Billy Binion is an assistant editor at Reason.
His writing has appeared in HuffPost, Washington Examiner, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Virginian-Pilot, among other publications. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
Billy Binion
Assistant Editor
Latest from Billy Binion
Cops Tased and Beat Teens While Enforcing a Local Vaping Ban
Dumb laws lead to police brutality.
The FBI Returned This Innocent Couple's Safe Deposit Box. It Refuses To Give Back Many Others—and Is Trying To Seize $85 Million in Cash.
"It makes me feel like the government is preying on the vulnerable and the weak to line their own pockets."
Indiana Said the Government Should Be Able To Take Everything You Own if You Commit a Drug Crime. The State Supreme Court Wasn't Having It.
After eight years, Tyson Timbs finally gets to keep his Land Rover—once and for all.
Over 24 Cops Raided the Wrong Address and Wrecked an Elderly Man's Home. They All Got Qualified Immunity.
There will be no justice for Onree Norris.
In a Rush To Ban Vaccine Passports, Texas Is Violating Private Property Rights
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he stands for freedom. That doesn't apply to business owners.
This Professor Shared Body Camera Footage of Cops Strip-Searching a Minor. Now, Prosecutors Want To Throw Him in Jail for It.
The move is a direct assault on the First Amendment.
She Was Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Handing Drugs to a Friend Who Overdosed. A Federal Court Wasn't Having It.
The case is a good reminder of the far-reaching effects of the war on drugs.
Baton Rouge Cops Will Not Face Disciplinary Charges for Strip-Searching a Minor in Public
The announcement comes days after an exclusive report from Reason attracted national attention to the case.
10 Cops Got Qualified Immunity After Holding a Shackled Man Facedown Until He Died
The Supreme Court will soon announce if it'll consider an appeal.
Baton Rouge Cops Strip-Searched a Minor During a Traffic Stop and Entered a Family's Home Without a Warrant. The City Just Settled for $35,000.
The case is an indictment on just how hard it is to get accountability when the government violates your rights.
A City Got Protections From Qualified Immunity After a Cop Killed a Man. SCOTUS Won't Hear the Case.
The decision will make it even more difficult for victims to hold the government accountable when their rights are violated.
A Euclid Cop Killed a Man Who Had Been Sleeping in His Car. The Cop Can't Be Sued. The City Can't Be, Either.
The Supreme Court has a chance to fix this. The stakes are high.
Congressional Democrats Waffle on Qualified Immunity
Cops say they can't function without qualified immunity, while their supporters on the right say abolishing it would be a step toward defunding the police. Neither claim is true.
Cops Who Beat a Man After Pulling Him Over for Broken Lights Receive Qualified Immunity
The victim will now have no right to argue his case before a jury in civil court.
Chicago Police Agree to Reforms After Wrong-Door Raid on a Naked Woman's Home Sparked Nearly 100 Misconduct Allegations
Some of the changes may make a difference. Others, not so much.
Ron DeSantis Will Pardon COVID Violators. Why Stop There?
There are many other people who deserve such mercy.
He Lost His Eye After a Cop Allegedly Fired a Tear Gas Canister at His Face. The Officer Says He Has Qualified Immunity.
If the officer succeeds, the victim will not be allowed to sue on those claims.
Immigrants Are Less Likely To Commit Homicide, Sex Crimes, and Larceny Than Native-Born Americans
A new study finds that both legal and undocumented immigrants are more law-abiding than native-born U.S. citizens.
Cops Wrecked a Home, Terrorized a Family, Assaulted a Man. It Was the Wrong Place.
Hernan Palma is suing after he says he was punched in the face and his family restrained by cops during a botched no-knock drug raid.
He Was Executed for Murder. New DNA Evidence Implicates Someone Else.
Ledell Lee was put to death in 2017 for a killing he likely didn't commit.
Louisiana Can't Prove This 74-Year-Old Inmate Took Drugs. They Revoked His Parole Anyway.
