Treasury Backs Down on Biden-Era Cryptocurrency Surveillance Proposal
It’s a small victory for financial privacy against escalating surveillance.
Civil Liberties
Trump's 'Free Speech Agenda: Siccing the FBI on Critics, Barring Reporters, and Threatening Broadcasters
GOP's new mantra: "Free speech for me, but not for thee."
Russian Plague, Superintelligence, and Tucker Carlson
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi weigh in on the Russian plague, whether superintelligence is sentient, and Tucker Carlson's shaky grasp of history.
I'm Italian American, but I Don't Celebrate Columbus Day
The holiday brings out many of the worst excesses of identity politics.
The Pentagon Is Eating Silicon Valley
An influx of military spending has been moving tech companies away from serving consumers and back toward chasing government contracts.
A Missouri School District Censored a Parent's Negative Facebook Emoji Because It Was 'Upsetting'
Annie Palmer was banned from the district's Facebook page for expressing her displeasure at the hiring of a new elementary school principal.
New York Is Fining Amish Schools Over Vaccines, So the Amish Are Asking the Supreme Court for Help
After $118,000 in fines for allowing unvaccinated students to attend Amish schools, the plaintiffs are pursuing a case that could reshape how the courts protect religious exercise.
How Drones Went From Tools of the Powerful to Weapons of the Masses
Two very different sorts of drone warfare
Alito's 'Practical Originalism' Doesn't Sound Very Originalist
The conservative justice seems to favor the kind of results-oriented judging that originalists are supposed to oppose.
FCC Has 'Our Head on the Guillotine,' Disney Tells Federal Judge
Disney asked a federal court to end the FCC's investigation of its ABC broadcast licenses, which it has called "pretextual" and "retaliatory."
Judge Says Warrantless Flock Search Violated Driver's Fourth Amendment Rights
The automated license plate reader system is “a type of indiscriminate mass surveillance," says a federal judge.
Federal Court Slaps Down Utah's VPN Restrictions
A judge blocked a rule that would have required adult sites to block VPNs or age-check the world.
Trump Keeps Contradicting the 'National Security' Rationale for Banishing Disfavored Journalists
Attorney General Todd Blanche, who complains that CNN's coverage is "almost 100 percent negative towards the president," also has trouble keeping the story straight.
'I Never Lie': Audio Recordings Raise New Questions About Cornell 7 Allegations
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss updates in the Cornell 7 scandal.
The SEC Is Watching American Investors' Trades. That's a Privacy Nightmare.
The SEC should not keep a searchable record of Americans’ lawful trades, much less make them pay for it.
Justice Alito on Originalism
His recent Wall Street Journal column on this subject makes some interesting points, but raises more questions than answers.
Are the Cornell 7 Being Tried on Social Media?
Plus: Tennessee botches the execution of Christa Pike, and Sam Altman says the benefits of AI are worth the risks.
A SCOTUS Petition Argues That Pot Growers, Like Pot Smokers, Cannot Be Categorically Disarmed
The case involves a federal law that criminalizes gun possession by people convicted of nonviolent felonies.
Whistleblower Frances Haugen Trashes Facebook's Flawed Fact-Checkers
Frances Haugen, the woman whose Facebook revelations inspired The Social Reckoning, argues that the real danger of social media isn’t bad speech—it’s the way the platforms are designed.
A Visit to a Gun Store Shouldn't Put You on a Government List
Gun registry bans might not be enough to protect gun owners from lists built from license-plate data.
Can Nebraska's Dan Osborn Win Over Libertarians?
Dan Osborn discusses breaking with both parties, opposing the Iran war, and how he plans to win over Trump voters.
School Board Member's Objection to No-Indigenous-School-Team-Logos Claim Can Proceed
as a First Amendment claim, though only as to his own right to wear "Wantagh Warriors"-related gear at games and school functions.
