Government Watchdog Calls Out Dangers in Section 702 Surveillance
A divided board recommends reforms as Congress debates renewing snooping authority.
Civil Liberties
Sixth Circuit Reverses Preliminary Injunctions Against TN & KY Laws Restricting Gender Dysphoria Treatments for Minors (Updated)
After a divided ruling, laws limiting such treatments in Tennessee and Kentucky will go into force.
Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Whether there is a "Legislative" Exception to the Takings Clause
The case will consider whether the government is exempt from takings liability for imposing exactions as a condition of development rights in situations where the exaction is imposed by legislation. Unlike many Supreme Court cases, this one can be resolved very easily by applying a basic principle of constitutional law.
Supreme Court Will Consider Cases Challenging Florida and Texas Social Media Laws
The laws require major social media platforms to host content they disapprove of for substantive reasons.
Supreme Court Will Review Fifth Circuit Ruling that Creates a Catch-22 for Takings Claims Against State Governments
The badly flawed lower court ruling defies the Supreme Court's landmark 2019 decision forbidding such Catch-22 traps, and threatens the property rights of large numbers of people.
On Guns, Drugs, and National Security, Dianne Feinstein Was Consistently Authoritarian
The late California senator always seemed to err on the side of more government power and less individual freedom.
Government Employee / Political Candidate's Advertising Gun Raffle for Election Campaign May Be Protected by the First Amendment
"Defendants' argument, which attempts to draw an ill-defined connection between a lawful gun raffle hosted on social media, and obviously tragic and unlawful mass shootings at schools, remains predicated upon numerous, dubious inferences ...—if not upon rank speculation."
"Odd," "Unnerv[ing]," "Disturbing," Comments, Post, and Letter to Politician Weren't "True Threats"
"[E]ccentricity and being off-putting is not a criminal offense," even when the speaker mentions the listener's children and other personal details.
Florida Is Giving Foster Children Powerful Psychotropic Drugs Without Proper Records, Audit Finds
More than 1 in 3 Florida foster kids over 13 is taking psychotropic medications, but the state often doesn't follow rules requiring it to keep records of prescriptions.
Tony Timpa Wrongful Death Trial Ends With 2 Out of 3 Cops Getting Qualified Immunity
The trial—and, in some sense, Timpa's life—was about transparency.
Federal Judge Rules Texas Anti-Drag Law Violates the First Amendment
The judge ruled that the law was unconstitutionally overbroad, vague, and viewpoint discrimination.
India's Alleged Assassination of a Dissident in Canada Highlights Repression Across Borders
No place is truly safe for dissidents when governments see no limits to their authority.
Arbitrary Restrictions Explain Why Trump Was Not Allowed To Buy That Glock
Before correcting the record, the former president's spokesman inadvertently implicated him in a federal crime.
Washington State Prison System Sued for Using Unreliable Drug Tests To Put Inmates in Solitary
Reason reported in 2021 how prisons use cheap field kits to test mail for contraband—and use the faulty, unconfirmed results to severely punish inmates.
Fifth Circuit Panel Reconsidering Part of Its Missouri v. Biden Decision
[UPDATE: Don't blog when tired or in a hurry! I regret to say the original post erroneously said the Fifth Circuit granted rehearing en banc -- the panel just granted panel rehearing, and I've corrected the post accordingly. My apologies for the error.]
Foreigners: When You File in U.S. Courts, You Should Expect U.S. Rules of Public Access to Your Filings
"Plaintiff states that he was not aware that his complaint would be made public, and he suggests that, under Korean law, the personal information of litigants is not made public." But "[w]hether or not he intended to do so, by initiating this action in a United States District Court, Plaintiff has made his name a matter of public record."
Court Refuses to Dismiss Lawsuit Stemming from Parent's Speech About COVID Policies
The parent's comments at a school board meeting led to a "no trespass notice" that blocked him from school district premises (apparently including his children's school).
California's 10-Round Magazine Limit Is Unconstitutional, a Federal Judge Rules (Again)
"There is no American tradition of limiting ammunition capacity," U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez says, calling the state's cap "arbitrary," "capricious," and "extreme."
When the Left and Right Came Together To Applaud Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
A Republican, a Communist, and a Catholic conservative walk onto a movie set...
Houston Police Arrested an Animal Rights Protester and Detained Him for 16 Hours, Lawsuit Says
Daraius Dubash was arrested for peacefully protesting in a public park.
Federal Judge Declines To Stop Drag Show Ban at Texas College
The judge ruled that drag performances are not inherently expressive and that schools could regulate "vulgar and lewd" conduct.
Bahrain's Dictatorship Gets More Biden Administration Help
The U.S.-Bahraini security pact is the first step towards a future U.S.-Saudi “mega-deal.” Critics say it violates the U.S. Constitution and aids torturers.
Trump's Abortion Triangulation Makes Political Sense but Belies His 'Pro-Life' Pose
The former president is right to worry that supporting restrictions on abortion could hurt him in the general election.
Zelenskyy Goes To Washington
Plus: Rupert Murdoch retires, Ibram X. Kendi blew through millions of dollars, and more…
No, Court Won't Order Removal of Online Copies of the Decision in Your Online Case, Even if
you argue that you're losing job opportunities because employers see that decision.
A Former Twitter Executive's Highly Selective Concern About 'Coercive Influences' on Social Media
Yoel Roth worries about government meddling in content moderation, except when Democrats target "misinformation."
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's Unconstitutional Gun Edict Was a Huge, Bipartisan Flop
The governor's attempt to rule by decree provoked widespread condemnation instead of the applause she was expecting.
Prosecutor Linda Fairstein's Libel Lawsuit Over Netflix "Central Park Five" Series ("When They See Us") Can Go Forward
"There is evidence that, by opting to portray Fairstein as the series villain who was intended to embody the perceived injustices of a broader system, defendants reverse-engineered plot points to attribute actions, responsibilities and viewpoints to Fairstein that were not hers and are unsupported in defendants' substantial body of research materials."
Police Threaten To Arrest 11-Year-Old Victim of Child Porn
"Doesn't matter," says the officer. "She's still making porn."
Ashland Professor Allegedly Ousted for Allowing 'Too Much Investigative Journalism'
After the student paper pressed university officials for interviews, its faculty adviser got into trouble.
Federal Judge Blocks California Online Age-Checking Law as Unconstitutional
Shielding children from “harm” shouldn’t come at the expense of speech protected by the First Amendment.
University's Denying Fellowship to Student Isn't "Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress"
And the case in which the student made such a claim can't be sealed, either.
