Civil Liberties
Autopsy Shines Light on Death of Child Taken by Arizona's Child Welfare Agency
He was hospitalized multiple times for diabetes while in state custody.
S. Ct. Will Decide: When May Politicians Selectively Block Public Comments on Their Social Media Pages?
The question turns on whether the politician's web page is seen as the politician's own speech as a citizen, or as a government page.
How an Ill-Informed Internet Mob Ruined a UVA Student's Life
Morgan Bettinger was accused on social media of telling protesters they would make good "speed bumps." It was more than a year before investigations cleared her.
U.S. Government Borrows Russian Tactic To Muzzle Pro-Russian Critics
The Department of Justice emulates the Kremlin in smearing government critics as foreign agents.
Josie Duffy Rice Investigates Gruesome State Violence at an Alabama 'Reform School'
Her podcast Unreformed: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children delves into abuse at a state-run institution.
Debate: To Preserve Individual Liberty, Government Must Affirmatively Intervene in the Culture War
What happens when anti-liberty zealots get the same powers?
Supreme Court Stays Lower Court Ruling That Limited Access to Abortion Pill
Mifepristone will remain on the market for now with no changes to how it can be prescribed.
Brittney Griner's Russian Imprisonment Outraged the Country. So Should Vladimir Kara-Murza's.
The journalist and dissident, who was sentenced to 25 years in a penal colony for criticizing the Russian government, has not received the same attention.
Oklahoma Says Richard Glossip Was Denied a Fair Trial. An Appeals Court Still Won't Overturn His Conviction.
"While I respect the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion, I am not willing to allow an execution to proceed despite so many doubts," said Oklahoma's attorney general.
If You Want Fewer Shootings, Ask Politicians To Back Off
It took years to break our society; we’ll be a long time making repairs.
Review: Endangered Documentary Exaggerates Threats to U.S. Journalists
The HBO movie muddies important distinctions.
Democrats Threaten Matt Taibbi With Jail Time Over Twitter Files Testimony
Weaponization of the federal government, indeed
College Debate Team Comes Out Against Debate
James Madison University's debate team says that "free speech should not extend to requiring us to platform or amplify ideas that are exclusionary, discriminatory, or hostile."
The Fox/Dominion Settlement Highlights the Importance of Discovery in Proving 'Actual Malice'
Critics argue that excessively strict pleading standards prevent plaintiffs with meritorious defamation claims from obtaining the evidence they need to support them.
Professional Duty to Warn Clients About Risk of Reputational Harm from Filing Lawsuit?
"Plaintiff was not informed by his legal counsel prior to filing suit of the potential for immediate disclosure of his name if his Motion to Proceed Under Pseudonym was denied."
Parents' Lawsuit Against School Social Worker Can Go Forward
The social worker had reported the parents for educational neglect; the parents argue this was knowingly false, because the social worker knew the parents "were in compliance with their statutory obligation to educate their child" by home schooling.
Death of 'Cop City' Protester Ruled a Homicide
Plus: The EARN IT Act is back (again), SCOTUS postpones abortion pill decision until Friday, and more...
Georgia Jail Officials Resign After Inmate Found Dead and Covered With Insects
"They put that man in that cell, left him there to die," said an attorney for the man's family. "And that's exactly what happened."
Florida Bans Most Public School Instruction on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
What happened to the claim that this was just about protecting young children?
The Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Shows That Mike Lee Is Wrong About Defamation
The 1964 Supreme Court decision New York Times Co. v. Sullivan makes it more difficult for public figures to prove defamation—but as we saw this week, not impossible.
No First Amendment Violation in Requiring Law Student to Meet with "Behavior Intervention Team" Related to …
allegedly "threaten[ing] ... administrators, ma[king] female instructors and students uncomfortable, and show[ing] signs of 'disjointed' thinking."
Supreme Court Decides to Hear Important Asset Forfeiture Procedural Property Rights Case
The Court will determine whether the Due Process Clause prevents the government from using asset forfeiture to seize property and hold it for many months without a timely hearing.
Elon Musk Warns Tucker Carlson: The Feds Are in Your Twitter DMs
The feds invoke national security to take away more of your rights and pretend they're keeping you safe.
Daniel Akst: The World War II Pacifists Who Changed America Forever
"Christian libertarians" Bayard Rustin and David Dellinger challenged state power and ended up leading the civil rights movement and anti-Vietnam War protests.
The Fox-Dominion Settlement Isn't a Good Argument for Cable News Speech Restrictions
Plus: Graphic novels at forefront of library culture wars, monopoly myths, and more...
FDA Head Wants 'Better Regulation' of What Government Considers Misinformation
Officials who often get it wrong can’t be trusted to reliably decree what’s true.
Cornell's President Defends Free Speech Against Illiberal Impulses
Martha Pollack rejects the pernicious premise that universities should protect students from offensive ideas.
In a $788 Million Defamation Settlement, Fox News Admits That It Spread False Claims About Election Fraud
"The truth matters," says Dominion Voting Systems, and "lies have consequences."
"40 Officers of China's National Police Charged in Transnational Repression Schemes Targeting U.S. Residents"
"Defendants accused of creating fake social media accounts to harass PRC dissidents, and working with employees of a U.S. telecommunications company to remove dissidents from company's platform."
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.
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...
