Babson College Adjunct Professor & Administrator Fired for Facebook Post
Asheen Phansey's was responding to President Trump's threat to bomb Iranian cultural sites.
Civil Liberties
Virginia Legislator Joe Morrissey Gets Called "Fool," Sues, Arguing He's Not a Fool
There's also more to the case, which was brought over statements made on a local TV broadcast while Morrissey was unsuccessfully running for Richmond Mayor. (He is now a state senator, elected in November.)
Connecticut Racial Ridicule Prosecution: One Student Agrees to Probation, the Other's Case Is Still Pending
This is the case in which two students were walking near UConn student housing, loudly shouting "nigger" (apparently after having decided that loudly shouting "penis" wasn't good enough).
Vermont Bill Criminalizing Cell Phone Use for Anyone Under 21 Is a Brilliant Troll
The proposal is parodying, not endorsing, the nanny state.
New Mexico Medical Marijuana Supplier Wins First Amendment Challenge to the State Fair's Absurdly Broad Censorship
The overturned rules banned microscopes and shovels as drug paraphernalia and prohibited pictures of cannabis or the equipment used to grow it.
Populism Comes to Chile
Protesters say the cost of living is too high and wealth is distributed too unequally.
Libel Lawsuit Over Free Meek Documentary, Including Jay-Z, the Rolling Stone Company, and Amazon
The plaintiff is a former Philadelphia officer, who was charged with (and acquitted of) wrongly threatening people with a gun; she claims the documentary wrongly portrayed her as "dirty and dishonest."
Above The Law Post Not Libelous or "Unlawful Discrimination," Notwithstanding Its Supposed "Homophobic" Insults
The statements about former law student Jonathan Mullane were either fair report of court proceedings or constitutionally protected opinions (e.g., calling Mullane "'rude,' 'dumb,' 'unethical,' a 'little entitled ponce,' and a 'dauphin'").
Is the FBI Snooping on Political Groups and Ideological Publications?
The Cato Institute wants Congress to investigate the FBI after it refused to confirm or deny the existence of files on dozens of political advocacy groups.
Motion to Stop Me from Publishing Material …
that I had gotten from a court docket while it has not been sealed, but that the movant is seeking to seal.
CNN Settles Lawsuit With Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann
The high school student was falsely accused of racial harassment, and has sued media companies for $800 million.
LAPD Officers Falsely Identified Drivers as Gang Members To Boost Their Numbers
Chief Michel R. Moore: "There is no place in the Department for any individual who would purposely falsify information on a Department report."
City Says Man's Giant, Semi-Ironic 'Trump 2020' Sign Is a Code Violation
A massive 15 foot tall Trump/Pence yard sign has unfortunately turned political.
Sex Offender Tries to Change Name to "Better Off Dead"
No, says the trial court, and the Minnesota Court of Appeals agrees.
Writer Meghan Daum Thinks You Need To Toughen Up
"If 2018 was the year that the concept of 'cancel culture' went mainstream, then 2019 may be the year that cancel culture cancels itself."
Attempt to Vanish Post Critical of Attempt to Vanish Posts Critical of the Sandy Hook Hoax Libel Judgment
Lenny Pozner has tried to get Amazon Web Services to remove a post of mine.
UMass Amherst Removed a Professor for Showing a Downfall Hitler Parody Video
"The point was to engage students in an otherwise dry and difficult subject material."
Professor Who Faced Attempted Blackmail Over Flirty Emails Now Suing University of New Mexico For Suspending Him
An attorney for Nick Flor says calls his effective termination "unfathomable."
How the 'No Hate. No Fear.' Marchers Are Fighting Anti-Semitism
"We're here because we have to play offense and defense against this growing hate in this country and in this world."
Divided Appeals Panel Slaps Federal Judge for Allowing Jury Nullification Defense
Jurors remain free to exercise judgment and mercy in a criminal justice system that often lacks both.
The Broader Meaning of the Trad-Cons' New War on Porn
They probably won't succeed in criminalizing Pornhub, but manifesto-wielding conservatives are trying to reshape the GOP into a movement against individualism.
