California Will Keep Your DNA on File Even if You Haven't Been Convicted of a Crime
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Equal Justice Society, and others are challenging the practice in court.
Civil Liberties
Fourth Circuit Rejects Libel Claims over Misleading Edits in Katie Couric's "Under the Gun"
The "questionable" "editing choices," the court said, weren't sufficiently injurious to reputation to qualify as libelous (whether or not they conveyed a false message).
"Free Speech Rules," My New YouTube Video Series -- Episode 1 (Speech in Schools) Now Out
Please share it widely -- there will be at least nine more in the upcoming months.
7 Things You Should Know About Free Speech in Schools
Episode 1 of Free Speech Rules, a new video series by UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh
Court Sets Aside USC Student's Expulsion for Alleged Rape
USC's procedures didn't fairly treat the accused, a California appellate court rules.
Unconstitutional "Hate Speech" Prosecution in New York
"[SUNY] Purchase College student Gunnar Hassard was arraigned in Harrison Town Court for Aggravated Harassment in the First Degree, a class E felony, for hanging posters with Nazi symbolism in areas of the campus."
Teenage Sisters Legally Recorded Police, Who Tackled Them to the Ground
According to the officer who took them down, the phone was "evidence."
James Fields Killed Heather Heyer Because of Her Opinions, and Now the Government Is Trying to Do the Same to Him
The federal case against the Charlottesville murderer illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for their bigoted beliefs.
Plaintiff Can't Seal Case He Brought Against Ex-Employer
"Protection against the possibility of future adverse impact on employment does not overcome the presumption of public access."
Federal Court: Secretly Recording Government Officials Is a First Amendment Right
The ruling extends to secret recordings of police officers.
Vape Shop Challenges Oregon's Nitpicky Censorship of E-Liquid Labels
A lawsuit argues that the state's elaborate restrictions, ostensibly aimed at preventing underage vaping, violate the right to freedom of speech.
It Took a Jury 9 Minutes to Decide a Man Could Legally Blast 'Fuck tha Police' Near an Officer
The deputy said he took issue with the word "fuck" in the song despite using it himself moments earlier.
India at a Crossroads
India is known as the land of contradictions, and recent events do little to undermine that reputation.
Australians Should Defy Their Government's Poorly Considered Surveillance State
Australians who want to protect their data from surveillance now need to turn to extra-legal means.
Brett Kavanaugh Joins With Liberal Justices; SCOTUS Won't Hear Planned Parenthood Defunding Cases
"If Kavanaugh was going to deal a major blow to health care rights during his first session on the court, this would have been the case to do it."
Is Rand Paul Right About Special Prosecutors Being Wrong?: Podcast
Also: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez owns the cons while spouting policy B.S.
Facebook Cripples Community Organizing With Overzealous Attempts to Stop Russian Trolls: Reason Roundup
Plus: Trump changes his mind about military spending and why Rand Paul hates Trump's new attorney general pick.
Help! We Need a Name for a Series of Short Videos Explaining Free Speech Law
We've got a grant -- we've finished the first video (under 4 minutes) -- but we need a good title for the whole series.
France's High Taxes Breed a Populist Revolt, Again
Politicians seem unable to learn from a history of grabby tax policies fueling populist anger.
A Powerful Dissent Charges Judges Who Casually Uphold Magazine Restrictions With Disrespecting the Second Amendment
A 3rd Circuit judge says the decision approving New Jersey's 10-round limit treats the right to arms less seriously than other constitutional rights.
Congratulations, Australian Government! You've Just Destroyed the World's Data Privacy!
Parliament passes a bill at the last possible moment to give officials the power to weaken encryption.
Facebook Also Becoming a Sexuality-Free Zone: Reason Roundup
New rules ban erotic art, talk of shared sexual interests, kink groups, and anything that "encourages sexual encounters between adults."
