Civil Liberties
Overcrowding and Dysfunction Produced a Quiet Riot at a Miami Federal Prison Holding ICE Detainees
Half the elevators at Federal Detention Center Miami are broken. Immigrant detainees are kept on lockdown, and lawyers can barely reach their clients.
Setting the Wayback Machine to 1995: "Cheap Speech and What It Will Do"
What did that 1995 article trying to predict the Internet future get right? More amusingly, what did it get wrong?
New Jersey Town Seeks to Condemn Church to Build a Park and Pickleball Courts
The move may be a pretext for blocking the church's plan to build a homeless shelter. If the town proceeds, it will face near-certain litigation under the federal and state constitutions.
Trump's Mass Cancellation of Student Visas Illustrates the Lawlessness of His Immigration Crackdown
A federal judge blocks the administration's "Student Criminal Alien Initiative," which targeted foreign students who had no criminal records.
A Split Supreme Court Says Oklahoma Can't Have a Religious Charter School
The deadlocked court doesn't provide much clarity to sticky questions about the limits of religious freedom.
Fifth Circuit: Public Libraries May Select or Remove Books Based on Viewpoint
Such removal doesn't violate the First Amendment, the Court holds by a 10-7 vote, because a public library is engaged in "government speech" by choosing which books to endorse
With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports
To make us safer, the feds required standardized ID and one-stop shopping for identity thieves.
"Harvard University Loses Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certification for Pro-Terrorist Conduct"
"This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status."
Supreme Court Orders Maine Legislator Censured for Social Media Post Must Get Voting Rights Back
On Monday, the court granted an emergency injunction allowing Rep. Laurel Libby to resume voting and speaking after she was censured for a post criticizing trans women in women's sports.
The FTC's Probe Into 'Potentially Illegal' Content Moderation Is a Blatant Assault on the First Amendment
In the name of "restoring freedom of speech," FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson wants to override the editorial judgments of social media platforms.
Report: 50 Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Entered the U.S. Legally, Contrary to White House Claims
"It's not just one or two administrative errors," says the Cato Institute's David Bier.
New Orleans Police Secretly Used Prohibited Facial Recognition Surveillance for Years
Although the AI-generated surveillance of the public has been paused, the program continues to send automatic alerts to the Louisiana State Police and federal authorities.
Court Allows Lawsuit Over Character.AI Conversations That Allegedly Caused 14-Year-Old's Suicide
In this post, I'll talk about the court's analysis tentatively rejecting the First Amendment defense, an analysis that I think is mistaken (whether or not some tort claims such as these should be allowed despite the First Amendment).
New Article on Eugene Volokh's Amicus Briefs Regarding Compelled Speech and Antidiscrimination Law
Volokh's view gave breathing room for individuals' speech interests while leaving plenty of space for government to protect people from discrimination
Brian Brushwood: Why We Fall for Scams
Magician and podcaster Brian Brushwood talks about deception and skepticism while exploring historical hoaxes, the psychology of magic, the libertarian dystopia of Epcot, and the story behind World’s Greatest Con.
Most Migrants Deported to Imprisonment in El Salvador Under the Alien Enemies Act Had no Criminal Record and Many had Entered the US Legally
A new Cato Institute study by David Bier presents the most extensive available evidence on these points.
What Kristi Noem Gets Wrong About Habeas Corpus
The legal principle safeguards civil liberties, protecting even unpopular people from the government.
Judge Rules in Favor of New Hampshire Bakery in Fight Over Donut Mural
Conway, New Hampshire's attempt to force a local bakery to take down the mural "does not withstand any level of constitutional scrutiny," a judge ruled this week.
Defamation Suit Over Businessman's Wife Calling Prominent Businesswoman "Prostitute" Dismissed
"No one likes being called names. But not every alleged insult gives rise to a lawsuit in federal court. Especially where Ms. Mai has alleged that she is so important as to be a public figure, yet failed to allege Ms. Elsaden made her allegedly defamatory statement with actual malice."
At a Missouri Prison, Inmates Fear for Their Lives in Sweltering Cells
Without air conditioning, inmates are "literally trapped in a burning hot cell," according to a new lawsuit.
Federal Court Scraps Rule That Gagged Tennessee Civil Rights Attorney From Criticizing a Private Prison
For nearly three years, Daniel Horwitz faced contempt of court for talking about a private prison that was one of his most frequent courtroom opponents.
James Comey's Deleted '86 47' Instagram Post Is Obviously Protected by the First Amendment
A lot of conservatives are falling prey to the same snowflakery they criticize.
Supreme Court Enjoins Summary Removal of Alleged Tren de Aragua Members under Alien Enemies Act
A majority of the justices seem unconvinced the Administration was prepared to provide the process that was due. Justices Alito and Thomas dissent.
New Montana Law Blocks the State From Buying Private Data To Skirt the Fourth Amendment
The Big Sky State becomes the first to close the "data broker loophole" allowing the government to get private information without a warrant.
Opinion Granting Bail to Rumeysa Ozturk (Lead Author of Op-Ed Urging Boycott of Israel)
Ozturk is here on a student visa, and she has been detained while the Trump Administration is trying to deport her.
Will AI Kill Our Freedom To Think?
Algorithmic systems increasingly shape what we know, see, and question. To preserve free inquiry, we need transparency, competition, and a commitment to timeless principles of open debate.
Trump's Plan to 'Unleash' Police Risks More Abuses of Everyone's Rights
President Donald Trump's executive order empowering local cops will create bad incentives that could prove costly for law-abiding citizens.
Hasan Piker's CBP Detention Marks Another Trump-Era Attack on Free Speech
"The reason they're doing this is to try to create an environment of fear, to try to get people like myself...to shut the fuck up," said Hasan Piker.
Court Dismisses Palestinian Muslim Student Activist's Harassment Complaint Against Northwestern Law School, But Discrimination Claim Can Go Forward
The claims stemmed from the student's claim that classmates had harassed her, "doxed" her, and falsely accused her of assault in connection with the protests, and that as an indirect result she lost a job with a major law firm.
Second Amendment Roundup: Washington Supreme Court Upholds Mag Ban
It’s déjà vu all over again.
Trump Administration Likely Violated American Bar Association's First Amendment Rights
A federal court holds that "a series of grants with the ABA that funded services to victims of domestic and sexual violence" were terminated because the ABA had joined a lawsuit against the Administration.
