Doorbell Surveillance Networks Have Arrived. Should We Be Scared?
Cops can now request access to videos recorded by Ring, bypassing that pesky step of obtaining a search warrant first.
Civil Liberties
Giving Government Vast Snooping Authority Is One Thing Democrats and Republicans Both Like
They simply disagree over who should be in charge of misusing and abusing those excessive powers.
New Gun Control Bill Encourages Financial Institutions to Report 'Suspicious' Firearm Transactions
You might want to think twice about putting that new gun on your credit card.
Democrats Overwhelmingly Vote to Give Trump's People More Spying Power
Plus: Sondland worked "on Ukraine matters at the express direction of" Trump, why hospital prices are so screwy, D.C. gets pushback for ditching sex work bill, and more...
50 Student Activists—Including 'Current and Former Editors'—Protested Against The Harvard Crimson for Being Too Objective
Progressive activists want the newspaper to stop practicing balanced journalism.
Congress Will Vote Today on Continuing Resolution That Hikes Spending, Extends Patriot Act Surveillance
Rep. Justin Amash and some progressive lawmakers are trying to block it, but most Democrats seem happy to hand more spying powers to a president they are investigating for abusing his power.
Barred from Participating in Public High School Graduation for Using "Nigger" in a Tweet?
That's the claim in a federal lawsuit, which a federal judge just allowed to go forward.
Young America's Foundation Excommunicates Michelle Malkin for Defending Nick Fuentes
"There is no room in mainstream conservatism or at YAF for holocaust deniers, white nationalists, street brawlers, or racists."
Was Church Excluded from Maryland School Choice Program Because of "Problematic" Views on Marriage?
That's the question in a First Amendment lawsuit, which a federal judge has allowed to go forward.
But Gorsuch!
Trump's first Supreme Court pick is better on civil liberties than his critics want to admit.
Police Investigate a High School Student for Making a Joke About Trump
"We’re still doing interviews, speaking with students, learning what was said and the context of the comment."
Senators Introduce Bill To Limit Facial Recognition Technology—but Does It Go Far Enough?
The legislation would require warrants for extended surveillance, but look at what it explicitly OKs.
California School Shooting Leads to Renewed Demands for Assault Weapons Ban
Plus: Uber and Los Angeles transit regulators go to war over user data, young adult novelists cancel critic, and ex-ambassador testifies in impeachment hearings.
Andrew Yang Proposes Making Social Media Algorithms Subject to Federal Approval
The presidential hopeful on Thursday released a plan to regulate tech giants.
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.
