Civil Liberties
Democrats Join Trump in Seeking Balance by Policing Speech
The constitutional amendment they support, like the president’s plan to regulate social media, trusts the government to moderate our political debate.
If You're Near the Scene of a Crime, Authorities Can Demand That Google Hand Over Your Data
Quiet fishing expeditions are being used to sort through potential suspects.
Trump Suggests 'Red Flag' Laws Be Used to Take CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo's Guns Away After Viral 'Fredo' Outburst
Do we want Trump in charge of deciding who’s too crazy to own a gun?
Libel Lawsuit Dismissed Under "Fugitive Disentitlement" Doctrine
The doctrine originated in criminal appeals by defendants who were fugitives, but it can also apply to civil cases -- here, where the federal court plaintiff has absconded with her and defendant's children in violation of a state court order.
Every Democrat in the Senate Supports a Constitutional Amendment That Would Radically Curtail Freedom of Speech
The Democracy for All Amendment aims to mute some voices so that others can be heard.
Joe Biden Concedes the 'Assault Weapon' Ban He Wants To Revive Had No Impact on the Lethality of Legal Guns
The presidential contender nevertheless insists the law reduced mass shooting deaths.
Hong Kong Cops Beat and Blind Protesters As PRC Sends Trucks and Tanks to the Border
Nine people were injured during the weekend's protests in Hong Kong, including one woman who might be permanently blind after a violent encounter with the police.
Jeffrey Epstein's Death in Manhattan Jail Sets Off Conspiracy Theories, but Police Neglect Seems More Likely
Plus: Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests turn violent as China cracks down, Elizabeth Warren admits taxes are bad for business, and more...
China Exports Its Panopticon
Science fiction writers have wondered for years what an all-encompassing surveillance state might look like. China decided to build it.
Texas Appellate Court Strikes Down Electronic Harassment Statute
The ban on online speech intended to and reasonably likely to (among other things) "annoy," the court says, is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad.
Hong Kong Protesters Use Umbrellas, Lasers, and Respirators to Evade Surveillance and Tear Gas
As Beijing develops a high-tech police state, Hongkongers develop ways to resist it.
Trump's Social Media Executive Order Would Let Unelected Bureaucrats Police Online Speech
It would essentially be a Fairness Doctrine for the internet.
No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
Only three states require police to obtain a warrant before requesting private user data from companies.
The Puzzle of Identifying Future Mass Murderers Cannot Be Solved by Psychiatry, Background Checks, or Red Flag Laws
If "the notion that we can identify mass killers before they act" is a "fiction," the conventional policy responses to mass shootings are unlikely to be effective.
Does Walmart Really Think a 30-Second Clip of Call of Duty Will Traumatize Us All?
Store orders ban of violent displays, but is still selling guns and video games.
Senate Democrats Back Constitutional Amendment to Undo Citizens United
Plus: Marijuana banking, suing Facebook, and more...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 'I Have a Lot of Common Ground With Many Libertarian Viewpoints'
The democratic socialist congresswoman also criticized Republican hypocrisy.
Was Charging Sarah Palin With Complicity in Mass Murder an Honest Mistake?
The former vice presidential candidate's revived defamation suit against The New York Times highlights the hazards of us-versus-them thinking.
No, Texas Did Not Respond to El Paso Shooting by Passing Lenient Gun Laws
It's foolish for media outlets to imply that laws which were signed in May and June were passed in relation to the tragic shooting in El Paso.
A Tip for People Who Seek to Seal Court Filings
Avoid motions "for Leave to File Under Seal Any and All Documents and Depositions Cited in Support of Any Motion, Response, Reply, or Appendix Filed by the Plaintiff/Counter-Defendant."
Suit Challenges California's New Background Check Law for Ammunition
The law demands use of Real I.D. compliant identification for background checks that many state residents don't have
Neighbors Claim Los Angeles 'Emoji House' Is 'Bullying,' Demand New Rules Against Murals
Owners painted the house bright pink and added two funny emojis after neighbors complained about illegal Airbnb rentals.
Children Left Crying in Streets After ICE Arrests Parents in Massive Mississippi Raid
Plus: Chelsea Manning's latest motion is denied, Prager University's Google lawsuit is nonsense, and more...
6 Terrible New Tech Bills in Congress
While expressing concern for free speech and privacy, lawmakers are seriously threatening both.
Rep. Joaquin Castro's Doxxing of Trump Donors in His District Has Flipped the Campaign Finance Discourse on Its Head
Political donations are made public so that citizens can hold politicians accountable, not the other way around.
Republicans Who Support Gun Confiscation Laws Imagine 'Due Process' That Does Not Exist on Paper or in Practice
Here is how the states with "red flag" laws fail to protect the constitutional rights of gun owners.
Gun Control Cases to Watch at the Supreme Court
What’s next for the Second Amendment at SCOTUS?
Free Speech on the Internet Continues to Confuse Everyone
Plus: 8chan called before Congress, data privacy bill hits a snag, and more...
'Red Flag' Laws Leave Gun Owners Defenseless
The Trump-endorsed response to mass shootings gives due process short shrift.
Court Overturns Fordham's Decision Not to Recognize Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter
Though Fordham is a private university, under New York law private university decisions that violate the universities' own stated rules may be set aside by a court.
Fighting Over Video Game Violence Shows Who Prefers Culture Wars Over Reality
Deflections, generational conflict, and misleading data abound.
To Stop Mass Shooters, Trump Says, We Should Make Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Easier. No, We Shouldn't.
Because psychiatrists are terrible at predicting violent behavior, the wider net would catch lots of harmless people.
Sarah Palin's Libel Case Against New York Times Can Go Forward
So holds a Second Circuit panel this morning.
Trump Says Mental Illness 'Pulls the Trigger' in Mass Shootings
Plus: Monday market swings spark freakout, Hong Kong "now a revolution," and more...
How Libertarians Should Respond to Mass Shootings
Plus: the budget deal, GOP retirements, and the latest front in the trade war.
Cloudflare, Not the Government, Should Decide Whether It Wants to Do Business with 8chan
Companies should forced neither to help spread offensive speech nor to suppress it.
Does 'Common Sense Gun Safety Legislation' Make Sense As a Response to the El Paso and Dayton Shootings?
The familiar proposals would do little or nothing to prevent attacks like these.
Trump Calls for Linking New Gun Control Legislation to Immigration Reform
The president offers the worst of both worlds.
After El Paso and Dayton Shootings, Threatened Crackdowns on Guns, Immigrants, and Internet Speech
Plus: the trouble with "national conservatism," the decline of the mortgage interest deduction, and more...
El Paso Walmart Shooter Allegedly Wrote Anti-Immigrant Manifesto Calling Hispanics 'Invaders'
Plus: A second shooting in Dayton leaves 9 dead, dozens injured.
Everyone Has a Right to Call Politicians "Idiots" …
... no matter the politician's race, sex, or religion, and no matter whether the speaker owns a gun store.
The City Wants to Evict This Family Because a House Guest Committed a Crime They Didn't Know About Somewhere Else
Under its "crime-free housing program," Granite City, Illinois, holds tenants strictly liable for illegal activity by a household member.