After spending 47 years behind bars, Bobby Sneed may die in prison for no good reason.
He Was Granted Parole After Serving 47 Years Behind Bars. Now the Prison Won't Let Him Leave.
"It feels like we've gone from tragedy to farce."
Cops Receive Qualified Immunity for Coercing a 13-Year-Old Into Confessing to a Murder He Didn't Commit
The boy was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment.
Cops Who Killed a Man While Holding Him in a Hog-Tie Position Got Qualified Immunity. The Appeals Court Wasn't Having It.
Up for debate was whether or not it was "clearly established" that officers cannot apply injurious force to a subject who isn't resisting.
Raising the Refugee Cap Should Be Just the Start of Fixing America's Inhumane Immigration Policy
The president reneged on that promise last month. People weren't happy.
The Men Accused of Killing Ahmaud Arbery Should Not Face Federal Hate Crime Charges
Charge them for their crimes, not their thoughts.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Clings to His Pedestal
"Incompetent government kills people," he said in January.
If Biden Is Serious About Criminal Justice Reform, He Needs To Get Serious About Qualified Immunity
The doctrine shields state actors from accountability.
After Thousands Die Unnecessarily, the U.S. Agrees to Let India Have Its AstraZeneca Vaccines
But only after the company jumps over more regulatory hurdles.
Tim Scott Is Proposing a Major Reform to Qualified Immunity
The GOP has resisted reining in the doctrine. That might change.
The Chauvin Verdict Is a Reminder That We Still Need To Abolish Qualified Immunity
Most victims of police misconduct never get to take their cases to court.
Cops Seize Bikes and Arrest 1 Teen Over Traffic Violations and Bike Licenses
It's yet another example of the effects of having to enforce dumb laws.
The Government Seized This Innocent Man's Car Without Due Process. SCOTUS Won't Hear the Case.
"How can an ordinary person afford to wait years after the government takes their car?"
The Return of Reefer Madness in the GOP
Certain politicians and pundits are living in a 1930s fantasy world.
Biden Called Trump's Refugee Cap 'Cruel and Shortsighted.' He's Keeping It in Place—for Now.
His explanation makes little sense.
Body Camera Footage Shows a Chicago Cop Shooting a 13-Year-Old Boy Who Had His Hands Up
Prosecutors initially suggested that the boy had a gun in his hand, but the government walked that back today.
After Promising To Stop Land Seizures, the Biden Administration Just Stole This Family's Property for a Border Wall
"We are utterly devastated," said Baudilia Cavazos.
Overcriminalization Killed Daunte Wright
A police officer pulled the trigger. But Wright shouldn't have been pulled over in the first place.
New Mexico Abolishes Qualified Immunity
It is the third state to rein in the legal doctrine that protects state actors from accountability for misconduct.
The U.S. Economy Got Great News Today
We don't need Biden's 21st century 'New Deal' to rebound.
Scandinavia Understands the Value of Low Corporate Taxes. Why Doesn't Joe Biden?
The president's proposed tax hike would fall on workers. This isn't a controversial point.
Police Officers Brutally Beat an Undercover Cop During the St. Louis Protests. A Jury Declined To Hold Them Accountable.
Luther Hall was assaulted so severely he required a spinal fusion.
Cops Tried To Force a Man To Delete a Video of Them Beating a Suspect. They Got Qualified Immunity.
The officers knowingly violated the First Amendment, said the court. But that doesn't matter.
New York City Ends Qualified Immunity for Police Officers
It is the first city in the U.S. to do so.
ICE's Fake College Defrauded Students, Then Deported Them. The Biden Admin Is Defending the Scheme.
The government has pocketed millions of dollars from immigrants who came to the U.S. legally—and has refused to pay them back.
Joe Biden, Border Cop
People on both the left and right assumed Biden would lift Trump’s draconian immigration restrictions. But for some hopeful immigrants, things have actually gotten worse.
Biden Pushes for K-8 School Reopening in COVID Anniversary Address
Many of the president’s pledges require state and local cooperation.