"Some References Are Just Sophomoric Attempts at Humor"
A Maryland court reverses a juvenile delinquency adjudication based on a supposed threat at school.
Civil Liberties
A Lawyer for George Floyd's Family Says a Record-Breaking Settlement Gives Cities '27 Million Reasons' To Curtail Police Abuse
But the agreement could complicate Derek Chauvin's murder trial, and it leaves unresolved the question of whether qualified immunity would have blocked the lawsuit.
No Right of Publicity Claim for Publishing Court Opinion with Plaintiff's Name
Obvious, but good to have a cite for that.
743 Years and 3 Months. 117 Years. 51 Years. Why Are These Men's Sentences So Long?
For possessing a gun while committing a crime—even when no one is killed—too many defendants are slammed with sentences decades or even centuries longer than justice demands.
Lawsuit Challenges Clearview's Use of Scraped Social Media Images for Facial Recognition
Databases of involuntarily supplied identities make for a plug-and-play surveillance state.
A Duty to Correct Libelous Material You Posted, Once You Learn That It's Libelous
Another article that I'm serializing over the coming days.
Thoughtcrime at Georgetown? "It Is … Wrong for Faculty to Be Thinking -- Not Just Speaking -- …"
... about there being disproportionate number of black students near the bottom of a class.
No Sealing of Documents in Dispute Over Settlement of Public School Air Quality Lawsuit
"The public has every right to understand how the public and elected officials of the Town of Wilton and the Wilton Public Schools in the exercise of their best judgment sought to resolve this case."
Court Reinstates $550K Award in #TheyLied Lawsuit
The plaintiff was fired and accused of sexual harassment; he won a libel lawsuit over that, and the jury awarded him $550K, but the trial court had reduced it to $100K.
Kentucky Bill Would Ban "Fighting Words" Aimed at Police Officers
Is that constitutional? Not clear.
Dianne Feinstein's Latest 'Assault Weapon' Bill Is Just As Illogical As All the Previous Ones
As usual, the senator and her allies want to ban guns based on arbitrary distinctions.
The House Just Approved Two Background Check Bills That Would Make an Unfair, Irrational Gun Policy Even Worse
One measure would require checks for nearly all firearm transfers, while the other would increase delays in completing sales.
The Kentucky Bill That Would Criminalize Words That Offend Cops Also Would Authorize Arrests for Distributing Water Bottles
The heavy-handed measure, a direct response to the protests provoked by the shooting of Breonna Taylor, looks like an attempt to deter constitutionally protected activity.
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Why Are Some Courts Issuing Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech? "All the Craziness … Needs to Stop Totally"
Some speculation from my forthcoming article.
These Big Tech Bills Are Unconstitutional. State Lawmakers Don't Care.
Plus: Problems with the PRO Act, what libertarian feminism isn't, and more...
Adjunct Law Professor Fired for Saying to Colleague, "A Lot of My Lower [Graded Students] Are Blacks"
Compare: “With the exception of traditionally black law schools ..., the median black law school grade point average is at the 6.7th percentile of white law students.”
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Why Are Some Courts Issuing Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech? Part 2, Judges as Flexible Problem-Solvers
Some speculation from my forthcoming article.
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Why Are Some Courts Issuing Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech? Part 1, Absence of Intermediaries
Some speculation from my forthcoming article.
Is the Supreme Court Preparing to End Qualified Immunity?
Experts disagree on whether this is likely or not. The answer remains unclear. But, either way, reform advocates should pursue both litigation and legislative reform. The two approaches are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive.
These Nonprofit 'Disclosure' Requirements Are an Assault on the First Amendment
A California rule and a bill approved by the House seem designed to chill freedom of speech and freedom of association.
"The Presumption of Openness [of Court Records] Is Law 101"
“But increasingly, courts are sealing documents in run-of-the-mill cases where the parties simply prefer to keep things under wraps.”
Redskins Owner, Indian Libel Lawsuit, Friday Night Lights, Jeffrey Epstein, and a "Conspiratorial Saga"
“[T]hat the subpoenas directed at Mrs. McCloughan may be less of a bona fide effort to obtain evidence supportive of the claims brought in the Indian Action, than they are an effort to burden and harass individuals formerly associated with the Washington Football Team who may have acted as sources for The Washington Post story.”
Twitter Sues Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Accusing Him of Retaliating Against the Company for Banning Donald Trump
Plus: Iowa limits early voting, a prominent sex trafficking "rescue" group relies on psychics, and more...
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech: Narrower but Still Overbroad
I’m continuing to serialize a new law review article draft of mine.
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech: "Stop Talking About Plaintiff" Injunctions
I’m continuing to serialize a new law review article draft of mine.
Cops Who Assaulted and Arrested a Man for Standing Outside His Own House Got Qualified Immunity. SCOTUS Won't Hear the Case.
The Supreme Court delivers another blow to a victim of egregious police abuse.
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech
Overbroad Injunctions Against Speech (Especially in Libel and Harassment Cases)
I’m serializing a new law review article draft of mine.
Biden Justice Department Sides Against Free Speech Advocates in Big First Amendment Case
The federal government weighs in on Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L..
City Council Member's Harassment Restraining Order Against Critics Reversed
Carlsbad City Council member Cori Schumacher had claimed the critics’ speech was threatening; no, the judge eventually held: "Simply calling these posts threats is not enough."
Josh Hawley's Toxic Populism
Is the senator's authoritarian grandstanding the dark future of the GOP?
Kentucky Bill Would Make Insulting a Cop a Crime
Courts have widely upheld the First Amendment right to hurl choice words or gestures at police.
Paycheck Protection Program Exclusion of Nude Dancing Establishments Upheld
The Second Circuit held that this was a permissible viewpoint-neutral restriction on a subsidy program.
A Promising Qualified Immunity Decision From a Potential Biden SCOTUS Nominee
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson denied qualified immunity to the officers involved in Patterson v. United States.
Anti-Riot Act Partly Upheld, Partly Struck Down
The Ninth Circuit decides a case involving "Rise Above Movement" white supremacists who participated in riots in California.
Global Freedom Is Losing Ground
Democracies are going to have to do better at exercising their core liberal values to prove their worth and win back support.
California's Requirement That Nonprofits Disclose Donor Information Poses a Grave Threat to Freedom of Association
A broad coalition of groups is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the state's policy.
Government, Not Big Tech, Is the Biggest Threat to Free Speech
One bill would require lengthy disclaimers on all online political ads.
Democrats Demand Social Media Users Talking Politics Disclose Certain Foreign Connections
Plus: The era of sovereign influencers, a new experiment in universal basic income, and more...
Pseudonymity Controversy in Kevin Spacey Sex Abuse Case
May plaintiffs alleged sexual assault proceed pseudonymously, when the defendant is being publicly named?
