White Male Discrimination Is the FBI's AI Data Center
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back to break down another unhinged week in the news.
Civil Liberties
UW Professor's Parody of Land Acknowledgment in Class Syllabus Protected by First Amendment
"[I]n the public university setting, student disagreement with a professor's academic speech on an issue of public concern cannot alter the Pickering analysis in the government's favor."
Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom
The self-made tycoon was convicted this week of violating Hong Kong's "national security" law. But he could have escaped it.
Trump's Designation of Fentanyl As a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction' Is a Drug-Fueled Delusion
The executive order does not accomplish much in practical terms, but it jibes with the president's conflation of drug trafficking with violent aggression.
He's Serving 5 Years in Prison for Bitcoin Privacy Software
Keonne Rodriguez explains why he built a bitcoin privacy tool, discusses the federal charges that sent him to prison this week, and warns that his case could redefine the legal boundaries of financial privacy.
This Tennessee Man Spent 37 Days in Jail for Sharing an Anti-Trump Meme. He Says the Cops Should Pay for That.
Larry Bushart's lawyers argue that his arrest for constitutionally protected speech violated the First and Fourth amendments.
The Trump Administration Is Abusing a Law To Threaten ICE Protesters. The Cases Are Falling Apart.
The administration doesn't want to win these cases. It wants to intimidate Americans who oppose its immigration policies.
Brennan Center Symposium on "2025's Most Significant State Constitutional Cases"
Contributors include Eugene Volokh and myself, among many others.
18-Month Sentence for Anti-Asian/Anti-Gay Threats Sent by Montana State Univ. Chinese Culture Club President
(Not the Chinese Boy George.)
Yes, the First Amendment Applies to Non-Citizens Present in the United States
A conservative federal judge questions the reach of free speech.
Guan Heng Exposed China's Uyghur Camps. ICE Wants To Deport Him.
U.S. immigration authorities should not do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Hegseth Won't Let Us See a Video That Might Undermine Support for Trump's Bloodthirsty Anti-Drug Strategy
The defense secretary claims the video, which shows a second strike that killed two floundering survivors, would compromise "sources and methods."
Governments Are Pushing Digital IDs. Are You Ready To Be Tracked?
Proponents say such IDs will make life easier and protect kids from dangerous content. But opponents worry they will make you much easier to target.
Porn Sites Must Block VPNs To Comply With Indiana's Age-Verification Law, State Suggests in New Lawsuit
It's an insane—and frighteningly dystopian—interpretation of the law.
Did the Internet Break Our Sense of Reality?
Katherine Dee examines how living online reshapes attention and behavior and makes the case for a more grounded, realistic way of using digital tools.
These Congressmen Want To Give You the Right To Sue Federal Law Enforcement for Violating Your Rights
The proposed bills aim to revive and codify a 1971 Supreme Court ruling that allowed individuals to sue the feds for Fourth Amendment violations.
Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
Reason's Robby Soave and Elizabeth Nolan Brown go head to head with Emily Jashinsky and Ryan Grim from Breaking Points in a thought-provoking debate about Big Tech.
Bondi Beach Shows Why Self-Defense Is a Vital Right
Individuals and communities must take responsibility for their own safety.
A Texas News Vlogger Asks SCOTUS To Decide Whether Criminalizing Journalism Is 'Obviously Unconstitutional'
This is Priscilla Villarreal’s second trip to the Supreme Court, which last year revived her First Amendment lawsuit.
Mother's Telling Children She Thinks Thor Actor Chris Hemworth Is Their "Spiritual Father" Didn't Preclude Award of Custody to Her
"There was also evidence presented regarding Liza's alleged delusional thinking and hallucinations. Eli testified that Liza told him Kenneth was his physical father, but actor Chris Hemsworth was his spiritual father. Eli also testified that for years Liza had talked about having another daughter someday, whom she would name Phoebe, and Hemsworth would be the father. Brigham testified that Liza told him she believed Hemsworth was the children's father." Plus unschooling, unbathing, and more.
ISIS Gunmen
Plus: Universal child care polls well, DEI and generational dynamics, and more...
When Originalism Undermines Trump
From birthright citizenship to tariffs, many of the president’s key policies run counter to the Constitution’s original meaning.
Shootings at Bondi and Brown
Plus: Chile elects a right-winger, Jimmy Lai gets convicted, midair collision narrowly averted, and more...
Felon's Living with Family Members Who He Knows Own Guns Doesn't Itself Show "Possession" Under State Ban on Felons Possessing Guns
So concludes the Louisiana Supreme Court, though my sense is that other courts may well have decided this differently.
Penn State Basketball Player vs. Head Coach Defamation Lawsuit Can Go Forward (but Not as to the Disrespectful "Bro")
"[The coach's alleged statement] can reasonably be inferred as ... defamatory ... about Clary—that Clary himself was greedy and only interested in money and, as a result, abandoned [his] team and refused to play for Penn State."
Court Refuses to Block Medical Journal's Retraction of COVID Vaccine Study That Had ~150K Views
The court concluded that a retraction likely wouldn't breach any publication contract, and that under the circumstances a temporary restraining order would be especially unjustified given the publisher's First Amendment rights.
Americans Need More and Better 'Third Places.' User Fees Can Help.
As traditional gathering places disappear, market-based funding could expand parks, courts, and other spaces that help people reconnect without raising taxes.
Nepal's Socialist Government Banned Social Media, So Activists Plotted a Revolution—on Discord.
The country's transition leader was selected not at the ballot box but on a 100,000-person Discord chat.
The Feds' 'Worst of the Worst' Database Is Stuffed With Nonviolent Offenders. Who Exactly Is ICE Arresting?
Most ICE arrestees are nonviolent or have no criminal convictions at all.
Netflix and Paramount Will Fight for Trump's Favor
Which is what progressive fans of antitrust want, no?
CBP Agents Held This U.S. Citizen for Hours Until He Agreed To Let Them Search His Electronic Devices
A federal lawsuit argues that the agency's policy of perusing travelers' personal data without a warrant or probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment.
Trump Administration Claims That Spending $140 Million on Jets for Deportations Will Save Money
But the real goal is to speed up removals, despite ongoing due process violations.
Want To Vacation In America? Trump Wants To See Your Social Media Posts First.
The move is bad for free speech and bad for American businesses that depend on tourism.
The DOJ Says It Will Challenge Unconstitutional Gun Policies. Maybe It Should Stop Defending Them.
The Justice Department's litigation positions are at odds with its avowed intent to protect Second Amendment rights.
Massachusetts Church's 'ICE Was Here' Nativity Scene Is Protected Speech, Even if ICE Doesn't Like It
Rev. Stephen Josoma of St. Susanna Parish defended the message against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
How Foreign Governments Police U.S. Speech
Sarah McLaughlin reveals how foreign governments pressure American universities through speech codes and satellite campuses, and examines the broader threat international authoritarianism poses to free expression.
Survey: 91 Percent of College Students Think 'Words Can Be Violence.' That Could Feed Real Violence.
But there's a silver lining—sort of.
