The NSA Defended the Domestic Surveillance That Snowden Exposed. Now the Agency Wants to End It.
After years of political fights over our privacy, a potential end in mass phone metadata collection
Civil Liberties
First Amendment Challenge to L.A.'s Requirement That Contractors Disclose Ties to NRA
Just filed yesterday, and I think it should prevail.
Flashing Headlights to Warn of Speed Trap May Be Protected by First Amendment
So holds a District Court decision, though stressing the "may be."
London's Absurdly Broad 'Junk Food' Ad Ban Puts Its Own Culture on a Starvation Diet
Iconic British foods like Christmas pudding and strawberries and cream get censored.
N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy Wants To Raise Gun Permit Fees by 2,000 Percent
But most gun crimes are carried out with out-of-state firearms.
Beyond the First Amendment: Anti-Libel Injunctions in States That Have Repealed Criminal Libel Laws
Even if injunctions against libel don't violate the First Amendment, should state courts still reject them on other grounds?
If Congress Does Not Change Federal Gun Laws, Kamala Harris Promises, She Will Do It by Presidential Fiat
The California senator claims she could impose "near-universal background checks" and close the "boyfriend loophole" without new legislation.
The New York Times Built a Functioning Private Facial Recognition System
Should you be worried?
Nabbing Robert Kraft Helped Florida Prosecutors Get Headlines. Now Kraft and Other Orchids of Asia Customers Are Fighting Back
They're joined by an arrested spa owner and manager in fighting the release of surveillance video, with an array of big media companies on the other side.
The 26 Words That 'Created the Internet'—and Why They May Be on the Chopping Block
Legal scholar Jeff Kosseff wanted to write a "biography" of Section 230, the law that immunizes websites and ISPs from a lot of legal actions. He fears he has written its obituary.
Delaware Government Refusing to Allow "Illegal Pete's" as Corporate Name
Seems like a pretty clear First Amendment violation, even if the name is viewed as an offensive reference to illegal aliens (which the corporate owners apparently don't intend).
The Panic Over 'Social Media Addiction' Threatens Free Speech
Classifying heavy internet use as medical addiction leads to bad policy and inferior patient care.
Beyond the First Amendment: Anti-Libel Injunctions and Prosecutorial Discretion
Even if injunctions against libel don't violate the First Amendment, should state courts still reject them on state separation of powers principles?
The First Amendment and the Hybrid Preliminary Injunction
A relatively novel suggestion, aimed at providing libel defendants with the necessary First Amendment protections while still giving libel plaintiffs protection early in the litigation process.
Supreme Court To Consider Whether Civil Rights Act Protects Gay and Transgender Workers
Does current precedent forbidding discrimination on the basis of sex-based stereotypes apply here?
Sri Lankan Government Blocks Social Media Access Over Alleged Fake News
Right after 290 people were killed in a series of Easter Sunday bombings
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
Crime to Tweet About People Intending to "Abuse" Them?
That's the legal theory behind a case just filed by prosecutors in Ohio.
The Limited Role of Mens Rea in Hybrid Anti-Libel Injunctions
I'm continuing to serialize my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions.
Middlebury College Disinvites Polish Politician Ryszard Legutko, Fails Free Speech Test Yet Again
Protesters said it was "absolutely, unequivocally" not their intention to shut down Legutko. The administration panicked anyway.
Restricting Injunctions to Libels on Matters of Private Concern?
Should the availability of anti-libel injunctions turn on the subject matter of the false and defamatory speech that's being enjoined?
The PTO's Prissy, Puzzling Rules for Registering Trademarks Are Fuct Up
The owner of a clothing line asks the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on "scandalous" trademarks because it violates the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court Declines to Hear the Case of a Rapper Convicted for His Anti-Cop Lyrics
The case drew support from rappers like Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, and Meek Mill.
Prison Guards Are '#FeelingCute' About Threatening To Assault Inmates for No Reason
"Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today, IDK."
'NSFW Advertising' Banned From Reddit
Subreddits on sexual themes will also be banned from running ads.
The First Amendment and the Hybrid Permanent Injunction
This is the key proposal from my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions -- a way of taming the anti-libel injunction to include important First Amendment procedural protections, but still allow its use to prevent genuine libels.
Barr Kicks Off the Next Big Fight Over Immigration: Reason Roundup
Plus: Trump shows true colors on Yemen, U.K. sets a date for new porn rules, and scientists say we may be in a new geological epoch.
Zuckerberg's Plea: Regulate Me Before I Violate People's Privacy Again!
Facebook would prosper in a less robust market.
The Assange Exception to the First Amendment
Freedom of the press is not limited to "legitimate journalists."
Nancy Pelosi Declares a 'New Era' of Internet Regulation; E.U. Threatens Same
Nancy Pelosi wants to gut Section 230
How Specific Anti-Libel Injunctions Underprotect Speech
I'm continuing to serialize my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions.
Julian Assange Is a Better Journalist Than Many of His Media Critics
Journalism is at risk not just from government but from media types who see their jobs as protecting the powerful from embarrassment.
The First Amendment and the Specific Preliminary Injunction
I'm continuing to serialize my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions.
The Second Amendment in Public Housing
The East St. Louis Housing Authority stipulates to allowing residents to possess guns.
The ACLU Defends Gun Owners' Constitutional Rights, Except for the Second Amendment Right to Own Guns
The organization objects to gun restrictions only if they impinge on other constitutional provisions.
Punishing Assange Isn't Worth Killing a Free Press: Reason Roundup
Plus: Christians and bureaucrats versus Tarot in Virginia, and Democratic candidates on restoring voting rights to prisoners
High School Suspends 2 Students for Posting Gun Range Photos on Snapchat, ACLU Files Suit
"Sharing our completely legal weekend activities on Snapchat should not result three days of in-school suspensions," Cody Conroy told Reason.
The First Amendment and the Catchall Permanent Injunction
I'm continuing to serialize my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions.
'Nobody Wants To See a Government Speech Police': Senate Republicans Threaten To Regulate Facebook and Twitter
They say the social media companies display a bias against conservatives.
Internet Censorship Is Only for the Little People, French Edition
Censorship continues to be about empowering those in charge.
"Free Speech Rules," My New YouTube Video Series -- Episode 3 (Fake News) Now Out
Please share it widely!
The First Amendment and Criminal Libel Law
I thought I'd serialize my forthcoming Penn Law Review article on Anti-Libel Injunctions; here is the section on criminal libel law -- the article argues that anti-libel injunctions are like mini-criminal-libel laws.
The NRA Is Right About the Violence Against Women Act
The House version of the reauthorization bill includes new gun restrictions that sweep too broadly.
Anti-Libel Injunctions and the Criminal Libel Connection
My new article, forthcoming in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review late this year -- I'd love to get feedback, while there's still plenty of time to edit it.
