Senators Propose Limits on Police Use of Facial Recognition
Some privacy activists say the bill still falls short.
Law enforcement
Trump and Comey Are United Against Encrypted Communications
Don’t worry—America’s ruling factions still disagree over who should be in charge of the snooping.
Victims or Criminals? Cops Can't Decide When It Comes to Teens Selling Sex
Plus: trade vote today, woman sues DEA for seizing cash belonging to her dad with dementia, and more...
Super Bowl Sex-Trafficking Myths Return
And they're just as wrong and dangerous this time around.
Andrew Yang Is Wrong About Prostitution
The Democratic presidential candidate wants to keep prostitution customers criminalized while "decriminalizing sex work on the part of the seller."
Ashley Judd and Seth Meyers Say They Want to Help Sex Workers. They Could Start by Shutting Up.
Plus: climate change defamation suit can proceed, trade deal inches forward, and more…
California's Restrictive Gun Laws Still Can't Prevent Shootings
Instead of reducing the dangers posed by criminals, California's gun restrictions have increased the threat posed to decent people by the law itself.
Woman Charged With Texting Boyfriend to Death Actually Pleaded With Him Not To Kill Himself
She also frantically tried to find him, and she alerted his family once she knew where he was.
Biker Gang Leader's DIY Guns Are Part of a Predictable Prohibition Story
From Australia to Massachusetts, illegal gun makers step in to supply what legal markets aren’t allowed to produce.
Kamala Harris' Skin Color Is Not Why Her Presidential Bid Is Tanking
Blame her censorious and authoritarian approach to public policy instead.
As Times Change, the FBI's Snoopy and Heavy-Handed Ways Continue
The bureau has a long history of escaping accountability for intrusive and abusive action.
Federal Court Rules there is no Taking if the Police Destroy an Innocent Person's House During a Law Enforcement Operation
The ruling has considerable backing from precedent. But it is nonetheless based on a deeply flawed doctrine.
Student Charged With Manslaughter for Texting Boyfriend to 'Go Die'
The 21-year-old faces criminal punishment for text messages to her suicidal boyfriend.
Relying on Petty Fines To Fund City Government Can Have Serious Consequences
"Taxation by citation" harms the harmless and destroys trust in civic institutions.
'This Is a Culture War': Sex Work Decriminalization Bill in D.C. Draws 14 Hours of Passionate Public Testimony
From morning till past midnight, supporters and opponents of a bill to decriminalize prostitution offered starkly different visions of safety and rights.
States Are Easing Arbitrary Licensing Barriers to Work for People With Criminal Records
This year, Mississippi and North Carolina both ditched a vague "good moral character" clause that kept occupational licensing out of reach for people with criminal records.
Students Build Virtual Reality Massage Parlor for Cops
You know, to "fight human trafficking."
Why Are More Americans Than Ever Getting Busted?
Arrests for petty crimes, like underage drinking, protect nobody and do long-term damage to people’s lives.
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
When Governments Act on Fear and Panic, Injustice Is Often the Result
It's necessary to confront the threat of white nationalism on the political right, but it must be done without handing new powers to law enforcement and government.
Is Your Hometown Balancing Its Budget by Fining Everybody It Can? Here's How To Find Out.
Governing puts together a database of cities and towns addicted to money from fines and forfeitures.
Prosecution of Unauthorized Abortion Pill Websites Begins
Ursula Wing sold abortion drugs to U.S. customers and is now charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
FBI Rebrands National Sex Sting as 'Operation Independence Day'
The operation is still arresting sex workers and calling it a rescue mission.
Cops Still Love Their Armored Vehicles
Remember concerns about militarized policing? It’s still a big threat to civil liberties and to relations between Americans and law enforcement.
No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
Only three states require police to obtain a warrant before requesting private user data from companies.
Acts of Politically Motivated Violence Are Already Illegal. Making 'Domestic Terrorism' a Federal Crime Won't Help
A domestic terrorism law is bound to threaten liberty more than it hampers terrorists.
Selling Drugs to Sex Workers Could Be Human Trafficking Under the Senate's New 'PROTECT Act'
The bipartisan bill says "using drugs or illegal substances to cause a person to engage in a commercial sex act" or in any kind of labor counts as human trafficking.
If Bill Barr Brings Back Federal Executions, Innocent People Will Die
We need to leave ourselves room for making good when we inevitably convict the wrong people.
Kamala Harris Says Trump Advocacy for A$AP Rocky 'Needs to End'
Plus: Section 230 saves Facebook from Russian trolls, Trump vetoes Saudi arms bill, and more...
Ted Cruz Wants Antifa Investigated by the FBI
This is a bad idea—and even the director of the FBI says so.
Nashville Neighbors Send ICE Packing. Let's See More of That for All Sorts of Law Enforcement.
It's not always safe, but it's certainly justifiable to sabotage unjust laws and malicious government.
Trump—Who Once Said Jeffrey Epstein 'Likes Beautiful Women as Much as I Do'—Moves to Distance Himself From the Disgraced Palm Beach Billionaire
Plus: Gabbard slams Harris' "political ploy," a fair use win for Vanity Fair and Andy Warhol, Hawaii decriminalizes marijuana, and more…
California Lawmakers Pass Bill Limiting Police Use of Deadly Force
Officers will now have to argue that killing was necessary and not just say they had a fear they were in danger.
Jeffrey Epstein in Court Today on Sex Trafficking Charges
Plus: How the French could kill U.S. speech, do economic centrists exist?, and more...
Do You Feel Safer Knowing the FBI Has Access To 640 Million (!) Headshots?
Don't worry, a spokesman tells Congress, the agency has "strict policies" for using facial recognition technology.
Colorado's Growing Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement
What happens when cities and counties have their own ideas about a law that authorizes the seizure of guns from people who are mentally ill?
Texas Poised To Ban All Red Light Cameras
The oft-abused tool is used more to raise revenue than to protect public safety.
Former Backpage.com Heads Say Pimping Charges Motivated by Politics, Not Facts
"Make no mistake; Kamala Harris has won all that she was looking to win when she had us arrested."
Internet Freedom Suffers in Passage of Senate Human Trafficking Bill
Senators sneak through SAVE Act as amendment, creating criminal liability for classified-ad sites.
