Civil Liberties
PragerU's Lawsuit Against Google Seeks To Rewrite the First Amendment
It flies in the face of precedent.
Neal Stephenson Wants To Tell Big Stories
An economist and a science fiction author discuss cryogenics, mythology, philanthropy, fragmentation, and simulation.
He Went for a Big Gulp; "He Ended up Shooting 2 Robbers, Killing 1"
"'There’s definitely an emotional cost to this,' he said. 'But I didn’t get the choice of leaving. I didn’t know what they were going to do.'"
"Harm to Reputation Is Insufficient to Overcome the Strong Presumption in Favor of Public Access …"
"... , especially where, as here, the party who filed the suit alleges harm from the public availability of the record."
Federal Court Rules State Judges Cannot Profit From Fines and Fees Imposed on Defendants in the Cases Before Them
If the court that hears the cases stands to profit from the fines paid by defendants, that's a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. The rulings have potential implications for other, similar conflicts of interest in the criminal justice system.
New Orleans Magistrates Get a Cut of Fines and Bail Money, and That's a Problem
Two federal court rulings cite a significant conflict of interest.
Pro-Democracy Activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow Arrested in Hong Kong
"Hong Kong is a place without basic political and economic freedom," Wong tells Reason.
New Hampshire Woman Can Keep Her 'PB4WEGO' Vanity Plate
The state attempted to recall the vanity plate on the grounds that it referenced "excretory acts or functions."
Free Speech Defenders Warn Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez That She Is Violating the Constitution by Blocking Critics on Twitter
The same First Amendment principles that apply to the president also apply to the congresswoman.
"A Narrative Summary Describing How the … Taxpayer … Shares California's Values with Regard to Women's Reproductive Rights"
That's what a California bill (passed 76-0 by Assembly and 6-0 and 5-2 by Senate committees) would ask film tax credit seekers to provide in their tax credit application.
Feds Kick Incoming Harvard Freshman Out of the Country Because of His Friend's Social Media Posts
Authorities questioned Ismael Ajjawi for eight hours at Logan Airport. Then they revoked his student visa.
No Sealing of Business Details "Directly Relevant to the Heart of [a Civil] Case"
"If the Court sealed the disputed materials, it would essentially conceal the very mechanism that REA used to perpetuate the scheme, leaving the public with little more than the judgment itself to establish the existence of the scheme."
Planned Parenthood Succeeds in Getting Missouri's 8-Week Abortion Ban Blocked, but Rule Against Race- or Sex-Selective Abortion Remains in Place
Plus: North Carolina sues eight more e-cig companies, Tulsi Gabbard fails to meet debate threshold, and more...
No Qualified Immunity for Kim Davis
Government officials fail to follow Supreme Court decisions at their own risk.
OK for Restaurant to Eject City Councilman Whose Political Positions "Had Financially Harmed" the Restaurant
California public accommodations law has been read as banning discrimination based on "political affiliation," but the court concluded that this didn't apply to discrimination based on "political views" more broadly (or based on votes as an elected official).
One-Year Sentence for Forgery of Court Order, Aimed at Getting Patch.com Article Altered or Deindexed
... though the defendant's other crimes likely affected the sentence.
Atlanta Cop Gets Fired, Sent to Jail for Kicking, Choking Suspect
An outcome that's all too rare. Former police officer Matthew Johns attacked a suspect in September 2016, leaving the teen unconscious and with a severe concussion.
Bret Stephens Is Not a Bedbug. He's a Delicate Snowflake.
The New York Times columnist emailed a professor to complain about a mean tweet—and cc'ed the provost.
China's Mass Internment of Uighurs Is a 'Modern Cultural Genocide'
Activist Nury Turkel discusses the vast network of camps that may hold over a million Uighurs in western China.
Watch Dave Chappelle Eviscerate Cancel Culture
The comedian's new Netflix special deftly skewers woke scolds.
Indian Government Attempts to Remove Material from Western Sites
That material: Photoshopped pictures of PM Narendra Modi "embracing his right-hand man Rajnath Singh on an idyllic beach."
The Houston Flooding Takings Litigation Continues
The federal government continues to deny any liability for deliberately flooding thousands of homes and other property in Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Google Cracks Down on Employees' Political Speech
The unsurprising result of conservatives complaining about Big Tech bias: less speech, not more
Everybody Suddenly Realizes the Supreme Court Is About To Hear an Important LGBT Issue
It’s the Trump administration vs. civil rights groups on federal protections from workplace discrimination.
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
Professor Forced to Resign Because He Supports Antifa
By punishing Jeff Klinzman, Kirkwood Community College has dealt a blow to free speech.
Lawyer Loses Bid To Redact Opinion Labeling Him a "Copyright Troll"
But at least he wasn't labeled a "copyright orc" ....
Boycotting Big Meat Is Not the Answer to ICE Raids on Immigrant Food Processors
An open immigration policy means letting people from anywhere work for whatever amount they want.
New York's New 'Red Flag' Law Illustrates the Due Process Problems Posed by Gun Confiscation Orders
When it comes to deciding who should keep their Second Amendment rights, the deck is stacked against gun owners.
Videographers' Free Exercise Clause Objections to Having to Create Same-Sex Wedding Videos
The mysterious "hybrid rights" doctrine comes up again—but might not matter.
Court Rules Cop Who Shot Unarmed 15-Year-Old Is Protected by Qualified Immunity
The ruling once again shows the legal disgrace that is qualified immunity.
Florida Cops Arrest a 15-Year-Old Boy for Joking About Perpetrating a Mass Shooting
"Joke or not, these types of comments are felonies under the law," says the Volusia County Sheriff's Office
Threatening with a Gun vs. Shooting at Someone
There are different legal standards for the two actions, the Michigan Court of Appeals correctly concludes (in the Siwatu-Salama Ra case).
How I Was a Criminal Defendant in a N.J. Harassment Case
"Eugene Volokh told the police he refuses to leave me alone."
China Escalates Hong Kong Conflict By Detaining Consulate Staffer
Simon Cheng Man-kit, a staffer at the British Consulate in Hong Kong, hasn't returned from a trip he took to mainland China nearly two weeks ago.
Justin Amash Wants To Talk About Process and Love, but His Constituents Want To Talk About Gun Control
Facing his district for the first time since going independent, the libertarian congressman preaches legislative process and constitutional principle to an audience thirsty for gun fixes.
March For Our Lives Calls for Confiscating Guns, Investigating the NRA, and 'Reforming' the Supreme Court
The gun control group's new policy proposal is radical, intersectional, and deeply contradictory.
Michigan Court of Appeals Has Reversed the Felony Assault Convictions of a Gun Owner Who Acted in Self-Defense
A then-pregnant Siwatu-Salama Ra was sentenced to two years in prison after using an unloaded gun to protect herself, her daughter, and her mom.
OK to Oppose Sealing of Court Documents Without Local Counsel
... if you're asserting your own rights of access (which all of us have) to court records.
Beto O'Rourke Proposes Plan to Punish Tech Companies for Failing to Censor Hate Speech
The move would violate the First Amendment.
Do These 21 Mass Shootings That Did Not Happen Show the Benefits of California's 'Red Flag' Law?
Only if you assume they would have happened in the absence of gun confiscation orders.
Prosecution of Unauthorized Abortion Pill Websites Begins
Ursula Wing sold abortion drugs to U.S. customers and is now charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
"Right to Be Forgotten" as to Court Opinions Rejected …
... by a federal district court decision yesterday, in a case brought by a pro se litigant in New Jersey.
