Civil Liberties
Senate Republican Police 'Reforms' Won't Touch Qualified Immunity
With Trump opposed too, there's little hope that a serious police reform bill will get through Congress anytime soon.
Seattle Protesters Establish 'Autonomous Zone' Outside Evacuated Police Precinct
Is the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone a brave experiment in self-government or just flash-in-the-pan activism?
California Ammunition Raids Put Innocent People at Risk of Police Violence
The state boasts of blocking 754 illegal purchases, but it wrongly tagged 101,047 law-abiding people as prohibited. Any of them could have been targeted.
Leaders of 'Rogue Regimes' Have Some Thoughts About Police Brutality in America
Statements by China, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and North Korea use U.S. violence against protesters and journalists to point out American hypocrisy on the global stage.
Cops Who Allegedly Assaulted and Arrested a Man for Standing Outside His Own House Are Protected by Qualified Immunity
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision is "a precedent-setting error of exceptional public importance," writes dissenting judge.
Should We Stop Streaming Gone With the Wind?
No, we should interrogate its persistent popularity and our relationship to it as forcefully as possible.
It's Time to End Qualified Immunity for College Administrators, Too
The doctrine lets courts allow public universities to get away with eroding their students’ speech rights.
Maybe Cops Should Be 'Pulling Back'
Abolishing qualified immunity is a crucial step in holding police accountable for violating our rights.
No Routine Sealing of Names of Officers Who Arrested Molotov-Cocktail-Thrower
"Absent some concrete threat to the officers, which has not been suggested here, there is no principled way to discern why this case would justify redactions while others would not."
Does City's Painting of Messages on City Streets Require It to Give Equal Access to Other Messages?
No, if the city endorses the messages as its own.
'Defund the Police' Should Include Federal Cops Too
Federal spending on policing has quadrupled since the 1980s, while state and local spending has increased by about one-third.
Citing Misleading OANN Story, Trump Claims Injured Buffalo Protester Could Be 'ANTIFA Provocateur'
There's no evidence to support the claim that 75-year-old Martin Gugino is part of antifa.
May the Law Ban Calls to Government Offices "Using Indecent Language" "With Intent to Harass or Embarrass"?
With a special cameo appearance by Eric Holder.
The Attorney General's Overblown Fears About Scrapping Qualified Immunity
It's not likely to have the chilling effect he expects. Unfortunately, it might not do as much as criminal justice reformers expect either.
Court Allows Subpoena of Media for Unpublished but Nonconfidential Interview Outtakes
An interesting illustration of the qualified privilege that many courts recognize in such cases.
What 9/11 and the Financial Crisis Teach Us About COVID-19
Sometime in 2021, the American people will be presented with a reorganized and newly empowered federal public health bureaucracy. As time passes, it will grow in size and scope.
What Would It Mean for President Trump to Declare Antifa a "Domestic Terrorist Organization"?
Not much as a legal matter, as best I can tell. [See UPDATE.]
UCLA Poli Sci Department Condemns Lecturer for Reading MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail, Showing Video About Lynching
UCLA says complaints -- about the fact that both the excerpt read from King's letter and the video included the word "nigger" -- have "been shared with UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for review."
A Lot More Ice Cream Trucks, a Lot Fewer Humvees at D.C.'s Largest Protest Since George Floyd's Death
Saturday afternoon's protests in the nation's capital saw huge crowds, few police, and no violence.
Rep. Justin Amash Wants To End Qualified Immunity. Where Are the Republicans?
The GOP claims to be the party of freedom. If that's true, they should rethink policies that embolden bad police behavior.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Unwavering Opposition to Violence Still Matters
His famous line that a "riot is the language of the unheard" is often taken out of context.
47 U.S.C. § 230 Preempts State Right of Publicity Claims
and other state (but not federal) intellectual property claims brought over platforms' hosting of third-party content.
A Few Days of Riots Can Echo for Many Years
America has survived worse in terms of urban unrest. But that's not necessarily reason for optimism.
3 Supreme Court Cases to Watch This Month
The justices weigh abortion, school choice, and federal anti-discrimination law.
5 Ways to Curtail Police Violence and Prevent More Deaths Like George Floyd's
From tighter use-of-force rules to eliminating qualified immunity, here are some reforms that could make a real difference.
The Year Gun Control Died
Gun opponents would leave predatory cops armed and their victims helpless.
L.A. Politicians Planning Big Gift to Gun Industry, Private Security Companies
The likely unintentional result if the City of Los Angeles implements its plans to reduce the proposed police department budget (now $1.8B) by $100-150M.
We Are All the Children of Tiananmen's Tank Man
Thirty-one years ago, an unidentified man held off Chinese military tanks in Tiananmen Square. Protesters facing down state violence today have big shoes to fill.
Joe Biden Wants To Reform the Criminal Justice System He Helped Create
The presidential candidate deserves praise for retreating from his tough-on-crime stance. But let's not forget that his policies contributed to mass incarceration and the police misconduct that people are protesting today.
"Statement on Campus Censorship During Nationwide Protests"
From the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
Support, Don't 'Dominate,' Protesters Seeking 'Equal Justice Under the Law,' Writes Former Defense Secretary Mattis
Plus: Protest updates, Grindr goes woke, Twitter suspends an account for repeating Trump's words, and more...
Tom Cotton Wants to Double Down on the Authoritarianism That Sparked Riots
Police brutality brought Americans into the streets. What would military force do?
Defense Secretary Mark Esper Contradicts Trump on Using Military To Quell Protests
The president has said he's willing to deploy active-duty military personnel to cities and states that aren't doing enough to crackdown on street violence.
How Protests Over George Floyd's Death and Police Brutality Could Help Trump Win Reelection
Princeton political scientist Omar Wasow says violent protests helped Richard Nixon win the presidency in 1968.
Hong Kong Protesters Stand Up to China's 'Draconian' Takeover
Pro-democracy legislator Charles Mok explains what China's new national security law means for dissidents and the future of the city.
It Wasn't Tear Gas. It Was a Gaseous Substance That Causes Tears.
Plus: Protest updates, COVID-19 upates, a surge in gun sales, and more...
Police Brutality Protests Will Change Law Enforcement and the November Election
Americans are simultaneously joining marches and hunkering down for a long, hot summer of discontent.
What the George Floyd Protests Say About America
There is still injustice. But there is also progress.
It's Hard To Take Either Side in Trump's Twitter Spat Seriously
The president promises penalties he has no power to impose, while the company promises moderation it cannot deliver.
'I'm Paying for My Own Suicide': Scenes From a Quieter Night of Protests in D.C.
A heavy but hands-off militarized police presence squared off with demonstrators in the nation's capital tonight.
Democratic Leaders Praise George Floyd Protesters, Show Utter Contempt for Everyone Else Still in Lockdown
Bill de Blasio and Phil Murphy evince little sympathy for nail salon owners or Jewish mourners.
California Congressman Ro Khanna Calls for "Fairness Doctrine for the Internet"
Also for the FCC to police supposed "blatant falsity."
