Civil Liberties
Sacramento Uses Smart Electric Meters To Spy on Residents
The city’s police consider “high” power consumption evidence of cannabis cultivation.
Denying Funding to Planned Parenthood Groups Because Their "Affiliates" Perform Abortions Violates First Amendment
So a federal judge held yesterday, acknowledging that the government may refuse to fund abortions, but concluding that the exclusion of funding to affiliates unconstitutionally violates their rights of expressive association.
Trump Administration Plans To Spend $1.26 Billion on an Immigrant Detention Center in Texas
The latest detention facility will house up to 5,000 detainees and function as a central hub for deportation operations.
Defending Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy, the Trump Administration Says 'No Such Policy Exists'
The government's gaslighting strategy suggests that federal officials are not confident about the constitutionality of punishing students for expressing anti-Israel views.
Settlement as to Alleged Suspension for Saying "Illegal Alien" in Class Discussion
High school student gets correction of school records, $20K, and public apology for "mischaracterization of racial bias."
Tom Homan's Plan To 'Flood the Zone' in Sanctuary Cities Will Lead to More Due Process Violations
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan blamed the shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer on the policies of sanctuary cities like New York.
NFL Players Union Head Lloyd Howell Resigns After $2,426 in Strip Club Receipts Scrutinized
Plus: WNBA players want a raise, and Trump wants Redskins?
Report Alleges Degrading Treatment and Medical Neglect at South Florida ICE Detention Centers
One former ICE detainee says he and a group of men were forced to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs and eat "like dogs."
#TheyLied Lawsuits Alleging False Title IX Complaints: Defamation and Malicious Prosecution
"Malicious prosecution," which covers the bringing of civil and administrative quasi-judicial complaints and not just criminal complaints, becomes especially relevant given a recent Colorado Supreme Court decision limiting defamation claims.
Hunter Biden Walks Free While This Iowa Man Serves 4 Years for the Same 'Crime'
The contrast between the two cases illustrates the haphazard impact of an arbitrary, constitutionally dubious gun law.
"Protecting Reputation Is Not Enough to Overcome Public Access" to Court Records
A lawyer tried to seal a copy of an earlier judge's order that had made certain claims about the lawyer.
For Years, Oregon Stole People's Home Equity Over Modest Tax Debts. A New Law Puts an End to That.
The state just cracked down on a form of state-sanctioned robbery, where governments seized and sold homes over minor tax delinquencies—and then pocketed the profits.
'Subway Surfing' Death Suit Against TikTok, Meta Further Chips Away at Section 230
Norma Nazario blames her son's death on social media algorithms.
Trump, Who Wants To 'Straighten Out the Press,' Sues The Wall Street Journal Over 'Fake' Epstein Letter
Whatever the merits of this particular defamation claim, the president has a long history of abusing the legal system to punish constitutionally protected speech.
Trump's Alien Enemies Act Deportees Sent Back to Venezuela in Shameful Hostage Deal [Updated]
After being ilegally deported and imprisoned in El Salvador, they will now be sent back to the oppressive regime they fled in the first place, in exchange for ten Americans detained by the Venezuelan government.
ICE Is Shipping Detainees to Hawaii as Bed Space on the U.S. Mainland Fills Up
Immigrant detainees transferred thousands of miles from where they were first arrested face unique challenges in immigration court.
Major League Soccer Struggles With Free Speech as Fans Protest Trump's Immigration Policies
Recent protests at MLS matches and the ensuing bans for some fans have put the league in a delicate position, balancing tolerance and enforcement.
As ICE Agents Hide Their Faces, ICE Attorneys Are Hiding Their Names in Immigration Courts
One immigration judge referred to an ICE attorney as merely “Department” during a hearing.
A Harsher Teen Curfew Won't Reduce D.C.'s Crime
Between 2006 and 2013, gun violence increased by 150 percent in the city when juvenile curfews were in effect.
'Alligator Alcatraz' Detainees Say in New Lawsuit They're Being Denied Access to Their Attorneys
The lawsuit says attorneys have been repeatedly turned away from the detention camp and had virtual meetings mysteriously canceled.
Court Considers Claim of Montgomery County (Md.) Teachers Transferred for Pro-Palestinian Speech Following Oct. 7, 2023
The speech included in-class display of "Free Palestine," e-mail signature saying "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free," and pro-Palestinian social media posts.
The Senate Was Right To Defund NPR and PBS
This was not an attack on the free press.
Seattle Property Owners Challenge Program That Charges 'Affordable Housing' Fees for Building New Homes
A new lawsuit alleges that the city's Mandatory Housing Affordability program unconstitutionally penalizes property owners just for trying to build housing.
Brazil's Rogue Court Is Receiving Global Blowback
Brazil’s judiciary has abandoned neutrality, with sweeping crackdowns on speech and political rivals. A U.S. tariff response signals the crisis has gone international.
N.Y. Legal Aid Attorneys Union's Anti-Israel Resolution Didn't Violate Antidiscrimination Law
"Reading antidiscrimination laws to prohibit the voicing of views critical of a foreign state, or support thereof, would raise serious doubts about their constitutionality, which the Court must avoid."
A Free Speech Lesson From Karl Marx
Censorship tends to blow up in the faces of the censors.
Leaked Blueprint Reveals ICE Plan To Use IRS Data To Increase Detentions
ICE wants to access confidential IRS data to locate tax-paying undocumented immigrants and boost detention numbers.
Lawyers and Families Report Squalid Conditions and Lack of Legal Access at Alligator Alcatraz
Numerous accounts of lack of showers, overflowing toilets, and inability to meet with lawyers are emerging from the detention center in the middle of the Everglades.
The Trump Administration Defends the Federal Ban on Interstate Handgun Sales
In response to a Second Amendment lawsuit, the government says the restriction "serves legitimate objectives" and "only modestly burdens" the right to arms.
Immigrant Rights Group Says Its Billboards Opposing Alligator Alcatraz Were Taken Down Under Political Pressure
The Florida Immigrant Coalition's new billboards were restored less than a day after being taken down, but why were they removed in the first place?
Leaked Memo: ICE To Block Bond Hearings for Millions of Undocumented Immigrants. Detentions To Skyrocket.
Immigrants who arrive illegally in the U.S. may be detained for months or years as they await a resolution to their immigration cases.
Fourth Circuit Rejects Claim that West Virginia Abortion Law Is Preempted
A mifepristone manufacturer is unsuccessful in evading West Virginia's prohibition on abortion, even when performed by medication.
Why a Trump-Appointed Judge Is Torching His Own Court's Approach to Qualified Immunity
Judge James C. Ho recently described a troubling phenomenon on the 5th Circuit and the government abuse it enables.
