Civil Liberties
Student Charged With Manslaughter for Texting Boyfriend to 'Go Die'
The 21-year-old faces criminal punishment for text messages to her suicidal boyfriend.
Dave Chappelle: Second Amendment 'Is Just in Case the First One Doesn't Work Out'
The comedian received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in D.C. this weekend. His acceptance speech airs on PBS in January.
Florida Prisons Are a Slow-Motion Disaster
"We are a prison system that's overstuffed and under-guarded, and that is a lethal combination of policies," says state Sen. Jeff Brandes.
The FBI Rebrands Its Sex Worker Harassment Campaign
Operation Independence Day is just Operation Cross Country by a different name.
"There's a Rapist in Our School and You Know Who It Is"
A girl in a Maine public high school wrote this on a sticky note in a girls' bathroom; she was suspended for "bullying" a male student who was apparently seen as the target of the message—but a federal judge has stayed the suspension, concluding her speech was probably constitutionally protected.
A Survey Finds Speech Restrictions Are Pretty Popular. That's Why We Need the First Amendment.
Most respondents, especially millennials, favored viewpoint-based censorship, suppression of "hurtful or offensive" speech in certain contexts, and legal penalties for wayward news organizations.
Judge Says Cops Need Qualified Immunity To 'Stop Mass Shootings'
In fact, the legal doctrine lets cops to get away with outrageous conduct.
The Belated Approval of a Harm-Reduction Claim for Smokeless Tobacco Highlights the Potentially Deadly Impact of FDA Censorship
The FDA finally has agreed to allow a mild statement about the relative hazards of snus and cigarettes.
Vagueness Challenge to N.H.'s Criminal Libel Statute Can Go Forward
An interesting court opinion, though I think on balance mistaken.
Prosecution Under Criminal Libel Statute Struck Down 30 Years Before Leads to $100,000 Settlement
"[Anne King's ex-husband], [Washington County Sheriff's Department] Captain King, feeling upset and 'disrespected' over the post, contacted Washington County's magistrate court about initiating a criminal complaint against Ms. King."
The Medal of Honor Recipient vs. The Historian, and the Right of Publicity
"The more research Mr. Rigg did for the book, the more discrepancies appeared."
Colorado School Suspends 17-Year-Old After She Posted a Non-Threatening Gun Photo With Her Older Brother
She didn't break the law or threaten anybody, but her school still panicked.
Study: YouTube's Fringe Video Viewers Aren't Passive Zombies
Plus: Cryptocurrency crashes, prison abuse protests in Florida, the death of the center-right, and more...
Congress Asked Mark Zuckerberg a Bunch of Really, Really Stupid Questions at the Libra Hearing
Another show trial for Facebook's beleaguered CEO
Billy Bragg Wants Three-Dimensional Freedom. But Can We Afford That?
In his new manifesto The Three Dimensions of Freedom, the veteran punk rocker calls out libertarians for focusing solely on economic freedom. Is his case worth buying?
Dick's CEO Becomes Latest Anti-Gun Billionaire To Dream of a Third-Party Presidential Run
Well, at least they have the name!
S.C. Judge Rules the Obvious: It's Unconstitutional for Police to Seize and Keep People's Property Without Proving They Committed Crimes
Law enforcement and prosecutors have seized millions from people they’ve arrested. That might be coming to an end.
The Connecticut Hate Crimes Law Used To Charge Two Idiot College Students Would Ban Family Guy Too
The state's hate crimes law—a "rarely enforced relic dating to 1917"—eviscerates free speech.
If Facebook Can Get Rid of Dick Pics, It Can Stop All Drug Deals Too, Claim Activists
Gutting Section 230 would make it harder to track drug deals, not easier.
If Confiscating 'Assault Weapons' Is a Gimmick, So Is Banning Them
Beto O’Rourke’s scheme would be an ineffectual attempt to enforce arbitrary distinctions.
Unconstitutional "Racial Ridicule" Prosecution in Connecticut
I have an op-ed about this today in the N.Y. Daily News.
