Reporter Detained in Russia Faces Arduous Path to Freedom
Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last month on espionage charges. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in a penal colony.
Civil Liberties
Will Ohio Kill The Death Penalty?
Recent efforts from the governor, the attorney general, and state legislators suggest the state is moving away from capital punishment.
Graphic Novels Bear Brunt of New Library Wars Over Access to Books
One of America's richest art forms suffers for seeming realer than other literature. But the war against "graphic imagery" is really a war against certain truths.
Supreme Court Weighs Whether Postal Service Can Force Christian Employee To Work on Sundays
Plus: Dominion defamation suit against Fox News starts today, Republicans' debt plan, and more...
Meet Jane Doe [UPDATED]
[UPDATE: It turns out that the Maryland intermediate appellate court reached the opposite result for the same plaintiff; post bumped up so readers can see the update, which is available in the second half of this post.].]
Court Rejects Defendant's Request to Seal 9-Year-Old Libel Case
"By maintaining access to these records, the Court promotes the public's interest 'in ascertaining what evidence and records the District Court ... relied upon in reaching [its] decision,' and the Court provides 'the public with a more complete understanding of the judicial system, including a better perception of its fairness.'"
No Constitutional Right To Honk Your Car Horn, Court Says
Plus: DeSantis does better than Trump in swing-state poll, majority say abortion pill should remain available, and more...
Feds See the Document Leak as an Opportunity for Surveillance and Control
Never underestimate officials’ ability to turn embarrassing moments into awful opportunities.
Cornell Vows Free Expression–Themed Academic Year
"It is critical to our mission as a university to think deeply about freedom of expression and the challenges that result from assaults on it," said Cornell President Martha E. Pollack.
Fox News Starts Its Dominion Defamation Trial With Several Strikes Against It
Pretrial rulings recognized the falsity of the election-fraud claims that the outlet aired and rejected three of its defenses.
Texas' Foster Care System Is Grossly Mismanaged
"These things are just so inexcusable," a judge said. "It's hard to understand."
Ian Vásquez: COVID Accelerated the Global Decline in Human Freedom
Overall human freedom peaked in 2007, according to the Cato Institute, and governments' COVID response merely exacerbated the trend toward a radically less-free planet.
U.S. Intelligence Leak Suspect Identified as 21-Year-Old Jack Teixeira
Plus: More secrecy from the Global Disinformation Index, the public awaits another big Supreme Court abortion decision, and more...
When Are Slurs and Vulgarities Defamation?
The Mississippi Court of Appeals splits 5-4 on the subject.
Video of My Federalist Society "Seat at the Sitting" Talk on Tyler v. Hennepin County
My presentation covers an important takings case currently before the Supreme Court.
The Good and Bad of the Fifth Circuit's Abortion Pill Ruling
The appeals court's unpublished order avoids some of the district court's errors, but still has some significant problems, especially with regard to standing.
The Unprecedented Judicial Move in the Texas Abortion Pill Decision
It’s not the FDA’s job to tell doctors what to do.
Patient Privacy at Risk in Senate Bill Aimed at Pharmacy Managers
Prosecutors could end up with a trove of patient-level data regarding highly personal drugs like Viagra, abortion pills, and more.
Leaker of Ukraine Intelligence Was Reportedly a Gun Enthusiast Trying To Impress His Discord Friends
Plus: New developments in the Texas abortion drug ruling, fallout from the Riley Gaines event at SFSU, and more...
Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi: Who Owns Libertarianism?
The authors of The Individualists talk Rand, Friedman, Hayek, Rothbard, and the "struggle for the soul" of the libertarian movement.
New York City Brings Back Dystopian Robot Police Dogs
'Digidog is out of the pound," New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared, not ominously.
Lawsuit Claims Portland Police Shot Unarmed Homeless Man, Then Ate Pizza While His Body Lay on the Ground
Robert Delgado's family is now seeking damages.
Spat Among Tennessee Lawmakers Illustrates a National Urban-Rural Divide
Decentralizing power is better than trying to jam one vision down the throats of the unwilling.
The Media and Politicians Keep Trying To Censor Things That Turn Out To Be True
The COVID-19 lab leak theory was labeled "misinformation." Now it's the most plausible explanation.
AR rifle ammunition is less powerful than most other rifle ammunition
Bullet speed matters, but so does bullet weight
Another Federal Judge Rejects the DOJ's Argument That Cannabis Consumers Have No Second Amendment Rights
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone was unimpressed by the Biden administration's argument that marijuana users are too "dangerous" to own guns.
Satan Clubs Should Be Allowed in Schools
“After School Satan Clubs” cause no direct harm—they merely challenge the relationship between religious institutions and public schools.
Make Americans Debate Again
Intelligence Squared U.S. has a new name and ambitions to host presidential debates.
Abortion, Guns, Trump, and the New Era of Shout-Down Politics
Plus: The editors respond to a listener question concerning corporate personhood.
Dueling Decisions Leave Abortion Pill's Fate Uncertain
The divergent orders from judges in Washington state and Texas may bring the battle over mifepristone to the Supreme Court.
Elon Musk Throttles Substack, Clashing With Twitter Files' Matt Taibbi
Plus: Dueling court decisions on an abortion drug, an update from Riley Gaines, and more...
Two (Wrong) Mifepristone Court Rulings in One Day
On Good Friday, two district courts issued decisions on the FDA's approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.
Taylor Lorenz, Peter Van Valkenburgh: Why Banning TikTok Is Stupid and Unwarranted
The bipartisan RESTRICT Act is an infringement on a host of civil and economic rights that will strangle free speech and cryptocurrencies.
Riley Gaines Says She Was Attacked by Trans Activist Students at SFSU
The college swimmer was reportedly forced to barricade herself in a room for three hours.
Cornell University President's and Provost's Statement Rejecting Student Assembly Call for Trigger Warning Mandate
The call was for trigger warnings for "any traumatic content that may be discussed, including but not limited to: sexual assault, domestic violence, self-harm, suicide, child abuse, racial hate crimes, transphobic violence, homophobic harassment, xenophobia."
5 Years After the Backpage Shutdown, Sex Workers—and Free Speech—Are Still Suffering
As former Backpage execs await their August trial, the shutdown is still worsening the lives it was supposed to improve.
The Abortion Debate Is Messy. Two Lawsuits Against the FDA May Make It Worse.
Litigation over abortion drugs turns disagreements about individual rights into a bureaucratic tussle.
Idaho Takes Aim at Interstate Travel for Abortion. Health Care Providers Are Suing.
Plus: Australia's failed news media bargaining code, two ways government created an Adderall shortage, and more...
