Pennsylvania Officer Tases Suspect in the Back Because He Didn't Cross His Ankles Quickly Enough
"Oh come on, bruh. You're really going to tase him? He was sitting down. That's crazy. That's why I record everything."
Civil Liberties
Sacre Bleu! France to Reinstate Mandatory National Service for 16-Year-Olds
Emmanuel Macron wants teens to "value" their citizenship. Milton Friedman would be appalled.
Cops Arrested a Black Man. He Called Them Nazis, So He Was Charged With a Hate Crime.
"This is not what the hate crime statute was for. This is criminalizing pure speech, and that violates the First Amendment."
A Post-Roe World Would Pave the Way for a New Black Market in Abortion Pills
Forget coat-hangers and back alleys. The future of illegal abortions is online pharmaceuticals.
Kennedy's Departure Probably Will Give Us a Court More Inclined to Defend Gun Rights
The retiring justice seems to have been a crucial obstacle to hearing Second Amendment cases.
Supreme Court Trying Again on the First Amendment Retaliatory Arrest Question
The question that the Court didn't resolve in Lozman v. Riviera-Beach is back, in another case on which the Supreme Court just granted review.
Feds Arrest 'Occupy ICE' Protesters in Portland
Officers in riot gear made their move Thursday in an attempt to reopen Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Portland.
Is It Legal for Cops to Shoot Unlicensed Dogs?
Pets shouldn't be treated as contraband.
The Janus Dissent's Odd Underreading of Government Employee Speech Rights
"If an employee's speech is about, in, and directed to the workplace, she has no 'possibility of a First Amendment claim,'" say the dissenters -- but that's not what the First Amendment caselaw says.
Tennessee Deputy Charged After Videos Show Him Tasing Teen Tied to Chair
In one surveillance video, the victim is tased four times for a total of 50 seconds.
How a New SCOTUS Ruling on Abortion Could Permanently Alter Economic Regulation
"The majority's view, if taken literally, could radically change prior law," warn the Court's liberal justices.
ATF Flips on Bump Stock Ban, Some Gun Rights Groups Are Mad
Under Obama the ATF admitted that Congress denied it authority to ban bump-fire stocks on AR-15s, but now the ban seems imminent.
The Limited Effects of the Supreme Court's Janus Decision
States that want to allow public sector unions, and avoid "free-rider" problems, should still be able to do that -- just by paying unions directly, rather than via compelled agency fees.
Gorsuch Was More 'Liberal' Than Kennedy This Term, in an Unusual Supreme Court Twist
Comparing the records of two right-of-center justices.
The Second Amendment 'Has Become Optional'
A decade after recognizing a constitutional right to armed self-defense, the Supreme Court remains reluctant to defend it.
Forget Net Neutrality: The E.U. Seems Determined to Destroy the Internet
A poorly written proposal to expand copyright claims could potentially decimate online sharing of information.
NIFLA v. Becerra and Speech Compulsions
Today's Supreme Court decision adds to the law -- and the uncertainty -- about when the First Amendment bans the government from requiring speech.
Will the ACLU Defend Controversial Speech? Ira Glasser, Wendy Kaminer, Nadine Strossen React to the Memo
President David Cole says guidelines "are explicitly designed to help affiliates and national staff think through various factors in case selection decisions."
Civilians Around the World Become Better Armed
Will widespread private arms rebalance power between individuals and the state? It looks like we're going to find out.
Wendy Kaminer Replies on the ACLU and Free Speech
David Cole and Nadine Strossen had responded to Kaminer's op-ed on this; Kaminer responds in turn.
After Gay Wedding Cake Ruling, Supreme Court Punts Floral Arrangements Case
Washington State told to revisit ruling against Arlene's Flowers.
A Quick Due Process Lesson for the President
It is well-established that everyone within the United States, even those who may have entered illegally or over-stayed a visa, are entitled to Due Process.
