Civil Liberties
A License for Outrageous Police Conduct
Qualified immunity protects cops from liability for actions that would land ordinary people in jail.
Why Does the Popular Social Media App TikTok Have Almost No Hong Kong Protest Footage?
The company's Chinese ownership may have something to do with it.
Should You Be Able To Leave Facebook With All of Your Connections?
When online privacy faces off against portability
#ShutUp #RightNow: Speech Restriction Quickly Imposed on Woman Who Accused Ex-Boyfriend of Being a Stalker
A Texas judge issued the temporary restraining order before any trial on the merits, and apparently without the ex-girlfriend even showing up -- and it seems inconsistent with Texas law and likely the First Amendment/
Edward Snowden's Autobiography Makes a Plea for the Fourth Amendment, the Right to Privacy, and Encryption
America's most famous whistleblower calls for restricting the power of government.
Climate Strike Disrupts D.C. Commutes
More than 1,000 activists march to protest the state of the environment.
Ted Cruz's Gun Control Bill Would Encourage Enforcement of Restrictions That Make No Sense
The Texas senator wants to beef up a background check system that unjustly and irrationally deprives people of their rights.
Co-Author of San Francisco's E-Cigarette Ban Wants the FDA to Silence His Opponents
Supervisor Shamann Walton thinks he can use restrictions on commercial speech to suppress political speech.
Disclosure vs. Secrecy All the Way Down
An attempt to seal a key document in a libel / breach of contract case filed by a former communication strategist for Julian Assange against a former lawyer for Edward Snowden.
"Islam Is RIGHT About Women"
That's what flyers posted in Winchester (Massachusetts) say.
Free Speech Under Fire
A new book tries and fails to make a case against freedom of expression.
A Michigan Man Has Been Acquitted by a Jury for Criticizing a County Judge on Facebook
It took a jury 26 minutes to decide that Jonathan Vanderhagen wasn't guilty.
Cops Accused of Stealing Over $225,000 Can't Be Sued, Thanks to Qualified Immunity
A court ruled that officers did not have enough information to know whether or not stealing violates the Constitution.
Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom Against China's Authoritarianism
"If we lose...we will lose a generation."
Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity Claim by Dallas Transit Cop Who Arrested a Photographer for Taking Pictures
Officer Stephanie Branch arrested Avi Adelman for criminal trespass even though he was not doing anything illegal.
Josh Hawley Says Libertarians Who Defend Tech Are Enamored with Power. He Should Look in the Mirror.
The populist senator's campaign against social media addiction is unscientific and anti-freedom.
Sanctions Imposed on Alleged "Copyright Troll"
for what the judge concludes are discovery violations, in a copyright case involving photos of model Emily Ratajkowski.
Imagining a World Without Qualified Immunity, Part V
Absent qualified immunity, government indemnification and budgeting would continue to dampen the effect of lawsuits on government decisionmaking—but eliminating the defense could exert other pressures on government to improve.
Here Are the Problems With the Attorney General's Plan To Expand Background Checks for Gun Buyers
It would not do much to protect public safety, but it would magnify the injustice of existing restrictions on gun ownership.
The First Amendment and Tax Exemptions for "Hate" Groups
Just testified this morning before the House Ways & Means Committee Oversight Subcommittee about this.
The Growing Right-Wing Threat to Campus Free Speech
Conservatives deploy state power to go after speech they don't like.
How the FBI Abets White Supremacists and Terrorists
Whistleblower Michael German's new book exposes how the FBI failed us on 9/11 and continues to endanger us all through racism, incompetence, and institutional inertia.
Climate Activists Around the World Will Take to the Streets on Friday. Will Their Protests Matter?
Or, will global leaders ignore them just like they did the People's Climate March in 2014?
Sandy Hook Promise Ad Hypes the Danger of School Shootings, Fostering Irrational Fears and Bad Policies
Official responses to these extremely rare crimes are grossly disproportionate in light of the risk they actually pose.
A Grieving Father Is Standing Trial for Criticizing a Judge on Facebook
Jonathan Vanderhagen believes a judge doomed his son to an early death. The judge says Vanderhagen's Facebook posts were intimidating.
DOJ Gives Edward Snowden's New Book Free Publicity With Lawsuit Demanding Its Proceeds
Snowden didn’t subject his autobiography Permanent Record to pre-publication review by the federal government that’s also trying to throw him in prison.
Corey Lewandowski, House Democrats Clash During Wild Trump Impeachment Prelude Hearing
Plus: Screen addiction is not really a thing and New Mexico embraces tuition-free college.
Imagining a World Without Qualified Immunity, Part III
Eliminating qualified immunity would decrease the average cost, complexity, and time spent adjudicating civil rights cases.
Imagining a World Without Qualified Immunity, Part II
Absent qualified immunity, the rate at which plaintiffs win would remain about the same.
States Take Antitrust Aim at Big Tech
Everybody’s going after Google and Facebook. But how do you prove they’re harming consumers?
Saturday Night Live Fires New Cast Member Shane Gillis for Using Offensive Language
Comedy, meet cancel culture
Freedom of Speech Protects Calligraphers' Right Not to Create Custom Same-Sex Wedding Invitations
So holds the Arizona Supreme Court.
Abortion Bans Failed in the 19th Century. They'll Also Fail in the 21st.
History provides a window into how abortion bans will play out if re-instituted.
Don't Narc on Kids' Nerf Guns Unless You Want Potentially Tragic Confrontations
America may be safer than ever, but residents of the Land of the Free seem set on raising their children in a climate of fear.
Imagining a World Without Qualified Immunity, Part I
What impact would abolishing qualified immunity have on civil rights litigation, police misconduct, and government accountability?
The Justice Department and Allegations Against Federal Officeholders
Hard to see what President Trump was referring to with regard to the New York Times story with new allegations about Justice Kavanaugh.
N.M. Abolishes Marital Communication Privilege, Based in Large Part on Feminist Arguments
New Mexico will apparently now be the only state in which spouses may generally testify about confidential statements made during the marriage.
The Second and Sixth Amendments
If a state criminal conviction leads to denial of gun rights under state law (not just federal law), the defendant must be given the option of a jury trial, rules the Nevada Supreme Court.
Kamala Harris Does Not Understand Why the Constitution Should Get in the Way of Her Gun Control Agenda
The presidential contender conspicuously fails to explain the legal basis for her plan to impose new restrictions by executive fiat.
Vicious Scapegoating Is the Whole Point of Beto O'Rourke's Gun Grab
The "assault weapons" that the presidential contender wants to confiscate are not especially deadly, but the symbolism of that policy is poisonous.
Remember the Vallejo Cop Who Tackled a Veteran for Filming Him?
Now he's being sued for another act of excessive force.
Beto O'Rourke: 'Hell Yes, We're Going To Take Your AR-15'
Advocating for gun control is no longer enough. On Thursday night, the Democratic presidential candidates promised gun confiscation.
Northeastern Illinois University Students Say Hosting Sean Spicer Promotes Violence
"Any platform he is provided...creates more space for right-wing extremists to escalate their attacks on our communities."
This Awful House Bill Would Promote Gun Confiscation Without Due Process
The bill would make the criteria for federal grants loose enough to accommodate even the worst "red flag" laws.
Hong Kong Protesters Want Democracy, Accountability, Autonomy, and U.S. Support
The formal withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill won't be enough to stop the protest movement.
Citing Safety, Some Students Oppose Removal of UT-Austin's 'Free Speech Zone'
They worry that letting speech flourish in the rest of the campus will make "students feel unsafe and unwelcome."
