4 Things That Pissed Us Off in 2017
Serenity now.
Civil Liberties
Should You Lose Your Liquor License Partly Because You Rudely Criticized Police?
Yes, said San Antonio police officers, arguing that a bar's license shouldn't be renewed -- "those remarks show what kind of people Bottom Bracket's owners really are and that they should not be allowed to operate a bar."
College Presidents Say: "Hate Speech Is Not Free Speech"
But there's no "hate speech" exception to the First Amendment.
Interesting Story on Black Gun Ownership
In the Huffington Post, not usually a source of positive views on guns.
California Prosecuting Man for Insulting Posts on Islamic Center's Facebook Page
The government's theory would equally criminalize insulting posts on a NRA page, or on a pro-Trump organization's page, or on a Communist Party page.
Atheist Arrested in Bangladesh -- Atheism Might Be Banned in Egypt
Two recent stories in the news, plus a third item about Malaysia.
Oregon Court Holds That Statements Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Weren't Illegal Threats of Discrimination
A separate holding from today's Klein v. BOLI (Sweetcakes by Melissa case), from the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Bakers Lose in Oregon Case, But Wedding Singers / Painters / Photographers Might Win
The Oregon Court of Appeals upholds a $135,000 damages award imposed on Sweetcakes by Melissa for its owners' refusal to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
'Sensitivity Readers' Are the New Thought Police, And They Threaten More Than Novelists
Nobody calls himself a censor anymore in the 21st century. We've got better words for it.
Seattle Bans Landlords From Screening "Qualified" Tenants
The city's goal is to curb "unconscious bias." But the policy is based on dangerous premises, and is likely to harm tenants more than it benefits them.
No Lawsuits for Negligent Lobbying
A woman is injured in a car accident supposedly because of bad roadway design decision (a dangerous cut in the median) -- so she sues business that had lobbied county to make that decision.
Congress Kicks Surveillance Debate into 2018
Short extension of FISA snooping powers shoved into temporary spending bill.
Sorry Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg: If Daniel Ellsberg Is a Hero, So Is Edward Snowden
The crew of The Post celebrates leaking the Pentagon Papers but gets all touchy when Obama's secret surveillance is mentioned.
Universities Are Raising a Generation of Trumplets
Free speech is increasingly triggering.
Senators Warn DHS About Using Facial Scans on Americans at Airports
Will you soon be ordered to subject yourself to even more intrusive surveillance if you travel out of the country?
How Controversial Chinese Billionaire Founder of Faraday Future Got a Gag Order Against Critic
Jia Yueting got an injunction from a Washington state court, forbidding critic Gu Yingqiong from "publish[ing] any posts or [online] commentary concerning" Jia.
Stop Expecting the Justice Department to Fix Your City's Abusive Fining and Policing Practices
Accountability starts at home.
If BYOB Is Legally Allowed at Strip Clubs, They Have a First Amendment Right to Advertise It
So held a federal court in New Jersey yesterday (GJJM Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Atlantic City).
Court Throws Out Libel Lawsuit Brought by Open Source Security
Bruce Perens' claimed that Open Source Security's license violates the GPL open-source license agreement; that's protected opinion, the court said.
Court Reaffirms: H.S. Athlete Likely Has Right to Kneel During National Anthem
A Federal district court grants a preliminary injunction in V.A. v. San Pasqual Valley Unified School District.
First Batch of Inauguration Day Protesters Acquitted In Key First Amendment Case
The Justice Department's attempt to prosecute six anti-Trump protesters falls flat on its face, but it says more trials will follow.
'Degrading and Vile' Modification of Colleague's Wedding Photo Was Protected Speech
The New Jersey Supreme Court narrowly construes a ban on annoying conduct to avoid First Amendment problems.
D.C. Allowed to Exclude Religious Ads from Buses
Seems inconsistent with a 1995 Supreme Court precedent, but the D.C. federal court allowed this, and the D.C. Circuit seems to agree.
GW Students Organize to Fight Oppression By Oppressing Reading Choices
Obvious propaganda should be labeled propaganda, obviously.
Can Public Display of Pictures of Nudity Be Criminalized?
It turns out the Supreme Court has dealt with the question, in Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville (1975).
Congress Mulls Passing Most Intrusive Federal Surveillance Bill Available (Update: Bill Is Dead 'For Now')
This FISA renewal bill would essentially gut the Fourth Amendment.
Court Upholds Right to Display Signs Depicting Aborted Fetuses
A sound decision Monday from a federal district court in Michigan.
King County Cops Illegally Recorded Sex Stings
The good news? Many whose lives they tried to ruin are now off the hook.
Rand Paul: No Surveillance Debate Means a No Vote on Spending Bill
Senators demand discussion of protections for Americans against unwarranted snooping.
Can Repeated Speech Be Criminalized Just Because It's Intended to "Seriously Annoy"?
No, says the New Jersey Supreme Court in an opinion that sharply limits the state criminal harassment statute.
Breaking News Before Local Cops Do Lands Laredo Vlogger With Felony Charges
Sharing arrest and accident info on Facebook before cops can tell "official" media is not OK, say Laredo police-and nevermind that one of their own was the source.
Conservative Snowflakes Get Protesting Nebraska Instructor Booted From Her Teaching Job
Will colleges sanction every educator with a provocative opinion?
House Republicans Push Symbolic Nonsense Abortion Bill
Congressional conservatives want to ban "discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex."
"There Is a Constitutional Right of the Public to Film the Official Activities of Police Officers in a Public Place."
So says the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Bar on Registering 'Immoral or Scandalous' Trademarks Violates First Amendment
So a Federal Circuit panel held today, answering a question that the Supreme Court's Slants case left open.
Amash, Massie, and Other Congress Members Demand Standalone Vote on Federal Surveillance Laws
Can they get past the FBI vs. Trump narrative to talk about snooping on the rest of us?
Government Is the Cause of—Not the Solution to—Online Censorship
As people worry about the net neutrality vote, public officials threaten our rights to free speech.
Prostitution Ad Ban Creeps Forward, Threatening Social Media and Sex Workers
The bill would gut Section 230 and make sex advertising a federal crime.
Rebellious Jurors Make the World a Better Place
Jury nullification has officials losing cases, changing policies, and fretting over the power of the people they often abuse.
Supreme Court Won't Decide Whether Civil Rights Act Bans Anti-LGBT Discrimination
Lower courts are split on whether sex-based protections cover orientation.
Posting or Hosting Sex Ads Could Mean 25 Years in Federal Prison Under New Republican Proposal
A related measure would open digital platforms to liability for past crimes committed by users.
Trump vs. Weigel—Shudder, Giggle, or Both?: Podcast
Also on the Reason Podcast: Is abortion a good reason to vote for Roy Moore? Did Al Franken get a raw deal? Can the feds smother bitcoin?
If Disqualified Gun Buyers Aren't Dangerous, Maybe They Shouldn't Be Disqualified
Given the arbitrariness of federal criteria for gun ownership, the public safety benefits of background checks are dubious.
The End of Free Speech
In 2017, the left eats its own and the right shows its true colors.
The FBI Is No Friend of Liberty and Justice
The FBI's handling of the Michael Flynn case is disturbing.
Atlanta Targets Good Samaritans Sharing Food with Homeless
Feed yourself in a public park. Feed the pigeons and the squirrels there, too. Whatever you do, though, don't share your food with a hungry person.
