.
Teacher's Defamation Lawsuit Over Allegations She Mistreated Muslim Student Can Go Forward …
against the online critic who first posted the allegations, but not against CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations), which echoed them.
Glasses Equipped with Facial Recognition Are in Our Future
Two Harvard undergrads give us a glimpse of the surveillance future.
Chip Mellor's Legacy Promotes a Broader Concept of Civil Liberties
For more than three decades, the Institute for Justice has shown that economic freedom and private property are essential safeguards for ordinary Americans.
This Reporter Was Arrested for Asking Questions. The Supreme Court Just Revived Her Lawsuit.
Priscilla Villarreal's case is about whether certain reporters have more robust free speech rights than others.
No Civil Court Claim Over Publicizing Religious Court's Statement That Litigant Refuses to Appear in the Religious Court
Plaintiff had argued that defendants' publicizing the religious court's statement "serves as a form of social pressure, calling on the community to shun or ostracize the individual until they comply with the court's demands."
Oklahoma Loosens Rules for Mandatory Classroom Bibles
The good news is that schools won't be forced to stock Trump-endorsed Bibles. The bad news is that they're still being forced to supply Bibles.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "The Future of Free Speech: Curiosity Culture," by Olivia Eve Gross
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "The Future of Speech Online: International Cooperation for a Free & Open Internet," by Nick Clegg
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Sex Trafficking Laws
An interview with sex work researcher Tara Burns.
Police Want the Password to Your Phone
Without a warrant and specific proof of incriminating evidence, police should never be allowed past your phone’s lock screen.
Biden Pulls America Even Deeper Into the Middle East
Israel is getting U.S. troops and Saudi Arabia is getting billions of dollars' worth of American weapons.
Boots on the Ground
Plus: California tries to punish Musk, China's economic recovery, and more...
Submit Your Articles to the Journal of Free Speech Law, Before You Circulate Them to the Law Reviews
We'll give you an answer within 14 days, and we can publish them within several weeks, if you'd like.
Highly Regulated Germany Considers New Laws To Deter Terrorists Who Don't Obey Laws
Few problems can be resolved by grandstanding politicians threatening new penalties.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Hostile State Disinformation in the Internet Age," by Richard A. Clarke
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
SCOTUS Revives Lawsuit Against Missouri Cop Who Jailed a Man 'for Being an Asshole'
Mason Murphy says Officer Michael Schmitt violated his rights by punishing him for constitutionally protected speech.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Empowering Speech by Moderating It," by Danielle Keats Citron & Jonathan Penney
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
Chinese Hackers Used U.S. Government-Mandated Wiretap Systems
A backdoor for anybody is a backdoor for everybody.
Can Differences in 'Misinformation' Sharing Explain Political Disparities in Social Media Suspensions?
A new study finds that conservatives are especially likely to share information from sources that a "politically balanced" sample of Republicans and Democrats deemed untrustworthy.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Is John Stuart Mill's On Liberty Obsolete?," by Vince Blasi
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
If You See the Trump Biopic Before Election Day, Thank Citizens United
At its core, the oft-denigrated decision revolved around whether the government can censor information leading up to an election.
The ACLU of South Carolina is Suing To Publish Interviews With a Death Row Inmate
South Carolina bans all media interviews with incarcerated people, a policy the state's ACLU chapter says is the most restrictive in the country and infringes on its First Amendment rights.
Kamala Harris Says She Owns a Handgun—Despite Fighting To Ban Others From Doing the Same
Journalists should be interested in interrogating this contradiction, should the 2024 presidential candidate continue giving interviews.
School Board Restrictions on "Abusive," "Personally Directed," and "Obscene" Public Comments Violated the First Amendment …
at least as those terms had been interpreted by the school board, holds the Eleventh Circuit.
Florida Threatens Local TV Station With Prosecution Over 'Dangerous' Pro-Choice Ad
The Florida Department of Health sent a cease and desist order to a Florida news station after it aired an ad claiming that women with cancer would be unable to obtain abortions in the state.
Watch Now: Classified: The War on Backpage.com
Reason's new documentary is now streaming on the video platform CiVL. I hope you'll watch.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Opening Dialogue" (The Future of Free Speech Symposium) by Lee C. Bollinger & Geoffrey R. Stone
The introduction to a symposium reprinted from Daedalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Neither Harris Nor Trump Is a Friend of Free Speech
Both presidential candidates (and their running mates) seem confused about the constraints imposed by the First Amendment.
Most Justices Seem Inclined To Uphold the ATF's New Restrictions on Homemade Firearms
The Supreme Court is considering whether a rule targeting "ghost guns" exceeds the agency's statutory authority.
Young Kansas City Chiefs Fan's (and Family's) Defamation Lawsuit Against Deadspin Based on Blackface Allegations Can Go Forward
To support the Chiefs, the young fan "wore Native American headdress, painted his face black and red, and donned a Chiefs jersey"; Deadspin said this was "black face" and showed "hate" towards "Black people and the Native Americans."
Sixth Circuit Allows Enforcement of Ohio Law Barring Foreign Expenditures on Ballot Initiatives
A divided circuit panel stays the district court's injunction against enforcing Ohio's law.
Compendium of Writings on the October 7 War and Western Reactions to it
Over the last year, I have written a number of pieces on the war, and Western reactions to it, such as campus anti-Israel protest movements.
Reason's New Documentary on Backpage.com Is Streaming Exclusively on CiVL
The film ties together years of reporting on a legal saga with broad implications for both free speech and sex work.
Oklahoma's Push for Bibles in Schools Comes With a Trump-Sized Price Tag
Ryan Walters' strict stipulations make it clear he’s steering Oklahoma schools to purchase Donald Trump’s Bibles at a hefty cost.
Hillary Clinton Wants To Repeal Section 230
Her comments are a reminder that this free-speech protection is far from safe.
October 7 Offered a Stark Choice Between Good and Evil
When civilians are the targets, terrorists’ grievances don’t matter; it’s time to hunt the perpetrators.
Review: Bullet Vending Machines Debut in U.S. Grocery Stores
The company claims its machines are more effective than store shelves at preventing shoplifters or underage purchases.
Nashville Attorney Sues Federal Judges Over Gag Order Barring Him From Talking About a Notorious Prison
Daniel Horwitz often represents people illegally silenced by the government. This time he says a court violated his First Amendment rights when it gagged him from publicly speaking about a troubled state prison.
Unethical for Lawyers to Tell Clients Their Judges May Be Biased Based on Race, Sex, Etc.?
"The judge soon learned that, in a recorded conversation between defense counsel and the defendant, the attorney had referred to the age, race, political affiliation, and gender of the court's judges, and suggested that the court 'should look a little bit more like the people that are in front of them.' The attorney also suggested that the defendant would not receive a fair trial from the court's judges, who are a different race and gender from the defendant. Finally, the attorney used a pejorative term, drawing on racial and gender stereotypes, to refer to the complainant."
Judge Stops California Law Targeting Election Misinformation
A federal judge ruled that the law was overbroad and violated the First Amendment.
