Civil Liberties
Whose Rules Should Govern How Americans Speak with Other Americans?
(1) American law? (2) Rules set by a large corporation? (3) International law?
Florida Legislators Exempt Their Favorite Companies From Social Media Bill
"It's very obvious that nobody involved in [the bill] consulted a First Amendment lawyer," says TechFreedom's Berin Szóka.
John McWhorter: 'The Idea That America Is All About Despising Black People? That's Fantasy.'
The Columbia linguist discusses his new book Nine Nasty Words and dismisses the ideological excesses of the 'anti-racism' movement.
College Soccer Player Suing Coach Who Benched Her After She Refused to Kneel During Protest
Punishing players for kneeling, or not kneeling, is a First Amendment violation at public universities.
John McWhorter on Cursing, Anti-Racism, and Why 'We Need to Stop Being So Afraid'
Columbia University linguist John McWhorter on "anti-racism" as a new, misguided civic religion and his new book on curses, Nine Nasty Words.
Kevin Spacey Sex Abuse Plaintiff Can't Sue Under Pseudonym
The lawsuit stems from an alleged sexual relationship between the plaintiff and Spacey over 35 years ago, when the plaintiff was 14.
When Fighting 'Misinformation' Is Really Fighting Free Speech
There is no "fake news" exception to the First Amendment.
Prof. John McWhorter (Columbia) on "People Getting Fired for Referring to the N-Word - Activism or Performance Art?"
Today's item in Prof. McWhorter's substack newsletter, "It Bears Mentioning." (I just subscribed, for $60 for the year, though you can also subscribe for $5/month.)
Voters Have Defeated a Texas School District's Plan To Punish Students for Microaggressions
The opposition to Southlake's plan was understandable.
Pharma Co. Seems Ready to Withdraw Request for Preliminary Injunction to Take Down Anesthesiology Journal Articles
The case is Pacira BioSciences v. American Society of Anesthesiologists, a trade libel lawsuit filed over journal articles and other publications questioning the efficacy of Pacira's pain-killer Exparel.
The State Department Fought To Allow 'Ghost Gun' Files and Won. Why Is It Still Trying To Remove Them?
Despite its victory, the State Department is insisting that a court order to allow the files to spread is not yet technically in effect.
Tennessee Man Arrested for Posting Picture Mocking Dead Police Officer Files First Amendment Lawsuit
Police arrested and charged Joshua Garton with harassment for posting a photoshopped picture of two men urinating on a police officer's grave.
N.Y. Police Officer Sues Protester Over Anti-Asian Insults, Alleged Spitting
Detective Vincent Cheung is suing Terrell Harper.
"Tenured Professor Abruptly Fired After Raising Allegations of Anti-Semitic Speech by Linfield University's President"
"[Daniel] Pollack-Pelzner ... is [also] one of many Linfield faculty members and students who have pushed back against the allegedly poor handling of sexual abuse and [harassment] claims by the administration."
This School Punished a Cheerleader for an Off-Campus Snapchat. Does That Violate the First Amendment?
The Supreme Court weighs the power of school officials to punish students for off-campus speech.
Joe Biden Wants To Close the 'Boyfriend Loophole.' Here's What That Means.
Plus: Ghost guns, the unintended consequences of criminalizing sex work, and more...
California Already Tried Biden's Ghost Gun Ban. It Didn't Work.
Two years after California banned them, the ATF was complaining that 41 percent of guns they came across in L.A. were the very guns already banned
Gunmaking CAD Files Free To Spread Around the Internet, 9th Circuit Rules
States had been trying to stop the Feds from loosening their hold on certain software, but the Appeals Court says they don't have that power
This 87-Year-Old Republican's Bill Would Restore the Second Amendment Rights of Cannabis Consumers in States That Have Legalized Marijuana
Under current law, marijuana users who possess firearms are committing a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Society Is Richer and More Accepting, Thanks to Libertarian Ideas
And yet neither Democrats nor Republicans represent those principles.
SCOTUS Will Decide Whether the Right To Bear Arms Extends Beyond Your Doorstep
New York, like several other states, limits public carrying of handguns to the favored few.
Report: FBI Misused Foreign Surveillance Powers To Investigate Domestic Crimes
Section 702 is supposed to be used to snoop on spies and terrorists, not Americans.
Don't Call CPS on Parents Who Mask Their Kids; Don't Call the FCC on Tucker Carlson
Plus: 15,000 marijuana prosecutions pardoned, the latest sex trafficking urban legend, and more...
Is International Surveillance of Cryptocurrency Use on Its Way?
Say what you will about the U.S., but its financial reporting rules are at least consistent.
"The New Taboo: Quoting Epithets in the Classroom and Beyond" Now Published
The article is co-written by Prof. Randall Kennedy (Harvard), a leading scholar of race and the law, and me.
A Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Will Lead to More Confrontations Between Black People and Police
If public health scolds get their way, they will worsen the nation’s overcriminalization problem.
Marco Rubio Echoes the Chinese Tyrants He Supposedly Hates
If you're going to attack Mark Zuckerberg for cozying up to Xi Jinping, maybe you should try harder not to sound like a Chinese dictator.
SCOTUS Just Agreed To Hear a Major New Second Amendment Case
The Supreme Court will hear arguments next term in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett.
Warrantless Border Searches Draw Call for Supreme Court Action
The feds say they can paw through your phone and laptop any time you enter or leave the country.
A Sanctuary State of the Right
Montana's new law refusing to help enforce federal gun restrictions is similar to liberal "sanctuary cities'" refusal to assist in federal immigration enforcement. Both are protected by Constitution.
"President Trump, Justice Thomas, and the Future of Social Media": A National Constitution Center Podcast Episode,
with Center head Jeffrey Rosen; Katie Fallow, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute; and me.
Dr. Luke Isn't a Public Figure for Purposes of His Libel Lawsuit Against Ke$ha
So the New York intermediate appellate court held yesterday, by a 3-2 vote.
Americans Can't Agree About How Often Mass Shootings Occur, Let Alone the Right Policy Response
A new RAND analysis shows how difficult it is to answer basic questions about this rare variety of homicide.
REAL ID Deadlines Threaten America's Post-COVID Travel Plans. Could We Please Kill This Law?
More than half of Americans don’t have these new licenses. Airports are supposed to start checking them by October.
Biden's Plan to Stop Ghost Guns Is Doomed To Fail
"There's this growing gap between what's on paper and what is enforceable in law," says Kareem Shaya, the co-founder of Open Source Defense.
