Civil Liberties
Twin Falls Shooting Underlines the Need for Taking Self-Defense Seriously
Armed people at the scene of the crime fired on the attacker and drove him away.
A Major 'Online Safety' Bill Cleared a Senate Committee. More Crackdowns on Internet Freedom Could Be Coming.
The Senate Commerce committee advanced four bills related to online and AI safety in the name of protecting children.
A Federal Judge Rejects National Firearms Act Regulations, Saying Their Tax Rationale No Longer Applies
When Congress eliminated taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns, it also eliminated the constitutional justification for regulating them.
Hawaii's End Run Around Citizens United Faces a First Amendment Roadblock
A new Hawaii law reclassifies corporate political speech as a "power" the state can revoke at will.
Reality Show Participant's #Scandoval Sex Videos Aren't of "Public Interest" for California Anti-SLAPP Law Purposes
Dissent: "We judges can write all we want, but this public voted with its eyeballs."
Why James Madison Wanted Greater Limits on States' Rights
The “father of the Constitution” worried about federal and state overreach.
Senators Want To Claw Back Trump's Spending Power. They Should Just Pass a Real Budget Instead.
The Senate’s funding bill stops the Trump administration from handing political appointees control over federal grants, but Congress isn’t eager to rein in spending.
Minnesota's Nudification Ban Could Punish People Over Parodies and Stripped-Down Selfies. Elon Musk's xAI Is Suing.
The law is written so broadly it could punish services that let you fake an image of yourself in a swimsuit.
VDARE's Libel Case Against N.Y. Times Thrown Out
UPDATE: Though this opinion was handed down just two weeks ago, it turns out to be a slightly revised version of an opinion from July 2022; my apologies for not noticing this at the outset.
Roanoke Removes Gunshot Detectors Months After Approving Them
Limited evidence of effectiveness combined with privacy concerns raises questions about the sensors.
Dropped Cases Against Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandals Followed a Rush to Judgment
Trump still seems to think the question of individual guilt or innocence is irrelevant.
No Liability for Parents Over Their Son's Surreptitiously Recording Sex Acts in Their Home
"Suing individuals because they have a homeowner's insurance policy or are collectible defendants is not a proper purpose for a lawsuit."
Oklahoma Anti-Stalking Law Bars Certain Unwanted Speech to Target, not Speech About Target
Oklahoma's highest criminal court reverses a 3-year sentence for "posting a video rant about [defendant's] ex-wife."
Why Does Trump Want To Give Millions of Dollars to Right-Wing Europeans?
Trump opposes foreign influence in American politics, but his State Department is offering millions of dollars to promote Western identity and opposition to “mass migration” abroad.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
What Iranian Dissidents Can Learn About Regime Change From the Mistakes of 1979
A regretful rebel talks about what he learned from his participation in Iran’s Islamic revolution.
A New Jersey News Outlet Asks the Courts To Stop a Judge's Censorship
The judge concluded that a high school student's privacy interests trumped freedom of the press.
Federal Court Rules Against Rhode Island Town's Use of Eminent Domain for NIMBY Purposes
The local government sought to use eminent domain to block a housing project local NIMBYs objected to.
First Amendment Might Protect FTP&ATF License Plate
The Fourth Circuit considers "a question that has divided ... courts ...: whether the character combinations on personalized license plates ... are government speech or private speech."
Georgia Has Arrested At Least 20 Officials for Misusing the Flock Surveillance Database
Michael Soyfer, an attorney at the Institute for Justice, calls it “just the tip of the iceberg.”
Kansas Lawsuit: ALPRs Turn a License Plate Into the 'Functional Equivalent' of a 'GPS Tracking Device'
The Kansas Justice Institute argues that Wichita's "warrantless ALPR dragnet surveillance program" violates the state constitution's privacy protections.
China Helps Iran
Plus: Baby bust affects college enrollment, migrants flood into Spain, I'm writing a book, and more...
ICE Is Shredding the Bill of Rights. Defending That Isn't Conservative.
Constitutional limits on federal authority should not be partisan matters.
Chicago Homeowner Sues Border Cops for Warrantless Raid
Will they be held responsible for the illegal search and the damage to his property?
New NYU Brennan Center Article on "Using State Constitutions to Combat Exclusionary Zoning"
It explains how to better use both existing state constitutional provisions, and constitutional amendments. Based on a longer academic article, coauthored with Joshua Braver.
Homeland Security Is Spending $1 Billion on 'Autonomous' Border Surveillance Towers
The department plans to triple the number of surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the next decade.
Magistrate Judge Recommends Massive Sanctions on Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for Violating Court Order in Anti-Semitism Lawsuit
The recommendation includes entry of a default judgment against Boteach in a defamation lawsuit brought against him by a Florida hotel.
