Gun Rights, Gun Control Advocates React to Texas Shooting
Politicians, activists rehash calls for increased security, regulation of guns.
Civil Liberties
Georgetown Students Host Community Dialogue on Racism, Ask White Allies Not to Attend
"For the safety of students of color"
Fight Hate Speech with More Speech, Not Censorship: ACLU's Nadine Strossen
Nick Gillespie talks to former president of the ACLU Nadine Strossen about the difficulties and importance of free speech.
Boulder Legislators Spray-Fire From the Hip at 'Assault Weapons'
The city council's unanimous support for the new ban does not make up for its lack of logic and legality.
Google Now Deindexing Some Web Pages Based on FDA's Administrative Agency Findings
A new Google policy calls for such deindexing based on administrative agency findings-without a court order-in cases where the agency is "charged with protecting consumers' physical safety from harm by products or services that they consume."
Canadian City Leaders Declare Anarchy Symbol to Be Hate Speech
When government has the power to censor, ultimately it will look for excuses to suppress opposition.
CNN's Mary Katharine Ham Loves Waffle House, Isn't So Sure About Twitter: Podcast
A conversation about social media, privacy, and the public-private, left-right free speech fight
Extra Twist in the Arkansas Prior Restraint Case
"A northwest Arkansas judge who ordered that attack ads critical of Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson be taken off the air this week reported receiving [over $12,500 of] income, through his wife, from the law firm of Goodson's husband."
Which Businesses (or Which Filter Manufacturers) Are Blocking Our Blog?
A customer reports that he was blocked from accessing us at a Nordstrom coffee shop; have you had similar experiences?
Feminist Group Demands Spotify's New 'Hate Content' Policy Be Applied to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem
The company's new policy is already giving it problems.
California Cities Are Free to Regulate Gun Stores Out of Existence
More Second Amendment setbacks in the Golden State when the Supreme Court declines to take a case about city zoning
Arkansas Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order Against Allegedly Libelous Political Ad
The ad criticizes Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson; the TRO that she just got today is almost certainly an unconstitutional prior restraint.
Civilians with Guns Intervening in Active Shooter Incidents -- the 2016 and 2017 Data
Data from the FBI's Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2016 and 2017 report; legal civilian gun carriers tried to intervene in 6 out of 50 incidents, and apparently succeeded in 3 or 4 of them.
Cops Have No Idea If Hate Crime Laws Stop Hate Crimes
..and other things I learned when I spoke at a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights briefing.
SCOTUS Says Non-Authorized Rental Car Drivers Do Not Automatically Forfeit Their Fourth Amendment Rights
Fourth Amendment advocates score a limited victory in Byrd v. U.S.
Spotify Partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center to Purge 'Hate Content' from Its Music
A well-intentioned new policy threatens the violent, angry music we know and love.
'Assault Weapons,' Explained
How a scary name for an arbitrary group of firearms distorts the gun control debate
Libel and Antimatter
"[Defendant's] posts inspired viewers' comments, which read like a nerd's version of a fist fight." More substantively, "In this context, and considering the cutting-edge nature of [plaintiff's] research into antimatter's theoretical applications [which defendant was sharply criticizing], a reasonable reader would expect zealous debate."
Let's Not Blame Tech Tools if This Sheriff Illegally Violated People's Privacy
Government, not private companies, is supposed to provide oversight over police behavior.
2 New Court Decisions Are Quietly Eliminating Californians' Second Amendment Rights
Golden State gun owners may soon be an endangered species, and no one is talking about why.
Man Protests Police Department's Violation of Speech Rights, So Cops Arrest Him
Stamford, Connecticut, police chief objects to salty language on a sign. That's not a crime.
From Washington to Wisconsin, States Are Punishing Dissent
Faced with the possibility of fines or legal battles, many will choose not to speak at all.
'Working Washington' Calls for Prosecution of Amazon.com—for Amazon's Use of Ordinary Political Tactics
According to the group's theory, a vast range of political hardball is a crime.
Legal Group Sues University of Michigan Over Speech Code, Bias Response Team
"A bias response system has no place in America."
The Battle of Ideas Turns Coercive
Too many people (and governments) want to shut down and punish speech they disagree with.
"Gynecology … Is Obviously Far Removed from Music"
So concludes the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board, in rejecting rapper Dr. Dre's trademark claim against OB/GYN -- and OB/GYN-related writer and lecturer -- Draion M. Burch, who calls himself Dr. Drai.
Man Forbidden from Identifying Twitter Shaming Activist, Court Order Seems to Say
A First Amendment violation, I think, notwithstanding the court's concern about the anonymous Tweeter's privacy.
Europe's New Data Privacy Rules Will Make Facebook and Google More Powerful
The EU's GDPR should serve as a cautionary tale for Americans eager to reign in tech titans
Is the NRA Too Republican to Effectively Advocate for Gun Rights?
Self-defense rights need to be a cause in themselves, not just a totem of political tribal identity.
A Male Professor Told a Female Professor a Stupid Joke. Now He Faces Disciplinary Charges.
"A horrifying and chilling example of political correctness."
When Do Changes to a Web Page Restart the Statute of Limitations?
The New Jersey Supreme Court answers.
Reporting on Lawsuit—but Not Mentioning It Was Settled—Is Not Libelous
So the New Jersey Supreme Court held this morning, in Petro-Lubricant Testing Laboratories, Inc. v. Adelman.
"Freedom of the Press" as the Equal Freedom of All to Using Printing Press Technology, from the 1820s to 1930
"Freedom of the press," as I've argued in earlier posts, was understood as protecting the freedom of all to use the printing press -- not just a freedom of the profession or industry that we might call "the press."
Trump Talks a Good Game to the NRA. His Policies Tell a Different Story.
When it comes to the Second Amendment, the president is all talk.
Chicago Mayor Pushes for Police Drone Surveillance of Public Gatherings
Rahm Emanuel wants to do the thing that critics of drone surveillance fear most.
Gun Control Activists Target Newspaper for Advertising a Gun Show
The outrage at a Florida newspaper reveals a deep antipathy toward all forms of gun ownership.
Students Across the Country Walk Out of School in Defense of Gun Rights
Students who support the Second Amendment "feel that they're being misrepresented by the media," says protest organizer Will Riley.
Conservatives Are Weeping Over the Plight of Britain's Baby Alfie. But Where Are Their Tears For Border Families Being Torn Apart by the Trump Administration?
Does their commitment to family values stop at the Rio Grande's edge?
'Freedom of the Press' and Non-Professional-Media Speakers: Why It Matters
Some judges in recent have years have reasoned that non-professional-media speakers have lesser First Amendment rights.
