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
Florida Teachers Have No First Amendment Right to Indicate Their Preferred Pronouns and Honorifics in Class
So an Eleventh Circuit panel held today, by a 2-1 vote.
Lawsuit Against Google for Accurately Reporting Negative Stories About Plaintiff Dismissed
Plaintiff claimed that the search results violated his "right of publicity," and also that the output was defamatory because it "uses a 'negative algorithm' that promotes negative stories about Garmon while suppressing positive stories about him—or, at least, pushing the positive stories down the list of search results."
Are Plaintiffs More Eligible to Be Pseudonymous in Lawsuits Against the Government? Less Eligible?
Today's D.C. Circuit decision muddies the matter still further.
California Law Stops City from Flying World Flag Above U.S. and California Flag
And the U.S. Constitution doesn't preclude this result.
Court Allows Breach of Contract Claim for Haverford's Allegedly Failing to Respond to Anti-Semitism Complaints—But Only for Nominal Damages
"So whatever hard to imagine rationalization Haverford might offer for obscuring the content of its actual bias policy—an artifice reminiscent of Dean Wormer's 'double secret probation'—I find the demarcation 'draft' to be of no legal import."
No Qualified Immunity for School District Police Officer Who Seized Home-Schooled 14-Year-Old from Home
The child, and her 12-year-old brother, were left under the supervision of a neighbor by the mother, who left town for six days for a foreign job interview.
Parental Rights and Youth Gender Medicine
The Supreme Court just declined this morning to consider this issue, but here's how a noted lower court judge analyzed the matter.
Cancellation Litigation + Doxing Claim, over Allegedly Malicious Publicizing of Snapchat Video with Allegedly Racist Statements
"[B]oth parties exchanged these Snapchat videos while they were intoxicated and their judgment was impaired. Notwithstanding, the communications were private and intended to be jokes between close friends."
"The Clear Winner in Trump v. CASA: The Supreme Court"
"Lower courts lost, and the executive branch got mixed results."
How Should Courts Analyze Age Verification Requirements for Porn That's Illegal for Minors?
Prohibiting the distribution of porn to minors, the Court says, legitimately carries with it some burdens on adults as well, when the burdens are closely linked to distinguishing the adults and the minors.
Big Free Speech Takeaway from Today's Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton Porn Age Verification Decision
"Strict scrutiny is unforgiving because it is the standard for reviewing the direct targeting of fully protected speech.... [A]s a practical matter, it is fatal in fact absent truly extraordinary circumstances."
No Pseudonymity for Illinois Ex-Med Student Suing Under Title IX to Challenge Dismissal for Sexual Misconduct
The Seventh Circuit is generally much more hesitant than courts in other circuits to allow pseudonymity in such cases.
Lawyers' Public Allegations of Racial Prejudice by Trial Judge Lead to 30-Day Suspension
The Florida Supreme Court concludes that, among other things, the allegations were knowingly or recklessly false.
"Whoever or Whatever Drafted the Briefs Signed and Filed by Blackburn,"
"it is clear that he, at the very best, acted with culpable neglect of his professional obligations."
"To Certify This Class …, the Court Must Find That the Named Plaintiffs Have Retained Competent Counsel to Represent the Class"
And the court declines to so find when the proposed class counsel filed a brief containing "a wholesale fabrication of quotations and a holding on a material issue" (presumably stemming from using AI and not adequately checking its output).
Defamation, Emotional Distress, Racism/Sexism Allegations, and Discovery
"[Defendant ex-employer's] request for all of [plaintiff's] communications containing language that is sexist or racist is overbroad."
Conflict and Loathing Among Signature Gatherers + Battery, Slurs, and Self-Defense
"While Mr. Legorreta may have been calling Cobham an 'asshole' and making other comments, and even if he called Cobham the 'N' word these events do not justify or provide a defense of self-defense."
Illinois Court Dismisses Defamation Suit Based on Allegations that Plaintiff Teacher Was "Anti-White" etc.
The court does, however, leave open the possibility that the plaintiff can file an amended complaint that can go forward.