Massachusetts Bill Would Impose $200 Fines, 6 Months in Jail for Using the Word 'Bitch'
The bill is an obvious First Amendment violation says Jim Manley of the Pacific Legal Foundation.
Corporate America Discovers the Limits of Political Posturing as a Marketing Tactic
Defining a company with political branding is risky business.
'Data Portability' Bill Would Risk User Privacy and Crush Social Media Startups
Plus: Court says scraping social media profiles is not hacking, and more...
What 'Rights' Do We Have When We're Talking About Our Private Online Data?
Defining terms is tricky, particularly when governments with bad track records on privacy want to call the shots.
What's So Funny About Tulsi Gabbard?
The Reason Roundtable analyzes an establishment smear against a foreign policy heretic, and laments the bipartisan panic against online speech.
Nick Cave Slams 'Woke' Culture as 'Self-Righteous' and Suppressive
"Antifa and the Far Right," he adds, are "good for nothing."
Guns and Due Process
"Petitioner had absolutely no prior notice that either his mental health or the safe handling subsection would be at issue during the hearing before the trial court."
U.N. Elects Venezuela to Human Rights Council
The council's design all but ensures absurdities like this.
Score One for Trump's Trade Policy: Putting Online Speech Protections in Trade Deals Makes Sense
For once, the Trump administration is on the right side of a debate with Congress over trade.
Tennessee Will Now Let Felons Possess Guns, but Only if the Guns Are More Than 120 Years Old
A change in Tennessee’s definition of a firearm allows for felons to own a gun provided it was manufactured before 1899.
Prison Guard Who Hid While Inmate Raped a Nurse Cannot Be Sued, Federal Court Rules
The 7th Circuit said the guard is protected by qualified immunity.
The Attorney General Is Determined to Undermine Your Privacy
The encryption limits that the Justice Department demands in the name of security would make all of us less secure.
Beto O'Rourke Still Has No Idea How He'd Actually Seize Americans' Guns
Asked how he'd actually follow through on his promise to "take your AR-15," the former Texas congressman didn't have much of an answer.
'Police Violence Is Also Gun Violence' Says Julian Castro, Arguing Against Mandatory Gun Buybacks
The former HUD Secretary is still terrible on guns, but at least he recognizes some of the costs of actually enforcing gun laws.
Democrats Want to Make It a Federal Crime to Threaten Journalists
Sen. Richard Blumenthal would give journalists special federal protections that they don't need.
LeBron James Is Getting Roasted for Criticizing Daryl Morey's Hong Kong Tweet
James called Trump a "bum," but he won't utter a single bad word about China's authoritarianism.
University of Louisville Students Can't Sue Escort for Exposing Prostitution in the Louisville Basketball Program
"University of Louisville [current and former] students ... asserted a claim that the publication of Katina Powell's book Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen resulted in a tortious diminution in the value of their University of Louisville education."
Is Everyone Wrong About NBA/China/Hong Kong Except South Park and…Ted Cruz?
Nah, the senator's still wrong about Internet free speech, argue the editors on the Reason Roundtable podcast.
A 12-Year-Old Girl Pointed Finger Guns at Other Kids. Cops Handcuffed and Arrested Her.
"The safety of our children in school is paramount, today more than ever," said the police chief.
Saying 'Triggered' Will Not Turn Your Child Into a Nazi
But they might be mad at mom for writing about them in The New York Times.
Would You Trust the Trump Administration to Teach Digital Literacy?
Plus: Trump murder meme makes waves, California requires abortion pill at public universities, and more...
Minor's Slander Lawsuit Against Another Minor, Prompted by Defendant's Allegations of Rape
Are parents liable for defamation by their minor children?
More Indian Government Attempts to Remove Material from Western Sites
"Mumbai’s cyber police department seeks to remove content [containing obviously PhotoShopped images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi] hosted on this [Northern Ireland] blog, BuzzFeed, Google Blogger, Amazon CloudFront, Tumblr, and Flickr."
Facebook Is Right to Let the Lying Trump Ad About Biden Stand
As always, the best answer to bad speech is more speech, not censorship.
