Civil Liberties
U.S. Attorney Threatens Georgetown Law for 'Teaching DEI'
The law school's dean rejected the letter, arguing the First Amendment "guarantees that the government cannot direct what Georgetown and its faculty teach and how to teach it."
May Government Refuse to Hire Notre Dame Students, Because Notre Dame Teaches and Promotes Anti-Abortion Ideology?
No? Then how can government refuse to hire Georgetown alumni, so long as Georgetown "teach[es] and promote[s] DEI"?
Anti-American Speech and Spray-Painting "Allah, Muhammad" in Storage Locker Can Be Evidence of Motive …
in prosecution for bomb hoax at church; but spray-painting "the stupid Jew" in the storage locker isn't relevant enough, and thus isn't admissible. (Both the painted items were in defendant's native Kurdish.)
Trump Is Targeting Media and Chilling Free Speech
The president campaigned on a promise to defend the First Amendment, but he's now attacking free speech through a variety of disreputable strategies.
Jay Bhattacharya's Confirmation Hearing Proves the Lockdown Skeptics Won
Trump's nominee for NIH director once stirred major controversy for criticizing lockdowns, mask mandates, and school closures. Yesterday, Senate Democrats didn't even raise the issue.
Apple Takes U.K. to Court Over Demand To Weaken Encryption
If enacted, the order would weaken digital security for Apple users throughout the U.K.
74-Year-Old Scottish Woman Arrested for Protesting Near Abortion Provider
Rose Docherty was arrested over her sign, which read: "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want."
Amy Klobuchar's Health Misinformation Act Has Aged Poorly
A proposed bill in 2021 would have put the HHS secretary in charge of censoring COVID-19 contrarianism on social media.
Weak Dollar
Plus: Columbia's Hamas apologists, Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, and more...
FIRE Files First Amendment Lawsuit Challenging Texas A&M Drag Show Ban
Texas A&M's Board of Regents voted to ban drag shows on the grounds that they objectify women and violate state and federal policies against promoting "gender ideology."
Tort Law vs. Privacy: Ride-Share Services May Have Duty to Prevent Anonymous Riders
So the Missouri Court of Appeals concludes, in allowing a negligence/design defect case to proceed against Lyft, based on a driver's having been murdered by riders who "fraudulently and anonymously request[ed]" a ride.
Mexico Aims To Reshape the U.S. Firearm Industry by Suing Gun Makers
The Supreme Court will decide whether this threat to the Second Amendment is legally viable.
D.C. U.S. Attorney Drops Probe Over Sen. Schumer's 2020 Statements About Gorsuch and Kavanaugh
That's the correct decision, though I don't think there should even have been a question about it.
Punitive Damages Award in Mann v. Steyn Reduced from $1M to $5K,
largely because the compensatory damages were just $1.
Education Department Clarifies Anti-DEI Guidance
The department insists its directive will not suppress First Amendment rights.
Can Publicizing a Person's "Address and Physical Appearance" in Connection with True Allegations of Misconduct Be Actionable?
A federal magistrate judge flags the issue, though doesn't purport to resolve it.
The Social Cost of Nullifying the Right to Arms: The Case of Mexico
If the Mexican executive branch obeyed the Mexican Constitution, the Mexican people would be safer
Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Whether University "Bias-Response Teams" Chill Speech
Justice Thomas dissents from the Court's refusal to resolve a clear circuit split.
How Trump Imperils Free Markets and Personal Liberties
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank provides a helpful summary, with a little help from me.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr Wants More Control Over Social Media
Carr advocates greater control over social media by federal regulators, despite a reputation for supporting free speech.
Defaming Businesses Doesn't Protect Consumers
If the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't have enough data to enact a rule, it shouldn't be making informal recommendations either.
The Government Named This Baby 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel.' Years Later, Her Father Still Can't Change It.
He also can't get a birth certificate or Social Security number for his daughter.
More on Free Speech on Campus, Title VI, and Anti-Israel Speech
"[I]n seeking to hold Cooper Union liable for [students'] expression, [plaintiff] cannot help but say the quiet part loud: sweeping otherwise-protected political expression into the hostility analysis will create pressure on institutions 'to suppress speech to ensure compliance with Title VI,' causing 'regulated entities to adopt restrictive policies in an effort to avoid liability' for a hostile environment."
Tennessee Supreme Court Rules State Can Revoke Personalized '69' License Plate Because It's Government Speech
Most courts have ruled that vanity license plates are private speech and protected from viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment.
Matt Taibbi: The Collapse of the Censorship Regime
The award-winning journalist discusses the collapse of a post–World War II consensus, online speech police, and the legacy media on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Colorado SWAT Team Raids Wrong Apartment, Locks Innocent Family in Police Car
The cops tried to cover up their mistake after they "terrorized" the family, according to a lawsuit.
Gay Penguins Face Florida's Classroom Speech Regulations
The authors of a picture book about two male penguins raising a chick together argue excluding their book from school libraries violates their free speech rights.
No One Cares When Presidential Advisers Want Bigger Government
Elon Musk's vague White House role is only controversial because he's trying to slash bureaucracy.
Judge Orders Newspaper To Delete Editorial Critical of City Government
After a lawsuit from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the city backed down. But it's still part of a worrying trend.
Montana 'Abortion Trafficking' Bill Could Criminalize Crossing State Lines for an Abortion
Transporting "an unborn child" from Montana to another state "with the intent to obtain an abortion that is illegal" in Montana, or assisting anyone in doing so, would be illegal under House Bill 609.
John McWhorter: Is 'Wokeness' Finally Dead?
New York Times columnist and linguist John McWhorter discusses the rise and fall of "woke," DEI and affirmative action, and his new book on the history of pronouns.
The FTC Has No Business Trying To Make Sure Social Media Are 'Fair'
Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s assault on "Big Tech censorship" aims to override editorial decisions protected by the First Amendment.
