Eugene Volokh is the Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, and the Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA School of Law. Naturally, his posts here (like the opinions of the other bloggers) are his own, and not endorsed by any institution. He is also the co-host of the Free Speech Unmuted podcast.
Eugene Volokh
Latest from Eugene Volokh
"It's a Tweet with a Filing Fee, Not a Lawsuit"
A funny line from a commenter.
When Government Urges Private Entities to Restrict Others' Speech
Jen Psaki's comments about the government "flagging problematic posts for Facebook" raises the issue; so does Donald Trump's lawsuit against social media platforms, based on government statements that allegedly coerced those platforms.
Thursday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
4th Cir. Panel Affirms Second Amendment Rights of 18-to-20-Year-Olds
The panel strikes down the federal statute that bans professional gun dealers from selling handguns to 18-to-20-year-olds.
Some Potentially Racially Offensive Terms Can't Be Trademarked—Because They're Too Common, Not Because They're Racially Offensive
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board rejects the mark “Nigga” for clothing, because it’s so commonly used by others that it doesn’t serve to identify the applicant’s products (logic that equally applies to "Team Jesus," "Texas Love," and "God Bless the USA").
Bronx Conservatory of Music Can't Seal Sexual Harassment Counterclaim Against It
"Bronx Conservatory does not cite (and this Court has not found) any case, in this jurisdiction or elsewhere, in which an employer accused of sexual harassment has succeeded in sealing the pleading containing that accusation on any of the grounds asserted here."
Thursday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Hawaii Bill Legalizing Stun Guns Just Became Law Today, Will Become Effective Jan. 1
Rhode Island, maybe New York, Wilmington (Delaware), and a few small towns are the only places in the U.S. that still forbid stun guns.
Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Ban on Religious Proselytizing at El Paso Art & Farmers Market
The market was conducted on city streets, managed by the city, and open to the public.
Facebook Will Now Ban Criticism of "Concepts, Institutions, Ideas, Practices, or Beliefs" When They Risk "Harm, Intimidation, or Discrimination" Against Religious, National, or Other Groups
This includes "burning a national flag or religious texts, caricatures of religious figures, or criticism of ideologies."
Economic Power Being Leveraged to Control Political Discourse
I'm serializing my new Social Media Platforms as Common Carriers? article, forthcoming in the Journal of Free Speech Law.
Social Media Platforms as Common Carriers?
I finally have a presentable draft of this article, forthcoming in the Journal of Free Speech Law; I'll be posting excerpts over the next couple of weeks.
Government Can Use Ghislaine Maxwell's Deposition in Civil Case, Without Violating Maxwell's Fourth or Fifth Amendment Rights
The deposition was initially subject to a protective order, but the court concludes that this doesn't matter.
