Civil Liberties
"Litigation Often Takes a Toll on a Party's Mental Health on Both Sides of the 'v'"
"But the mental-health effects of litigation are, in a sense, the cost of doing business."
Police Department in South Carolina Says It Has 'Zero Tolerance for Hate Speech'
A free speech organization sent a letter to the police department last week, calling its anti–hate speech post unconstitutional.
Texas Man Arrested After Ranting About Age Verification Laws Blocking His Anime
Did he make a true threat? Or was this just hyperbolic ranting about bad policy?
Federal Court Refuses to Dismiss Case Against Southern Poverty Law Center
The court rejects the argument that the prosecution should be dismissed on the grounds that it's "vindictive."
In Post-Soviet Georgia, a Fledgling Libertarian Movement Faces an Increasingly Authoritarian State
As leader of the “Girchi—More Freedom” party, Zurab Japaridze spent 7 months jailed as a political prisoner. He’s prepared to spend much longer there if he has to.
ICE Spent $525 Million on Surveillance Tech. Some of It Is Infringing on Americans' Freedom of Speech.
New details emerge regarding the Trump administration's surveillance dragnet cracking down on its online critics.
North Carolina Citizen Files Damages Claim After Border Patrol Arrested Him, Then Left Him on the Roadside
A viral video showed immigration officers uncuffing Fernando Vasquez and then dumping his papers onto the ground before driving off.
Twin Falls Shooting Underlines the Need for Taking Self-Defense Seriously
Armed people at the scene of the crime fired on the attacker and drove him away.
A Major 'Online Safety' Bill Cleared a Senate Committee. More Crackdowns on Internet Freedom Could Be Coming.
The Senate Commerce committee advanced four bills related to online and AI safety in the name of protecting children.
A Federal Judge Rejects National Firearms Act Regulations, Saying Their Tax Rationale No Longer Applies
When Congress eliminated taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns, it also eliminated the constitutional justification for regulating them.
Hawaii's End Run Around Citizens United Faces a First Amendment Roadblock
A new Hawaii law reclassifies corporate political speech as a "power" the state can revoke at will.
Reality Show Participant's #Scandoval Sex Videos Aren't of "Public Interest" for California Anti-SLAPP Law Purposes
Dissent: "We judges can write all we want, but this public voted with its eyeballs."
Why James Madison Wanted Greater Limits on States' Rights
The “father of the Constitution” worried about federal and state overreach.
Senators Want To Claw Back Trump's Spending Power. They Should Just Pass a Real Budget Instead.
The Senate’s funding bill stops the Trump administration from handing political appointees control over federal grants, but Congress isn’t eager to rein in spending.
Minnesota's Nudification Ban Could Punish People Over Parodies and Stripped-Down Selfies. Elon Musk's xAI Is Suing.
The law is written so broadly it could punish services that let you fake an image of yourself in a swimsuit.
VDARE's Libel Case Against N.Y. Times Thrown Out
UPDATE: Though this opinion was handed down just two weeks ago, it turns out to be a slightly revised version of an opinion from July 2022; my apologies for not noticing this at the outset.
Roanoke Removes Gunshot Detectors Months After Approving Them
Limited evidence of effectiveness combined with privacy concerns raises questions about the sensors.
Dropped Cases Against Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandals Followed a Rush to Judgment
Trump still seems to think the question of individual guilt or innocence is irrelevant.
No Liability for Parents Over Their Son's Surreptitiously Recording Sex Acts in Their Home
"Suing individuals because they have a homeowner's insurance policy or are collectible defendants is not a proper purpose for a lawsuit."
Oklahoma Anti-Stalking Law Bars Certain Unwanted Speech to Target, not Speech About Target
Oklahoma's highest criminal court reverses a 3-year sentence for "posting a video rant about [defendant's] ex-wife."
Why Does Trump Want To Give Millions of Dollars to Right-Wing Europeans?
Trump opposes foreign influence in American politics, but his State Department is offering millions of dollars to promote Western identity and opposition to “mass migration” abroad.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
What Iranian Dissidents Can Learn About Regime Change From the Mistakes of 1979
A regretful rebel talks about what he learned from his participation in Iran’s Islamic revolution.
A New Jersey News Outlet Asks the Courts To Stop a Judge's Censorship
The judge concluded that a high school student's privacy interests trumped freedom of the press.