Civil Liberties
Massachusetts Abandons Its Puzzling Public Health Distinction Between Casinos and Video Arcades
A week after being sued over his arbitrary COVID-19 policy, Gov. Charlie Baker says he will allow arcades to reopen.
SCOTUS Contender James Ho Combines Respect for Free Speech and Gun Rights With a Troubling Deference to Cops
The 5th Circuit judge is a mixed bag from a libertarian perspective.
China's Dark Turn
A country that was once making strides toward freedom slides further into oppression and authoritarianism.
Are Video Arcades More Dangerous Than Casinos During a Pandemic?
A federal lawsuit argues that the distinction drawn by Massachusetts is unconstitutional.
Disney Thanks Chinese Labor Camp Authorities in Mulan Credits
Plus: California is burning because of a "gender reveal" party, Irish brothel law backfires, and more...
Letter from USC Marshall School of Business Alumni About the "Neige" / Prof. Greg Patton Controversy
"This current incident, and Marshall's response so far, seem disturbingly similar to prevalent behavior in China [during the Cultural Revolution]—spurious accusations against innocent people, which escalated into institutional insanity."
If Employers Believe That Hearing the Mandarin "Neige" (Meaning "That") "Affect[s]" Black Students' "Mental Health,"
would they be likely to hire blacks for jobs in China, or anywhere where they might have to hear Mandarin?
USC "Casting Insult Toward the Chinese Language"
More on the Mandarin "neige" controversy.
Abolish Qualified Immunity
This court-invented doctrine shields bad cops from civil liability.
Facebook Need Not Remove "Russia State-Controlled Media" Label from Maffick's "In the Now," "Waste-Ed," and "Soapbox" Pages
"In effect, Maffick contends that it is likely to succeed on the merits because its CEO says so. That is far from enough to establish a likelihood of success on the merits, particularly in light of the largely undisputed counter-evidence Facebook tendered."
'You're Not Allowed To Film': The Fight To Control Who Reports From Portland
Both sides are getting their information through purposely bottlenecked media reports, and the results are predictably distorted and dangerous.
D.C. Prosecutions Highlight the Connection Between Gun Control and Racial Disparities
Why do progressives who worry about unequal justice support policies that are bound to make that problem worse?
8th-Grader Suspended for "Search[ing] for Inappropriate Topics," Such as "Worst WWI Gun"
Fortunately, the N.Y. State Education Department has now reversed the decision, which had been made by the Valley Central School District (about 70 miles north of New York City).
Police Kill Antifa Protester Who Confessed to Portland Shooting
Plus: D.C. admits to racist gun-law enforcement, Trump mulls more tech bans, Homeland Security wants more biometric data, and more...
NSA Ruling Reminds Us That Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security Is a Bipartisan Impulse
A federal appeals court concludes that the agency's mass collection of phone records was illegal and probably unconstitutional.
Daniel Prude's Brother Called 911 Because He Was Behaving Erratically. Prude Ended Up Dead.
Another example of how police can respond poorly to drug and mental health calls
Tenured Professor Fired for Accurately Quoting Leading Campus Speech Code Case
The professor, chair of the Central Michigan University journalism department, was teaching a media law class, and quoted a case that discussed the use of the word "nigger" at public universities.
FOSTA Is Unconstitutional, Argue Sexual Freedom Advocates and First Amendment Lawyers in New Motion
Plus: People have doubts about democracy, Washington state sues Juul, and more...
If You Want to Fix Policing, Listen to the Pragmatists
Reason asked writers who have been on the criminal justice beat for years to lay out serious proposals for reforms with a fighting chance of being implemented.
3rd Circuit Federal Appeals Court Says Large-Capacity Magazine Bans Are OK
Last month, the 9th Circuit said the opposite. It's a question the Supreme Court might have to resolve.
"Some [Academics] Fear for Their Career Because They Don't Believe Progressive Orthodoxies"
From Prof. John McWhorter (Columbia) in The Atlantic.
Right of Publicity Lawsuit by Alleged "Pantless Couponer" Dismissed
“Just because the story and the photograph may be embarrassing or distressful to the plaintiff does not mean the newspaper cannot publish what is otherwise newsworthy.”
'Who Funds the Rioters?' Is Not a Question the Federal Government Needs To Ask
The notion that the violent protests cropping up in U.S. cities are funded by a secret, shadowy cabal is a myth.
Trying to Unseal Affidavit and Block Pseudonymity in Cincinnati Police Officer Libel Case
The Cincinnati Enquirer and I have just filed a petition seeking this, in the Ohio Court of Appeals.
In New Tests, Facial Recognition Products Are Consistently Thwarted by Masks
Defeating surveillance is a powerful argument for covering your face.
How Portland's Protests Drifted into 'Dangerous Territory'
"When terror is seen as justified, I think it's inevitable that something terrible is going to happen," journalist Nancy Rommelmann told Nick Gillespie last week.
New Jersey Mayor Bills Teen Protest Organizer for Police Overtime Pay
Plus: Congress to vote on marijuana decriminalization, tech visas are getting turned down at high rates, and more...
Should Universities Recommend (or Demand) Epithet Filtering on Students' and Professors' Internet Devices?
A thought experiment that came to my mind; I'd love to hear what others think about it.
The Controversy Over Quoting Racial Epithets, Now at UC Irvine School of Law
Plus a new draft law review article on the subject, by Prof. Randall Kennedy (Harvard Law School), a leading scholar of race and the law, and me.
Ambazonia, Remedies, and the First Amendment
Across the Atlantic from Amazonia lies ... Ambazonia.
Sarah Palin's Libel Lawsuit Against the New York Times Can Go to Trial
There is enough evidence that the Times knew their allegations were false (or at least were likely false) to go to the jury.
Qualified Immunity Is a Disgrace, No Matter Where You Live
Even the most police-skeptical courts grant the doctrine in egregious circumstances.
Fighting Words in the Connecticut Supreme Court
Three interesting opinions: a sound majority, a plausible concurrence, and another concurrence focused on "hate speech" that I think is unsound.
Tucson Handyman Gets His Jeep Back After He Threatens to Fight the Forfeiture
The cops seized Kevin McBride's $15,000 car because his girlfriend allegedly used it for a $25 marijuana sale.
Remember When a Democratic Polling Firm Fired the Guy Who Thought Violent Protests Could Backfire Politically?
A pre-Kenosha poll shows support for Black Lives Matter plummeting among white voters in Wisconsin.
The ACLU Defends the NRA
David Cole writes in defense of the National Rifle Association
Kenosha Doesn't Have To Be a Vision of America's Future
Neither does Portland. But the fact that the violence is continuous and seems to be escalating is cause for concern.
2 Dead, 1 Gunman Arrested In Kenosha Riots, As Family of Jacob Blake Calls for Calm
A 17-year-old Illinois teen has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
The Politics of Guns Are Changing. Politicians Need To Catch Up.
Millions of new firearm owners who have lost faith in cops and government will be a tough audience for shopworn gun control schemes.
