Civil Liberties
Arizona House Passes a Bill That Would Force Children To Say the Pledge of Allegiance
"The current law is that parents have a right to direct the education of their child,'' said the bill's sponsor. "And this is a parents' rights state.''
No, Vivek Ramaswamy, 'Political Expression' Shouldn't Be a 'Civil Right'
There can be no freedom of association without the freedom to disassociate from views you find erroneous, dangerous, or repulsive.
Ron DeSantis Wants To Rewrite Defamation Law
"The bill is an aggressive and blatantly unconstitutional attempt to rewrite defamation law in a manner that protects the powerful from criticism by journalists and the public," said one attorney.
Kat Rosenfield: Why It's Important for Novelists To Speak Freely
The mystery writer and cultural critic is an outspoken defender of free thinking and cultural appropriation.
Colorado Is the Latest State To Consider Rent Control
Plus: The U.S. Supreme Court considers another internet free speech case, the Department of Transportation pushes expensive new rail regs, and more...
Lou Dobbs Is the Main Obstacle to Fox's Defamation Defense
The Fox Business host stood out as a champion of the baroque conspiracy theory that implicated Dominion Voting Systems in election fraud.
Did Biden Just Commit America to Another Forever War in Ukraine?
Plus: the editors field a listener question on intellectual property.
Nostr and the Decentralized Future of Social Media Is Here: Live with NVK, Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion of the decentralized protocol Nostr with NVK, Damus app creator Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller.
Save Roald Dahl Books From the Dreaded Sensitivity Readers
Let Augustus Gloop be fat.
Prosecutor Drops Firearm Enhancement Against Alec Baldwin
After a tragic on-set accident, a district attorney used a law passed after the incident to threaten Baldwin with years in jail.
S. Ct. Denies Review of Eighth Circuit En Banc Case Upholding Arkansas "Anti-BDS" Statute
The statute required no-boycott-of-Israel terms in Arkansas government contracts; the Eighth Circuit had held that the law doesn't violate the First Amendment.
In Syria and Turkey, Helping Earthquake Victims Is a Crime
Politicians in Syria, Turkey, and the United States are getting in the way of relief efforts.
During Surprise Trip to Kyiv, Biden Promises Endless Support for Ukraine War
Plus: The National Endowment for Democracy ends funding of conservative media blacklist, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear major internet free speech case, and more...
Private Gun Carriers' Self-Defense Against Public Shooters
The El Paso incident from a few days ago, the FBI 2021 statistics, and more.
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
The Militant Pacifists of World War II
War by Other Means tells the story of those conscientious objectors who did not cooperate with the government's alternative-service schemes.
Right of Access to Court Records Applies Even Absent Any Current "Substantial Public Interest in This Case"
"[P]ublic access is designed not only to allow the press and the public to follow high-profile cases, but also to permit ongoing and future access. Law students or legal scholars review case files for law review articles, attorneys review past cases when similar litigation arises, and litigation may be a source of information for policy-makers considering, for example, safety regulations or for journalists reporting more broadly on either the courts or the subject matter of particular litigation."
Public University Committee Members' Names Aren't Protected by the Right of Expressive Association
The University of Washington thus wasn't barred by the First Amendment from disclosing such names in response to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals public records request.
Rupert Murdoch Called Trump's Stolen-Election Fantasy 'Really Crazy Stuff.' Fox News Promoted It Anyway.
Hosts and producers privately called Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's claims "complete bs," "insane," and "unbelievably offensive."
The SEC Is Starting a Massive Database of Every Stock Trade
Brokers will have to report every trade and the trader’s personal information.
Private College Coaches' Flexibility to Eject Team Members Based on Condemnation by Teammates
"Coaches must generally consider a variety of factors—both objective and subjective—in managing a team, and these factors include concerns about distractions, team cohesion, and morale."
Plaintiffs "Played Spanish Music at Home"; Neighbors "Complained to the Police"; Tort Litigation Ensued
No success for the plaintiffs, at least at this stage.
District Court Halts New York Law Forcing Online Platforms To 'Respond' to 'Hateful' Speech
"Today's decision is a victory for the First Amendment that should be celebrated by everyone who hopes to see the internet continue as a place where even difficult and contentious issues can be debated and discussed freely," said one attorney.
Josh Hawley's Social Media Ban Will Make Kids More Depressed
When COVID-19 and the U.S. government stopped kids from seeing each other, social media was their lifeline.
FTC Commissioner Resigns To Protest Agency's 'Disregard for the Rule of Law'
Chair Lina Khan has flouted the rule of law and due process, Commissioner Christine Wilson wrote.
Prof. Cynthia Estlund (NYU) in the Journal of Free Speech Law on "Can Employees Have Free Speech Rights …
... Without Due Process Rights (in the Private Sector Workplace)?"
Section 230 and the Curse of Politics
Gonzalez v. Google presents the Supreme Court’s first opportunity to weigh in on Section 230.
Lawmakers Use Kid Safety as Excuse To Violate Adults' Rights
Plus: New York "hate speech" law is likely unconstitutional, FTC Commissioner quits because of chair Lina Khan's antics, and more...
Facial Recognition Comes to a TSA Checkpoint Near You
The government is refining its ability to track your movements with little discussion.
The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
No First Amendment Protection for 12 Cypress Trees,
when plaintiff's "connection to his trees [was] rooted in a vague and indeterminate concept of spirituality, quantum physics, and cosmic mechanics."
Happy Trails: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Won't Run for Reelection
The longest-serving California senator was a hardline drug warrior, a surveillance hawk, and no friend of freedom.
An Alabama Man Was Taken to Jail. Two Weeks Later, He Was Dead From Hypothermia.
Tony Mitchell's death was a "direct and proximate result" of jail officers' "deliberate indifference or malice, and of their ongoing denial of Tony's constitutional rights under a scheme that continued to operate after his death," his family's suit states.
The Feds Are Buying Their Way Around the 4th Amendment
Government agencies have paid to access huge amounts of Americans' data.
U.S. State Department Funds a Disinformation Index That Warns Advertisers To Avoid Reason
Reason is listed among the "ten riskiest online news outlets" by a government-funded disinfo tracker.
