Civil Liberties
Postal Inspectors Have Been Illegally Spying on Americans
The Post Office's inspector general uncovers unrestricted online snooping by postal cops without any legal authority.
Colorado Approves Law That Gives Kids 'Reasonable Independence'
"We certainly don't want parents getting in trouble because their kids were playing on the playground," says Gov. Jared Polis
Now There's a Trademark Issue for You
"They should be paying us for burnishment—not suing us for tarnishment."
Florida Sued by Activists, Students, Parents, and Teachers Over LGBT School Censorship Bill
The vague wording of the bill has led to a culture war fight about what the text means, and that’s never good for the First Amendment.
Two Illiberal and Unjust Zelensky Policies the West Should Force Him to End
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is leading his nation a just cause. But we should not allow him to impose censorship and emigration bans in the process. A nation fighting for freedom must not undermine it.
'Geofence Warrant' for All Cell Location Data From Area Near Robbery Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Plus: New rules on sex discrimination in education, economists warn of housing market exuberance, and more...
Pandemic Policy Turned Schools Into Surveillance States
Cameras and tracking technology purchased to battle COVID-19 will be a lingering affliction.
Lawyer Gets Harassment Restraining Order Against Ex-Clients Based on (Among Other Things) Online Criticism
No, says the Appeals Court of Massachusetts: "We take this opportunity to reiterate that, where a c. 258E order is sought on the basis of speech alone, the plaintiff must prove that the speech rose to the level of true threats or fighting words and not merely that it was 'harassing, intimidating, or abusive in the colloquial sense.'"
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
Do Studies Show Gun Control Works? No.
Out of 27,900 research publications on gun laws, only 123 tested their effects rigorously.
Veggie 'Meat' Maker Tofurky Wins Free Speech Challenge to Food-Labeling Law
Plus: Meta's campaign to smear TikTok, new research on immigrants and welfare, and more...
Trial Court Focused Too Much on Racial Slurs by Defendant Towards Police Officers
So holds the California Court of Appeal, in sending back to a different judge defendant's motion to retroactively downgrade her conviction (for non-slur resistance to the officers) to a misdemeanor.
He Spent 28 Years Behind Bars for a Murder He Didn't Commit and Died Before Seeing Justice
The police officers who allegedly framed William Virgil were denied qualified immunity. But they're still trying to delay a trial.
He Disarmed a Gun-Wielding Menace in a San Jose Taqueria. Then the Cops Shot Him.
Plus: Russia update, literary censorship, myths about American workers, and more...
Handgun Carry Permits Transform a Right Into a Privilege
The argument for loosening restrictions on armed self-defense goes beyond the measurable impact on public safety.
Want To Stop School Book Battles? Give Parents Real Choice in Education
State-level "gag orders" on teaching certain texts and ideas are terrible and utterly predictable in a one-size-fits-all K-12 educational system.
Louisiana Supreme Court Allows Police Officer's Lawsuit Against Black Lives Matter Organizer
DeRay Mckesson didn’t cause or encourage violence against police in Baton Rouge in 2016. The court says he can still be held responsible.
Police Officer Gets Critic Prosecuted for "Harassment," Based on Critical Online Posts
Now the critic's First Amendment lawsuit over this (and other matters) can go forward.
Does Ban on Carrying Weapons "Inside Any Building in Which Judicial Proceedings Are in Progress" …
apply to a judge's home when the judge is participating in judicial proceedings remotely?
From Yale Law's Dean on the March 10 Protest
"This is an institution of higher learning, not a town square, and no one should interfere with others' efforts to carry on activities on campus. YLS is a professional school, and this is not how lawyers interact."
Will Smith Reminds Us Why Words Should Not Be Equivalent to Violence
A wake-up call for the woke
Be Like Chris Rock
The comedian won last night's Oscars by telling bad jokes, dealing with the consequences, refusing to escalate or apologize, and doing his damn job.
Three More States Will Let You Carry a Concealed Weapon Without a Permit
Plus: Ukraine war developments, Biden's new tax scheme, and more...
The 5th Circuit Approves a Cop's Violent Response to a Dispute Over a 7-Year-Old's Littering
The officer used a "pain compliance maneuver" to force information from the boy's sister, who was recording the encounter.
Supreme Court Reminds Us That the Best Answer to Unwanted Speech Is More Speech
Plus: On tipping and slavery, cities see population declines, and more...
Ketanji Brown Jackson Defended People Suspected of Terrorism. Good.
There's a particular richness to Republican senators weaponizing the right to defense counsel as an affront to the Constitution as opposed to something that's pivotal to it.
Hearing Mike Pence Speak Won't Harm UVA Students
The editorial board of UVA's The Cavalier Daily should abandon its effort to keep Mike Pence off campus.
"Bullying and Harassing Behavior Are Prohibited on Social Media Platforms," Says Alaska Senate Bill
What counts as "bullying and harassing" behavior, you might ask? The bill doesn't say.
Elected Body's Censure of Member for His Speech Doesn't Violate First Amendment, but
censure of government employees, students, professionals, and others might.
Crime to Send Certain "Crude, Vulgar, and Degrading" Sexual Jokes to 16-/17-Year-Olds in Indiana
But it's just fine to have sex with them.
"Cancel Culture … Is Inconsistent with the Philosophy of Open, Political Debate"
“[I]t undermines and stifles First Amendment privileges,” says a federal court, defining “cancel culture” as “the phenomenon of aggressively targeting individuals or groups, whose views aggressors deem unacceptable, in an effort to destroy them personally and/or professionally.”
Tennessee Statute Authorizing Wildlife Resource Agency Searches Facially Unconstitutional
So holds a Tennessee court.
Oklahoma House OKs Citizen-Enforced Abortion Ban
Plus: Masculinity tied to inflated IQ estimates, contempt for Warren's crypto bill, and more...
