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.
Eugene Volokh
Latest from Eugene Volokh
You Say "Unalive," He Says "Vixerunt": Everything Old Is New Again
For thus the TikTokers who wish to avoid words of ill omen indicate death.
"Have You Ever Considered That Your Presence Poses a Risk to Other Participants and the Public?"
A question a Polish journalist asked an Israeli contestant (Eden Golan) in the Eurovision Song Contest.
MIT President's Statement on Removal of Encampment
"Disciplinary measures were not sufficient to end [the encampnent] nor to deter students from quickly reestablishing it."
Court Orders Unsealing of Documents in Lottery Winner's Lawsuit
The lottery winner is suing an ex-girlfriend based on a non-disclosure agreement aimed at concealing his identity. (The motion to unseal, at this point, is aimed at just unsealing various sealed documents in the case, not at disclosing the parties' names.)
Judge Says Alabama Can't Punish Helping People Go to Other States to Get Abortions
"[T]his case is simply about whether a State may prevent people within its borders from going to another State, and from assisting others in going to another State, to engage in lawful conduct there."
MIT President Says MIT Is Finally Shutting Down Anti-Israel Encampment
"And no matter how peaceful the students' behavior may be, unilaterally taking over a central portion of our campus for one side of a hotly disputed issue and precluding use by other members of our community is not right."
Wisconsin Court Upholds Ban on Adoption by Parent's Nonmarital Partner, Debates State Constitutional Interpretation
How should courts interpret state constitutional provisions that read, "All people are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights: among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Pseudonymity Tentatively Allowed in "Wet Farts" Wrongful Discipline Lawsuit Against Columbia
When may plaintiffs in highly politically controversial cases sue pseudonymously, in order to avoid public hostility?
Message from Johns Hopkins University President
"I am writing today to reiterate the reasons why the encampment is so problematic and why I am calling on you to end it."
"Plaintiff Threatened the District Staff's Jobs, Reputation, Careers, and Legal Liability—Not Their Physical Safety"
Tenth Circuit upholds preliminary injunction in favor of volunteer football coach, high school founder, and school district critic.
Free Speech Unmuted: Free Speech on Campus
The latest video podcast episode from Prof. Jane Bambauer and me.
"If He Did Not Want to Be Called a 'Rioter,' Plaintiff Should Not Have Admitted … to 'Participation in … [a] Riot'"
Plus, the significance of omitting "IDK."
Alleged "QAnon John"'s Libel Lawsuit Against Anti-Defamation League Can Go Forward
The court held that the ADL's claims were factual assertions, and not just opinions; whether they are false assertions, and whether plaintiff is a limited-purpose public figure (who would therefore have to show knowing or reckless falsehood) remains to be decided.
Journalist Has No First Amendment Right to Publish Police Chief's Home Address,
even when he got the address through a public records request, and is trying to use it to show the chief lives far from town. The court concluded that the chief's "exact street address is not a matter of public concern" and therefore, under the circumstances, wasn't constitutionally protected.
No Pseudonymity in Title IX Wrongful-Discipline Lawsuits, Holds Seventh Circuit
The decision departs from what most courts have done in such Title IX cases—but tracks what most courts do in the many other cases where disclosing a plaintiff’s name might damage the plaintiff’s reputation and professional prospects.
Court Upholds #TheyLied Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Award Against Student Who Accused Professor of Sexual Assault,
but throws out a similar award against another professor who backed the student's allegations. (A jury had concluded the student's allegations were false and defamatory.)
