Minnesota Star Tribune Seeking to Unseal Rep. Keith Ellison's Divorce Records
A conservative publication had already filed such a motion; Ellison is the candidate for Minnesota Attorney General, and Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Civil Liberties
Twitter Implementing European-Style Hate Speech Bans
Will it stop toxic behavior or just encourage more demands for censorship?
Protesters End Ted Cruz's Dinner Early, Accomplish Little Else
They got plenty of attention, but that's about it.
Lion King Puppet Technician Arrested Over 3D-Printed Pistol at Theater
Ilya Vett claims he was making the gun as a "gift" for his brother. But he was still arrested and charged with attempted criminal possession of a firearm.
Google and Privatized Authoritarianism
The tech giant appears willing to do almost anything to win access to the vast Chinese market.
Would More Gun Control Lead to More Crime? A Debate
Criminologist Gary Kleck debated Paul Helmke, the former president and CEO of the Brady Center, at the Soho Forum.
House to Vote on 'Human Trafficking' Bill That Strengthens PATRIOT Act Spying
The PATRIOT Act fell out of fashion-but swap "human trafficker" for "terrorist" and let the civil liberties infringements roll!
From a 'Due Process' Perspective, the Brett Kavanaugh Hearing Will Be a Farce
"If this were a legal proceeding, many (if not all) of the members of the [Senate Judiciary Committee] would have to recuse themselves."
Debate: Corporate Data Collection Poses a Threat to Personal Freedom
There are lots of reasons to be concerned about government snooping, but how should we feel when private companies do it?
A Father Defends His Daughter with a Shotgun When Cops Break Into the Wrong House
"You got the wrong address. Don't shoot my daughter."
Criminal Libel Prosecution -- Under a Statute Struck Down 30 Years Before
A woman's case against the defendants who arranged the prosecution (a police department captain, who was her ex-husband and the target of her speech, and his friend who was a police investigator) can go forward.
Faisal Al Mutar Fights Radical Islam with Western Bestsellers
The head of Ideas Beyond Borders is translating books by Steven Pinker, Sam Harris, and others into Arabic and distributing them for free.
Birth Mother Ordered Not to Post Photo of Deceased Adopted Child
When she did post such a photo, she was arrested and prosecuted -- a remarkable case from two years ago, which I just learned about.
Government Boycotts Based on Companies' (and Their Employees') Speech
More on their unconstitutionality.
No, Government Boycotts of Nike Aren't Constitutional
The government may not discriminate against businesses because of the political views the business (or its spokesman) has expressed.
2 Hours in Jail for Cop Who Killed Botham Jean. 2 Nights for People Protesting His Death.
The protesters may have broken the law, but two nights behind bars is a bit much.
Twitter Should Punish Marco Rubio for Doxing a Miami Steakhouse Owner
Inviting followers to harass this man violates the platform's terms of service.
Will World War III Be Fought by Robots?
What happens when autonomous machines have "to choose between various shades of wrong?" A Q&A with defense analyst Paul Scharre.
Newly Released Eric Holder Memo: Feds Can Use FISA to Spy on Journalists
And the guidelines for spying on journalists may be even looser under Trump.
Brett Kavanaugh Fans Try to Attack His Accuser, Go After the Wrong Christine Ford
The perils of poorly sourced stories
"The Schoolhouse Gate": The Unpopularity of Free Speech in Public Schools
The Supreme Court's decision in Tinker is viewed as the high-water mark for students' First Amendment rights, but Justice Black's strident dissent-not the majority-spoke for most Americans at the time.
E.U. Passes Censorship-Inducing Online Copyright Regulations
Online platforms will be subjected to a costly, easily-abused system that will likely pull down legal content.
In Constitution Day Speech, Betsy DeVos Says 'Government Muscle' Is Not the Answer to the Campus Free Speech Problem
"Solutions won't come from new laws from Washington, D.C., or from a speech police at the U.S. Department of Education."
Underground Entrepreneur Uses Library to Smuggle Guns to Canada
His enterprising operation illustrates the valuable role porous borders play in undermining restrictive laws.
Debate: Bakers Should Not Be Forced To Produce Cakes for Same-Sex Weddings
How should we feel about conscience-based discrimination?
Britain Turns Offensive Speech Into a Police Matter
The nation that gave the world John Milton and his cry for the "liberty to utter" is now at the forefront of shutting speech down.
Tiny Texas Town Officially Condemns Kneeling During the Anthem, Attacks Senate Candidate Beto O'Rourke
The controversy might be two years old, but that didn't stop the Reno City Council from weighing in.
Pot Is No More Relevant to the Shooting of Philando Castile Than It Is to the Shooting of Botham Jean
An NRA spokesperson correctly says marijuana is not "germane" to Jean's death but keeps bringing it up when discussing Castile's.
Snowden Validated: European Court Says the Mass Surveillance He Exposed Violates Privacy Rights
Since his whistleblowing, the United Kingdom has granted itself even more power to snoop on citizens.
Flashy Storefront Gun Ads Are Protected by the First Amendment, Says California Judge
Sen. Kamala Harris tried to limit the storefront speech of firearms sellers as California attorney general.
Brett Kavanaugh Calls Carpenter v. United States a 'Game Changer' on 4th Amendment Law
The Supreme Court nominee talks warrantless government surveillance with Sen. Patrick Leahy.
Louisiana Voters May Dump Rule Allowing Convictions Without Unanimous Verdicts
End of a Jim Crow-era law a potential win for jury nullification.
Hillary Clinton Spreads Fake News, Suggests Brett Kavanaugh Will Ban Birth Control
Clinton runs with a Kamala Harris whopper that's already been debunked.
British Lawmaker Wants to Ban Your Private Facebook Groups Because She Worries You're Using Hate Speech
Bill also calls for holding forum moderators legally liable for extreme speech.
Libertarian Lucy Brenton Polling at 8 Percent in Toss-up Indiana Senate Race
This time the Libertarian Party seems to be hurting the Democrat, who's trying to run out the clock on confirming Brett Kavanaugh.
Pot Prohibition Makes Self-Defense Illegal
The case against Krissy Noble shows how drug and gun laws conspire to deprive people of a fundamental right.
California Ban on Handgun Ads at Gun Stores Violates First Amendment
So a federal judge just held.
ThinkProgress Accuses Facebook of Censorship After Conservative Factchecker Correctly Points Out an Error
"Brett Kavanaugh said he would kill Roe v. Wade last week." Except he didn't.
Democrats Created a Birth-Control Banning Bogeyman Out of Brett Kavanaugh. Called Out, Kamala Harris Doubled Down
Harris and other Democrats distorted Kavanaugh's comments on birth control to portray him as a religious extremist.
Then-Candidate Trump's Speech at Rally Wasn't Constitutionally Unprotected "Incitement" of Violence Against Protesters
So a Sixth Circuit panel just held, and it also concluded that the statements weren't actionable under Kentucky law.
