Civil Liberties
Mom's Manslaughter Conviction for Her Son's School Shooting Sets a Dangerous Precedent
In some sense, the case seemed to hinge on what prosecutors wished the law said, not on what it actually says.
San Francisco Police Spent 193 Hours Over 3 Months Watching Private Surveillance Footage
The surveillance yielded 49 arrests, of which 42 were for possession or sale of narcotics.
Trump's Terrible, Popular Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if it should become the norm for all news outlets to require journalists to disclose their voting records.
Jennifer Crumbley Case Hinges On Whether She 'Willfully' Ignored Her Son's Inclination To Commit Mass Murder
Michigan jurors are considering whether Crumbley's carelessness amounted to involuntary manslaughter.
Houston Faces First Amendment Lawsuit for Cracking Down on Feeding the Homeless
Food Not Bombs activists argue that feeding the needy is core political speech, and that they don't need the city's permission to do it.
Millionaire Mars Missions
Plus: Republicans are trying to expand a tax deduction they once wanted to cap, a "shocking" and "stunning" January jobs report, and street blocking protestors in D.C.
He Was Arrested for Making a Joke on Facebook. A Jury Just Awarded Him $205,000 in Damages.
The verdict vindicates the constitutional rights that Louisiana sheriff's deputies flagrantly violated when they hauled Waylon Bailey off to jail.
NSA Purchases Internet Metadata To Spy on You Without a Warrant
A new letter from Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.) reveals that the agency admitted the practice nearly three years ago but would not allow him to reveal it.
Biden Reportedly Is Planning To Unilaterally Mandate Background Checks for All Gun Sales
A watchdog group cites ATF "whistleblowers" who describe a proposed policy that would be plainly inconsistent with federal law.
Mark Zuckerberg Is Not a Murderer, Mr. Senator
Republicans and Democrats are using emotional manipulation to push an agenda of censorship.
Disney Can't Prove DeSantis Retaliated Against It, Federal Judge Rules
Disney has vowed to appeal the ruling.
ACLU Sues Ronald McDonald House for Refusing To House People Convicted of Assault
The ACLU's lawsuit is filed on behalf of a New York man whose application to stay in a Ronald McDonald House was denied because of his 12-year-old felony assault conviction.
Students for Justice in Palestine at Univ. of Florida Denied Preliminary Injunction,
given that the University rejected the Chancellor of the Board of Governors' call for the SJP chapter to be deactivated.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
Controversial Surveillance Law Up for Renewal (Again) in April
Congress gave FISA’s Section 702 a brief lease on life, but civil liberties concerns haven’t gone away.
The 5th Circuit Says Criminalizing Journalism Is Not Obviously Unconstitutional
The appeals court dismissed a civil rights lawsuit by a Laredo gadfly who was arrested for asking questions.
Javier Milei vs. Big Labor
Milei's swift action intended to transform Argentina's floundering economy provoked the country's biggest labor union to call tens of thousands to protest in Buenos Aires against his libertarian agenda.
She Was Arrested for Her Journalism. A Federal Court Says She Can't Sue.
Priscilla Villarreal, also known as "Lagordiloca," has sparked a debate about free speech and who, exactly, is a journalist.
Public Has Right to Access Sex Offender Litigants' Identities,
at least under Washington law; the litigants had unsuccessfully sued to challenge disclosure of their sex offender records until the Washington Public Records Act.
Even Canada Thinks the Nanny State Has Gone Too Far on Outlawing Fun
A new white paper from the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends more unstructured play time for kids.
Utah Would Rather Repeal Social Media Age Check Law Than Defend It In Court
Laws like Utah's would require anyone using social media to prove their age through methods such as submitting biometric data or a government-issued ID.
The 'No Compromise' NRA Is Neither New nor Uncompromising
The book Vote Gun criticizes the NRA’s rhetoric but pays little attention to gun control advocates' views.
A Constitutionally Dubious California Bill Would Ban Possession of AI-Generated Child Pornography
The proposal seems to conflict with a Supreme Court ruling against laws that criminalize mere possession of obscene material.
No, Blocking Traffic Is Not Protected by the First Amendment
The freedom to protest is essential to the American project. It also does not give you carte blanche to violate other laws.
"College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech."
An excellent piece in the N.Y. Times Magazine by Prof. Stephen Carter (Yale Law).
Crackdown on Freedom Convoy Violated Canadians' Rights, Says Court
Opponents of pandemic restrictions had their day in court and won a victory for open dissent.
Review: Exposing a Broken Juvenile Court System
Kids were jailed for minor offenses, as detailed in The Kids of Rutherford County podcast.
Princeton Allegedly Told Student Journalist Not to Write About Activist Who Got "No Contact" Order Against Journalist
“The safest course of action in terms of a possible violation of the NCO would be to refrain from writing or to be interviewed for articles that mention the name of the student with whom you have an NCO (or to retract them if that’s possible).”
5 Years After a Deadly Drug Raid, Houston's Former Police Chief Might Finally Be Held Accountable
Since leaving Houston, Art Acevedo has bounced from job to job, continuing a spotty career marred by scandal.
Amazon's Ring Will Stop Giving Police Your Doorbell Footage Without a Warrant
While not perfect, the move is a step in the right direction for civil liberties.
Family Court Ordered Grandmother, Who Had Custody of Child, Not to Testify Against Father at His Parole Hearing
The N.H. Supreme Court reversed the order.
Tennessee Says Residents Can't Vote If They Have Lost Their Gun Rights
People who were disenfranchised based on felony convictions face a new obstacle to recovering their voting rights.