ACLU's David Cole Responds About ACLU and the Freedom of Speech [UPDATED with comments from former ACLU leaders Nadine Strossen and Ira Glasser] [FURTHER UPDATED with link to Kaminer's reply]
Is the ACLU becoming less committed to protecting free speech, especially speech that some view as "imped[ing] progress toward equality"?
Neil Gorsuch Joins Sonia Sotomayor in Questioning the Third-Party Doctrine
In a case involving cellphone location data, Gorsuch says entrusting information to someone does not mean surrendering your Fourth Amendment rights.
Huge Win for Everyone With a Cellphone (and for the Fourth Amendment) at the Supreme Court
SCOTUS rejects warrantless cellphone location tracking in Carpenter v. United States.
13-Year-Old Charged with Felony for Recording Conversation with School Principal
"If I do go to court and get wrongfully convicted, my whole life is ruined."
Stare Decisis and Judge-Made Law
What today's decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair might tell us about the future of qualified immunity
Leaked Internal Memo Reveals the ACLU Is Wavering on Free Speech
"Our defense of speech may have a greater or lesser harmful impact on the equality and justice work to which we are also committed."
How to Fight Inhumane Immigration Policies? Better Smugglers
Improving smuggling efforts isn't ideal, but it's better than just watching kids get torn from their families.
Upset About Facebook Invading Your Privacy? Be Glad You Don't Live in China
The dangers of government surveillance.
This Libertarian Community Organizer Wants To 'Free the People': Podcast
Matt Kibbe explains why "beer is freedom," and talks about his new documentary series with Rep. Thomas Massie, Off the Grid.
N.Y. Court Rejects Libel Lawsuit Based on Lawyer's Post on Harvard Law School's SHARIAsource Blog
It all began with a jurisdictional dispute over an Egyptian divorce proceeding and a New York divorce proceeding.
The Southern Poverty Law Center's Apology to Maajid Nawaz Is Bad News for Free Speech
Frivolous defamation lawsuits undermine the First Amendment.
The Year of the Punt, or At Least of the Bunt
Very narrow decisions -- or decisions not to decide -- in some more of the Supreme Court's most watched cases.
Can Police Arrest Person Carrying Gun Without First Checking If He's Licensed?
No, says the Illinois Appellate Court.
Australian Politician and Trans Activist Bridget Clinch Files "Gender Identity Vilification" Complaint Against Critic
Clinch seeks "an apology," "an undertaking from you not to post anti-trans or vilifying posts in future, and to remove those that are currently on your public Facebook profile," "a further undertaking from you to remove any anti trans and vilifying posts made by other people from your public profile," and "for you to participate in training about vilification, and trans' issues."
Encryption Wars Ramp Up As Apple Improves Phone Security
Law enforcement is upset, but data security is vital to prevent crimes.
Andrew Cuomo Pushes Bill That Would Make It Easy to Take Away People's Gun Rights
New York's governor favors "extreme risk protection orders" that could be obtained by a wide range of people based on little evidence.
SCOTUS Rules 7-2 Against State Law Banning 'Political' Attire at Polling Places
A big win for First Amendment advocates in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky.
Ban on "Political" Clothing in Polling Places Is Unconstitutionally "Unreasonable"
But a more precise ban on clothing in polling places (which the Court treats as "nonpublic fora") that mentions candidates, parties, or ballot measures may be constitutional.
Victory in Lawsuit Over Colorado's System of Private Enforcement of Campaign Finance Law
Federal Judge Raymond Moore applies strict scrutiny to a system with the power to restrict political speech and finds it unreasonable to outsource that power to anyone and everyone.
Katherine Mangu-Ward and I Podcasting About Crime-Facilitating Speech
My first foray into podcasting here at Reason, a discussion with Reason editor Katherine Mangu-Ward.
Unable to Ban Guns, Lawmakers Want to Weaponize the ATF Against Gun Dealers
Once again, lawmakers propose to use the regulatory state to punish people they don't like.