New York City Wants to Make It Illegal to Send a Sexy Pic Without Affirmative Consent
It's been dubbed "NYC's Anti-Airdrop Dick Pic Law," but the bill is much broader than that.
9th Circuit Says a Federal Law Making It a Felony to 'Encourage' Illegal Immigration Violates the First Amendment
The statute is "unconstitutionally overbroad," the appeals court says, because it criminalizes "a substantial amount of protected expression."
Texas Court Rules Deliberate Flooding of Private Property by State Government in Wake of Hurricane Harvey can be a Taking
The ruling concerns flooding of property undertaken by the San Jacinto River Authority in order to mitigate the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Issues raised in the case are similar to those at stake in ongoing federal court litigation.
N.Y. Lawmaker: Want a Gun? Give Us Your Social Media Accounts First!
As the prison-industrial complex starts to crumble, get ready for the social-media-surveillance complex to replace it.
Stossel: Google and Facebook Cross 'The Creepy Line'
Tech companies are compiling incredibly detailed dossiers about you.
3 Women Accused Neil deGrasse Tyson of Sexual Misconduct. He Says Evidence Matters, and He's Right.
#MeToo has come for the popular astrophysicist. Let's withhold judgement.
Alabama Police Shot Innocent Man Three Times From the Back, Independent Autopsy Says
Meanwhile, the officers involved can't get their stories straight.
Tumblr Says It's Banning Porn. This Will Not End Well.
Research shows a fifth of its users seek out sexual images. But the sharing site is now part of a massive media conglomerate.
SEC Goes After Cryptocurrency 'Influencers,' Starting With DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather: Reason Roundup
Plus: the First Amendment problems with prosecuting Wikileaks and the trans troops ban is dealt another blow.
Court Throws Out Season Ticket Holder's Lawsuit Over Football Anthem Protests
A creative legal theory, roundly rejected.
'Let's Whoop Some Ass': St. Louis Cops Charged With Beating Undercover Detective Posing as Protester
"It's gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these shitheads once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart."
When Governments Restrict Guns, People Make Their Own By the Millions
Sophisticated firearms are becoming ever-easier to illicitly manufacture in basic workshops, says a new report. We'll even show you how to do it!
Trump Administration Set to Announce Pointless, Legally Dubious Bump Stock Ban
Even the Obama administration recognized it didn't have the authority to ban bump stocks.
Oakland University, a Gun-Free Zone, Is Giving Students Hockey Pucks to Defend Themselves from Mass Shooters
Police chief calls it a "spur-of-the-moment idea that seemed to have some merit to it."
Expect More Conservative Purges on Social Media If Republicans Target Section 230
Killing Section 230 would only lead web platforms to ban even more speech.
Trigger Warnings Aren't Confined to College Campuses: Here Are 3 Unusual Places They Appeared
"I had to add a content warning or else."
New IRS Rule Seems to Violate the First Amendment by Denying Tax-Exempt Status to Drug Policy Reform Groups
It is unconstitutional for the government to discriminate against organizations based on their viewpoint.
Do Alabama Police Who Killed the Wrong Man Know What 'Brandished' Means?
Emantic Bradford Jr. may have had a gun. But he didn't deserve to die.
Facebook and Big Tech Discover That Political Friends Are Fickle Friends
As Facebook's supposed ideological allies unfriend the social media giant, the tech industry is learning that there are no permanent allegiances in politics.
First Amendment Victory for Strip Club Gives New Jersey Businesses the Right to Advertise a BYOB Option
A federal judge overturns a state ban on telling customers they can bring their own beer or wine.
The #ThotAudit Is Deeply, Painfully Stupid
The snitch crusade is ostensibly about making sure hot women aren't making money off their hotness without giving the government a cut.
Thomas Sowell Returns
One of America's top social scientists on what has changed since he sat down with Reason 38 years ago.
Twitter Permanently Banned Conservative Pundit Jesse Kelly
Kelly says the social media site offered no explanation, which would violate its own policies.
