Civil Liberties
Republicans Want To Redefine Obscenity
A new bill would ban sharing visual content that might "arouse" or "titillate."
Iowa S. Ct. Adopts Federal Courts' Presumption Against Pseudonymity
Specifically, the court holds that parents can't sue under a pseudonym together with their minor child, even though state rules provides that minors' names are pseudonymized.
German Censorship Highlights Europe's Eroding Free Speech Protections
America stands alone in valuing and protecting free speech.
Court Orders Release of Tufts Foreign Student Detained For Her Speech
The ruling is a victory for the proposition that the First Amendment applies to immigration and visa restrictions.
White House May Try to Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Order to Facilitate Deportation of Migrants
I have long warned of this dangerous implication of the argument that illegal migration qualifies as "invasion."
Judge Orders Tufts Grad Student Rumeysa Ozturk Be Released on Bail From Immigration Detention
Ozturk's continued detention "potentially chills the speech of the millions and millions of people in this country who are not citizens," said U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III.
Reasonable to Deny Pseudonymity to Plaintiff Who Seeks to Conceal That She Has Epilepsy
So holds the Eleventh Circuit.
Good Riddance to Ed Martin, Trump's Failed Pick for U.S. Attorney for D.C.
Martin is a bully and a menace to free speech. Unfortunately for him, his own free speech caught up with him.
Trump's Justice Department Just Defended Telehealth Abortion
In a Monday legal filing, lawyers for the Trump administration argue that an effort by red states to ban mail-order abortion drugs lacks standing.
Steven Pinker: Can Harvard Be Saved?
The Harvard psychologist discusses recent gains for free speech at Harvard, growing political and ideological threats to academic freedom, and the importance of shared knowledge in sustaining truth and progress.
Festivus + Jews + Kanye West + Litigation
"Unlike 'Festivus,' the fictional holiday created by Jewish artists, wherein 'worshippers' are permitted to air their personal grievances but once per year," "Ye adheres to an artistic vision in which he is unencumbered to share his grievances at any time of the year—and so he does."
An Intelligence Memo Casts Further Doubt on Trump's Nonsensical Definition of 'Alien Enemies'
A declassified assessment contradicts the president's assertion that Tren de Aragua is "closely aligned with" the Venezuelan government and acts at its "direction."
The Bad Data Backing Josh Hawley's Attack on Abortion Pills
A new study being used to call for mifepristone restrictions relies on vague and dubious definitions of drug-related complications.
Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
The IGO Anti-Boycott Act would dramatically expand U.S. anti-boycott laws. The House quietly postponed a vote after running into unexpected Republican opposition.
The IRS Says Your Digital Life Is Not Your Property
A Supreme Court case could determine whether Americans own their digital data—or whether the government can take that information without a warrant.
Maine Legislator Barred From Voting Over Social Media Post
Earlier this year, state Rep. Laurel Libby made a post criticizing trans women in women's sports. Her refusal to apologize has cost Libby her right to speak on the House floor and vote on legislation.
Immigrants and Radicals Have the Same Free Speech Rights as Everyone Else
Campus protests against Israel have revived debates over the limits of First Amendment protections.
Cato/FIRE Amicus Brief Against Speech-Based Deportations of Foreign Students
The brief gives a good explanation of why such actions violate the First Amendment.
Court Frees Palestinian Student Arrested by ICE at His U.S. Citizenship Hearing
A U.S. district judge called Mohsen Mahdawi’s detention a “great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime.”
Texas Closed Its Investigation Against These Parents. Why Are Their Names on a Child Abuse Registry?
A medical dispute over jaundice treatment prompted the state to take custody of Rodney and Temecia Jackson’s daughter for more than three weeks.
Rumeysa Ozturk's Op-Ed Is Still the Only Public Justification for Her Arrest
"It is unthinkable that a person in a free society could be snatched from the street, imprisoned, and threatened with deportation for expressing an opinion the government dislikes," says FIRE.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act's Good Intentions Don't Make Up for Its Bad Policy
Congress just approved a new online censorship scheme under the auspices of thwarting revenge porn and AI-generated "nonconsensual intimate visual depictions."
