Civil Liberties
Colorado's Large-Capacity Magazine Ban Is a Colossal Failure
Can't buy it? That's okay, you can easily get the pieces to build one yourself.
Court Strikes Down Kentucky's Rejection of IM GOD Vanity Plate
Vanity plates are private speech in a nonpublic forum, the court holds; restrictions on such speech must be viewpoint-neutral and reasonable.
Federal Government Can't Just Allow 3D Gunmaking Software To Proliferate Without a License, Federal Judge Declares
Various states sued to stop the feds from allowing such gun-making files to circulate legally. Now, a federal judge says the decision to not prohibit them was "arbitrary and capricious."
Joe Biden Has Officially Joined the Misguided Crusade Against Online Free Speech
In comments to CNN on Monday night, Biden expressed a willingness to smash Section 230 in order to settle a feud his campaign is having with Facebook. That's a terrible idea.
SCOTUS Declines To Intervene in Lawsuit Blaming Gun Maker for Sandy Hook Massacre
The plaintiffs now have to prove that Remington's advertising was not only "unfair or deceptive" but "a proximate cause" of the attack.
Judge Rules Feds Need Reasonable Suspicion Before Searching Tech Devices at the Border
Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches are reduced when entering the country, but they’re not completely erased.
Can Childhood Sexual Abuse Complaints Be Routinely Temporarily or Permanently Sealed?
And does a Vermont statute mandating such sealing apply in cases that are being litigated in federal court?
Hillary Clinton's 'Russian Asset' Comment About Tulsi Gabbard Was Dumb, Not Defamatory
"Your statement is defamatory, and we demand that you retract it immediately," Gabbard's lawyer wrote in a letter.
Joe Biden's Record on Campus Due Process Has Been Abysmal. Is It a Preview of His Presidency?
The 2020 hopeful used bogus statistics to change the way colleges treat students accused of sexual assault.
The Daily Northwestern Apologizes to Students for Reporting News That Triggered Them
A newspaper staffed by the country's most famous journalism school says it shouldn't have covered a Jeff Sessions event.
In Hong Kong, Police Shot a Man While Protesters Set Another on Fire
Escalating violence in Hong Kong
Dallas Transit Agency Pays $345,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures
DART police officer Stephanie Branch illegally arrested Avi Adelman after he defied her unlawful orders to stop photographing paramedics treating an overdose.
Biker Gang Leader's DIY Guns Are Part of a Predictable Prohibition Story
From Australia to Massachusetts, illegal gun makers step in to supply what legal markets aren’t allowed to produce.
Hong Kong Protester Falls to His Death After Police Confrontation
The protester, Chow Tsz-lok, was only 22.
Michael Bloomberg's Centrism Combines the Worst Instincts of the Right and Left
In the unlikely event that the former New York mayor wins the Democratic nomination, the 2020 election will pit a billionaire busybody against a billionaire bully.
Right to Advertise Raw Milk
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has agreed that a Kansas statute sharply limiting such advertising violates the First Amendment.
As Times Change, the FBI's Snoopy and Heavy-Handed Ways Continue
The bureau has a long history of escaping accountability for intrusive and abusive action.
Attempt to Vanish Posts Critical of the Sandy Hook Hoax Libel Judgment
A request under the name of Leonard Pozner -- the plaintiff in that case -- was submitted to Google, asking it to deindex these criticisms (which aren't themselves covered by the judgment).
Free Speech and Government Surveillance
Some interesting words from Justice Douglas.
A Tale of Two Tech CEOs: How Zuckerberg and Dorsey Differ with Cryptocurrency
Twitter CEO's connection to Bitcoin-friendly tools suggests more commitment to privacy than Facebook's Libra proposal.
Court Orders Removal of Libelous Blog Posts About Former DHS Secretary Nominee Bernard Kerik
An interesting analysis, handed down last month
I Went to Work for the Government and I Found a Failing System
Freedom could never be imposed at the point of a gun, but perhaps it could be sown by the spread of silicon and fiber. Or so I thought.
Judge to PragerU: You Do Not Have a Free Speech Claim Against YouTube
Tech bias, real or alleged, does not violate free speech rights.
In Debate Over Political Speech Online, Facebook Has the Constitution on Its Side
As surely as winter follows fall, Republican election victories are followed by unconstitutional attempts to restrict political speech.
Elizabeth Warren Is Lying About Her Own Medicare Plan
Senator can't even accurately represent a plan whose numbers don't remotely add up
L.A. to Uber: Either Hand Over Realtime Data on Scooter Riders or Get Out of Town
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation's data-sharing requirements for dockless mobility companies have been criticized for invading users' privacy and violating state law.
"It's OK to Be White" Flyers Lead to Promise of "Severest Disciplinary Action" by Western Conn. State U.
Same for "Islam is right about women" flyer -- both are labeled "hate-filled flyers" by the University, and apparently the police and the FBI are investigating the distribution of the flyers.
College and the First Amendment: Free Speech Rules (Episode 7)
Episode 7 of Free Speech Rules, from UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh
More on Sealing from the Third Circuit
Sealed litigation is a rare exception to American courts' normal rule of public access.
What Is a 'Well Regulated Militia,' Anyway?
The Founders liked militias, but they also liked an armed citizenry. To them, the two ideas were inseparable.
Can't Seal Lawsuit to Protect the Marketability of Your House
Lawsuits are matters of public record -- and you generally can't hide them from prospective business partners, employers, house buyers, or others.
Kentucky Printer Wins Fight To Refuse To Print Pro-LGBT Shirts
But the technical nature of the decision might not stop future lawsuits.
Aaron Sorkin, Mark Zuckerberg Feud Over Political Ads. Here's Why Sorkin's Wrong.
Plus: The ACLU sues the FBI, divorce rates are at 40-year low, and more...
Federal Court Rules there is no Taking if the Police Destroy an Innocent Person's House During a Law Enforcement Operation
The ruling has considerable backing from precedent. But it is nonetheless based on a deeply flawed doctrine.
'We Can Fact Check Your Ass,' but Not When It Comes to Political Ads
Twitter has made a bad decision when it comes to banning political ads from its site. They should trust users to decide what is right or wrong.
Cops Destroyed This House To Arrest a Shoplifter. A Federal Court Says Police Don't Have To Pay for the Damage.
Are there any limits to what police can do in pursuit of a suspect? The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals apparently doesn't think so.
Twitter's Ban on Political Ads Will Help Incumbent Politicians Maintain Power
Attacks and threats by elected officials lead to inevitable self-censorship.
Federal Judge Orders Georgia Sheriff To Stop Ritualistically Humiliating Registered Sex Offenders on Halloween
Citing the First Amendment, the judge tells the sheriff he may not force certain homes to display signs warning trick-or-treaters to stay away.
Can lower courts decide novel abortion cases?
A strange, if understandable, form of abstention from Judge Easterbrook
'Mattress Girl' Emma Sulkowicz Walked Into a Libertarian Happy Hour. No, This Is Not a Joke.
Mattress girl's unlikely friendship with Reason folks is the subject of a recent piece for The Cut.
Can Big Tech Save Us From the Power of Government?
WhatsApp (and owner Facebook) sues to protect users from malicious surveillance from officials.
Barack Obama Slams Woke Scolds and Hashtag Activism
"This idea of purity and you're never compromised, and you're always politically 'woke,' and all that stuff, you should get over that quickly."
Former Time Editor and CEO of Constitution Center (!) Wants To Cancel First Amendment, Pass Hate Speech Laws
Freedom of expression is under attack from politicians, activists, and, saddest of all, journalists who benefit most from it.
