Bob Corn-Revere: How Today's Censors Hide Behind Science and Psychology
In The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder, the legendary First Amendment lawyer exposes the tricks of today's "anti-free speech movement."
Civil Liberties
License Plates, Flagpoles, and Editorial Discretion
On government curation and government speech.
"This Case Stems from the Suppression of Academic Scholarship at the University of North Texas"
University’s removal of professor from journal editorship may violate First Amendment, holds a federal court in the Journal of Schenkerian Studies controversy.
Kansas and California Cops Used Civil Forfeiture to Stage Armored Car Heists, Stealing Money Earned by Licensed Marijuana Businesses
The Institute for Justice argues that the seizures violated state law, federal law, and the U.S. Constitution.
The U.K. Government's Latest Encryption Fearmongering Relies on Child Sex-Trafficking Panics
British police want greater surveillance powers and they’re willing to destroy everybody’s cybersecurity to get them.
"The Law Has Already Sawed That Claim in Half"
The latest from Paul Alan Levy (Public Citizen), pushing back against threats of trademark litigation over parody.
Martin Luther King on the Ethics of Resistance to State Authority
Georgetown philosopher Jason Brennan offers a valuable summary of King's thought on these issues.
You Can't Solve Homelessness by Making It a Crime
In an August ruling, Washington's Supreme Court found that a homeless plaintiff's truck qualified as his homestead.
No TRO for Prominent but Pseudonymous Surgeon Suing the University of Michigan for Allegedly Improper Suspension
The judge also says the plaintiff's request for pseudonymity was inadequately supported.
"DeFi Gives Financial Privacy — Will Regulation Take It Away?"
Particular twists: "A right to use rights-protecting technologies?" and "constitutional rights to technologies that protect other constitutional rights."
Virginia Republicans Plan To Expand Gun Rights
After sweeping last November's elections, Virginia Republicans look to roll back Democratic gun laws.
The Government Doesn't Need New Powers To Fight 'Domestic Terror'
We've already seen how this can abuse Americans' civil liberties with little increase in public safety.
Cody Wilson Thwarts Another Attempt To Stop Ghost Guns
The ATF is expected to adopt a new rule requiring that the metal parts hobbyists used to manufacture their DIY weapons be registered as legal firearms. So Cody Wilson made those parts unnecessary.
#MeToo/#TheyLied Among the Communists / "Anti-Fascists" / Left Anarchists: This Time About Personal Jurisdiction
“The allegedly defamatory statements Ms. Legarde made included not just online posts but defamatory statements in calls and emails to six people whom Ms. Legarde allegedly knew were Vermont residents and who were associated with Plaintiff through Vermont-based organizations.”
Court Depseudonymizes Plaintiff, After Evidence Related to Plaintiff's Past Cases Emerges
“Plaintiff has filed numerous lawsuits, several of which involve circumstances similar to this case. In some she has been permitted to proceed anonymously; in others, she has not. Regardless, Defendant maintains that Plaintiff is a ‘vexatious litigant.’ This goes directly to Plaintiff’s credibility, and Defendant should not be hampered in pursuing that defense.”
Facebook Is a Snitch
Social media accounts are windows into your activities, and the cops are watching.
These Lawsuits Argue That Trump Conspired To Incite the Capitol Riot
Proving that claim requires more than reckless rhetoric, which is constitutionally protected.
UW Administrator Says Prof Created "Toxic Environment" with His Land Non-Acknowledgment
The Director of the UW School of Computer Science & Engineering said Prof. Stuart Reges's statement is "not relevant to the content of the course he teaches"—but the school encourages professors to include its own preferred view, which is just as irrelevant to the course content.
Anti-Riot Act Prosecution Over August 2020 Looting Messages Can Go Forward
"Lets get ready to steal bitch."
No HIPAA for Hippos (or, Seals and Animal Welfare)
"There is no veterinarian privilege, no animal equivalent of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and no case law suggesting that humans and animals are entitled to the same level of privacy."
Emory Law School Student Government Refuses to Recognize an Emory Free Speech Forum Student Group,
citing the "harm that could result from ... discussions," especially about "race and gender."
Washington's Governor Wants To Prevent Another January 6 with Unconstitutional Censorship
Jay Inslee says we should make it a crime for politicians to lie about election results. What could go wrong?
Seditious Libel, Today and 225 Years Ago
Washington Governor Jay Inslee is supporting a law that would ban lies about election results that “are likely to incite or cause lawlessness”—an argument much like that made by supporters of the Sedition Act of 1798.
Should Kuwaiti Student Challenging Title IX Sexual Misconduct Finding Be Pseudonymous,
in part because he is a citizen of Kuwait, “where ‘sexual activity outside of marriage goes against religious and cultural values’ and ‘sexual relations outside of marriage are illegal"?
It's Dangerous to Allow Politicians and Officials to Decide What Constitutes 'Truth'
"Governments realize that they are in an existential battle over who controls information."
Brett Kimberlin (Speedway Bomber) Loses Attempt to Vacate Long-Past Convictions, Including First Amendment Challenge to Impersonating-Federal-Official Conviction
Kimberlin is also known for having accused Dan Quayle of having bought marijuana from him, and has since become a frequent litigant, including against bloggers Patrick Frey (Patterico), Aaron Walker, and others.
Court Reverses Expulsion for Student's Off-Campus Posting of "I Will Fucking Kill off All of You!" Death Metal Lyrics
The court doesn't reach the question whether the speech was a true threat, but concludes that it couldn't be punished on the rationale that it caused substantial disruption to a public high school.
She Who Seeks Pseudonymity Must Provide Pseudonymity
Or, to be precise, her lawyers must do so.
May University Faculty/Staff/Students Sue Pseudonymously Over Limits on Religious Exemptions from COVID Vaccine Mandate?
Yes, says a federal court, partly because this particular challenge (to a policy “which only allowed religious exemptions for those individuals who are members of organized religions whose teachings entirely forbid vaccinations”) appears to be purely legal in nature.