Fiscal Analysis of Colorado's New 'Red Flag' Law Assumes Gun Confiscation Orders Will Be Granted 95% of the Time
Such a high approval rate reflects the threat these laws pose to due process and the Second Amendment.
Leftist YouTuber ContraPoints Explains Why Cancel Culture Mobs Should Drop the Pitchforks
"I have no faith left in call-out vigilante justice."
Although Cannabis Consumers Who Own Firearms Are Federal Felons, Illinois Says They Can Keep Their Guns
The Illinois State Police confirms that people who try newly legal marijuana are not considered "unlawful users" of narcotics.
"Essentially, [the City] Defendants Request That the Court Resolve This Case Entirely in Secret"
No dice, says the District Court.
A 'Good Guy With a Gun' Prevented a Texas Church Shooting From Becoming a Massacre
Two victims were killed at a church shooting in White Settlement, Texas. It would have been much worse had some parishioners not been armed.
The 2010s: When the Media Lost Their Gatekeepers
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan's work best explains how the world changed in the 2010s—and what we can expect in the decade ahead.
Retired Law Professor Sues Lawyer-Commenters on Law Blog
A company had a trademark canceled in a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board proceeding, based on what the Board described as the company's "delaying tactics, including the willful disregard of Board orders." The TTABlog posted about it, and some commenters criticized the company's lawyer, Ohio State Prof. Charles L. (Lee) Thomason—so he is suing them for libel.
Requiring Psychotherapists to Report Patients' Child Porn Use May Violate Constitutional Right to Privacy
So concludes the California Supreme Court (by a 4-3 vote), applying the California Constitution; it remands for further fact-finding on the law's practical costs and benefits.
Arizona Court Reverses Expulsion of ASU Student for Threesome with Allegedly Too-Drunk Classmate
"Other statements by Complainant ... along with undisputed other evidence, entirely disprove her bare assertions that she was incapacitated."
A Christmas Miracle: Washington Court Overturns Marijuana Sign Rules That Banned String Lights Spelling 'Pot'
A judge concluded that the restrictions violate the state constitution's free speech guarantee.
The Case for Creating "Constitutional Small Claims Courts"
Clark Neily's excellent proposal for addressing small, but troubling politice violations of constitutional rights.
First Amendment Doesn't Protect a Right to Smoke
Just in case you had any doubts about that.
No "Possess[ing]" "Copyrighted Material" When on Supervised Release
Now that's being tough on crime.
Libertarianism and Abortion: A Debate
Walter Block and Kerry Baldwin debate whether women should have the legal right to terminate their pregnancies.
Democrats Still Fundraising Off Citizens United, Still Wrong About What It Means
Plus: Christianity Today rejects Trump, retirement savings restrictions loosened, Nigerian sex work decriminalized, and more...
When Does the First Amendment Preempt Negligence Liability?
More on Doe v. Mckesson, the Baton Rouge Black Lives Matter case.
What's the Correct Libertarian Position on Abortion? A Soho Forum Debate
Walter Block and Kerry Baldwin debate whether pregnant women should have the legal right to evict a fetus.
Negligence Claims Brought Against Protest Organizers: More on the Tort Law Side of Doe v. Mckesson,
the Baton Rouge Black Lives Matter case (in which Judge Don Willett has just switched to dissenting, and in which a cert. petition has been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court).
The Weird Litigation Posture of the Doe v. Mckesson / Baton Rouge Black Lives Matter Protest Case
The case, in which Judge Don Willett has just switched to dissenting, should be an easy win for DeRay Mckesson—but on a theory that hadn't been asserted in court.
Elizabeth Warren Wants To Tax Lobbying
Her lobbying tax proposal is pseudo-policy, a veneer of wonky seriousness over dubious populist dogma.
Forged Court Order Used to Try to Vanish Online Magazine Article About L.A. Businessman
"Steve Farzam, chief operating officer of the Shore Hotel [in Santa Monica], ... [has] been charged with counterfeiting a Los Angeles County Superior Court seal."
The Feds Get Permission To Seize Edward Snowden's Book Profits
A judge rules whistleblower’s failure to subject Permanent Record to pre-publication review violates non-disclosure agreement.
