Is the American Bar Association's Accreditation Monopoly about to End?
My latest Civitas Outlook column looks at the growing pressure on the ABA's role in law school accreditation.
Higher Education
Can Trump Yank Harvard's Remaining Federal Funding?
Trump is wielding the state against a school whose politics he doesn't like.
Seizing Harvard's Federal Funds
Plus: Nanny surveillance, Apple stock price responds to tariff threats, Boeing settlement, and more...
Harvard's Best Protection Is To Get Off the Federal Teat
It's the best shield when the executive branch tries to strong-arm private universities.
Trump's Mass Cancellation of Student Visas Illustrates the Lawlessness of His Immigration Crackdown
A federal judge blocks the administration's "Student Criminal Alien Initiative," which targeted foreign students who had no criminal records.
Reason Nominated for 17 Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominees include stories on inflation breaking brains, America's first drug war, Afghans the U.S. left behind, Javier Milei, and much more.
Court Orders Release of Tufts Foreign Student Detained For Her Speech
The ruling is a victory for the proposition that the First Amendment applies to immigration and visa restrictions.
Who's More Liberal, Law Professors or Their Students?
An interesting new study on the ideological concordance between law faculty and law students.
Steven Pinker: Can Harvard Be Saved?
The Harvard psychologist discusses recent gains for free speech at Harvard, growing political and ideological threats to academic freedom, and the importance of shared knowledge in sustaining truth and progress.
Why Is There a Federal Education Department?
Despite the fearmongering from teachers unions, it's largely useless.
Cato/FIRE Amicus Brief Against Speech-Based Deportations of Foreign Students
The brief gives a good explanation of why such actions violate the First Amendment.
Rumeysa Ozturk's Op-Ed Is Still the Only Public Justification for Her Arrest
"It is unthinkable that a person in a free society could be snatched from the street, imprisoned, and threatened with deportation for expressing an opinion the government dislikes," says FIRE.
AI Bots in California Steal Over $10 Million in Federal Financial Aid
A scam that uses AI to “enroll” in community colleges to pocket student aid has skyrocketed in the Golden State and across the nation.
Trump Administration Restores Thousands of Terminated Foreign Student Visa Records
Earlier this month, 4,700 foreign students were at risk of detainment after ICE inexplicably terminated their visa records.
Trump Administration To Restart Collections on Defaulted Student Loans
"Student and parent borrowers—not taxpayers—must repay their student loans," reads a press release from the Education Department.
Harvard University Should Emulate Hillsdale College and Cut Ties With the Government
To remain independent, institutions of higher education should end their reliance on taxpayer money.
Trump's Actions Contradict His Avowed Commitment to First Amendment Rights
The president has launched a multifaceted crusade against speech that offends him.
Here Is Why Harvard Argues That Trump's Funding Freeze Violates the First Amendment
The administration's demands extend far beyond its avowed concern about antisemitism and enforcement of "civil rights laws."
Harvard Sues Trump Admin
Plus: Democrats visit El Salvador, Taiwan invasion possibilities, Hayek on rule of law, and more...
A Survey Suggests Most Americans Are Not Keen on Trump's Speech-Based Deportation Initiative
Just a quarter of respondents said they favored deporting students for "expressing pro-Palestine views."
Trump Threatens Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status
Apparently freezing $2 billion in federal funding wasn't enough.
Over Eighty Universities File Amicus Brief in Case Challenging Trump's Speech-Based Deportations of Non-citizen Students
It's a good step. But the schools should also file their own lawsuit challenging this awful policy.
A Ruling Against Mahmoud Khalil Highlights Marco Rubio's Vast Power To Deport People for Their Opinions
An immigration judge's decision reinforces the constitutional argument against the law that the secretary of state is invoking.
How Obama and Biden Paved the Way for Trump's Attacks on Universities
"Universities were bending over for federal funds long before Trump," writes Laura Kipnis.
Brown University Targets Student Journalist for Emailing Administrators
Brown is violating its code of conduct, which guarantees community members’ right to petition the university.
Defending Student Deportations, Marco Rubio Equates Writing an Anti-Israel Op-Ed With Starting a Riot
The detention of Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk illustrates the startling breadth of the authority the secretary of state is invoking.
Universities Should Challenge Trump's Speech-Based Deportations of Students in Court [Updated]
A lawsuit brought by universities could potentially be much more effective than leaving individual students to fend for themselves.
Texas A&M's Drag Ban Shows the Threat to Campus Free Speech Is Bipartisan
Conservatives are picking up the unconstitutional weapons that intolerant progressives have deployed against them.
Did Trump Just Abolish the Department of Education?
While he can't get rid of the department outright, a new executive order attempts the next best thing.
Is This the Beginning of the End for the Department of Education?
The department laid off over 1,300 employees this week.
A Nevada Math Professor Who Was Disciplined for Criticizing Curriculum Changes Will Get His Day in Court
The 9th Circuit revived a First Amendment lawsuit by Lars Jensen, who says his community college punished him for complaining about dumbed-down courses.
The Israel-Hamas Conflict Convinced College Adminstrators To Turn Away From Politics, New Report Shows
Just eight colleges had official neutrality policies before the attack. By the end of 2024, it was almost 150.
Education Department Clarifies Anti-DEI Guidance
The department insists its directive will not suppress First Amendment rights.
How To Get Rid of a Tenured Professor
"Officially, it was a voluntary departure. But I sure felt like I'd been pushed out."
This UVA Law Student Was Threatened With Expulsion for Sitting Outside With Protest Signs
Kirk Wolff set out to peacefully protest Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Then an administrator and a police officer drove by.
Education Department Orders Schools To Stop All Racial Discrimination
The letter mostly builds on existing civil rights law.
Will Trump Try To Shut Down the Department of Education?
While Trump can't dissolve the department by executive action, getting rid of it through legislation is still a good idea.
The University of Tennessee Nearly Expelled a Student for Racy Tweets, Now Agrees To Pay Her $250,000
The settlement vindicates Kimberly Diei's First Amendment right to comment on sexually explicit rap songs without suffering government retaliation.
Test-Optional Admissions Hurt Poor Kids
A new working paper from Dartmouth College researchers provides more evidence that ditching the SAT hurts disadvantaged college applicants.
Biden Makes Last-Ditch Pass at Interfering in College Sports
Even if the Trump administration quickly undoes it, it’s a precedent for future administrations.
Legal Education Has Lost Its Way
Millions of Americans are denied legal representation, and law schools are churning out lawyers who can’t meet society’s needs. It’s time for a two-track system.