Police Allegedly Destroyed $37,000 of Legal Hemp. Georgia's Supreme Court Just Upended 60 Years of Precedent.
The ruling has major implications for property owners when the government ruins their possessions in the exercise of "police power."
The Millennial Internet Is Dead, and Politicians Killed It.
Social media use is declining, and what's left has shifted from conversation to passive scrolling.
Minneapolis Activists Used Encrypted Group Chats To Outmaneuver ICE. Now the Feds Want To Prosecute Them.
"I think courts are going to be very suspicious of how broad this is," one Minnesota lawyer tells Reason.
Rand Paul Was Right To Block the Senate's Attempt To Censor the Internet
The bill’s “duty of care” could pressure platforms to suppress lawful speech in the name of protecting children.
Would a Firing Squad Have Been More 'Humane' for Christa Pike?
Lethal injection dresses up the death penalty as something clinical and civilized. But the goal is the same: to kill someone.
Trump Criticizes Fox News for Daring To Show Clips of Democrats
The president sees even straight news coverage as an act of betrayal.
Letitia James Has Already Suggested the Cornell 7 Are Guilty
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed a special prosecutor who has already implied that she sides with Jane Doe.
Salman Rushdie Attempted Murder Case: Court Upholds Jury Verdict …
finding defendant was acting under direction of Hezbollah.
Women Are Better Armed Than Ever
The technology of self-defense is more widely distributed than in the past.
Cornell Lawsuit, Data After Dark, Botched Execution
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the Cornell rape lawsuit, D.C.'s pro–data center party, an attempted hijacking, and Tennessee's failed attempt at capital punishment
Woman Who Served ~20 Years for Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter Can't Get Conviction Sealed and Anonymized
Julie Herrnkind, argued that she should proceed anonymously to avoid "suffer[ing] further mental harm."
Judge Preliminarily Blesses $1.5 Million Settlement for Victims of a Tiny Town's 'Policing for Profit'
Financially motivated traffic enforcement produced a huge surge in revenue for Brookside, Alabama, where "fines and forfeitures" accounted for half the city's income in 2020.
ICE Deletes Reports Flagging Medical Neglect in Detention Center Deaths
The reports found medical care that "deviated beyond safe limits" in dozens of cases where ICE detainees died in custody.
Border Agents Nabbed Their Phones. These Two Floridians Are Fighting Back.
A former assistant state attorney and an immigrant rights activist both had their phones seized, despite having attorney-client privilege. They're suing to protect their data.
Cops Used AI Surveillance To Detain an Innocent Texas Driver. His Lawsuit Just Got the Program Struck Down.
AI-powered license plate readers flagged an abnormal driving pattern. Then officers made up reasons to pull him over and interrogated him, and they faked a K-9 alert to justify a nonconsensual search.
You Can Now Sue Federal Agents in California. Good Luck Getting Past Qualified Immunity.
Californians can now sue federal officers for civil rights violations, but cops can still claim qualified immunity as a bona fide defense for official misconduct.
Your Right to Privacy Doesn't Disappear When You're in Public
Defenders of Flock-style surveillance systems argue that people “have no reasonable expectation of privacy in public.” They're wrong.
Miami Beach Can't Dodge First Amendment Lawsuit After Police Questioned Woman Over Anti-Israel Facebook Post
Miami Beach detectives questioned Raquel Pacheco at her house over her pro-Palestine Facebook comments. A judge ruled several key claims in her First Amendment lawsuit against the city can proceed.
Journalist's Publishing Information About Sealed Arrest Protected by First Amendment
Tech CEO who sued over the publication had to pay about $400K in defendants' attorney fees as a result of the trial court's throwing out the lawsuit, and the Court of Appeal just affirmed the decision.
NFL Player's Penis Size Is a 'Matter of Legitimate Public Concern,' Says Court
That means his ex-wife can talk about it on a podcast if she wants to. But you probably shouldn’t follow suit.
