Police Used a Truck Inspection To Search for Drugs. The 7th Circuit Said the Fourth Amendment Forbids It.
Cops stopped a semitruck because of a drug tip, then tried to dress the illegal search up as a routine inspection.
Courts
In Europe, Just Reposting Russian Propaganda Can Land a Blogger in Jail
Don't assume this couldn't happen in America too.
Can the President Fire Anyone He Wants? Yes, Unless the Target Is Part of the Federal Reserve.
In a pair of decisions on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have full authority to fire heads of executive branch agencies—but that the Fed is different.
Lawsuit Argues Hawaii's Harsh New Hemp Regulations Will Stifle Competition
A dispensary owner believes Hawaii’s hemp regulations are unconstitutional. He’s suing to stop their enforcement, but the law may not be on his side.
ICE Transfers Shouldn't Be Leaving Families in the Dark
Rapid transfers are cutting detainees off from their lawyers and families.
On Marijuana and Guns, Clarence Thomas Still Wants To Limit Federal Power
The conservative justice continues to wage a lonely legal crusade over the Commerce Clause.
Trump's Lawyers Insist There Is 'No Evidence' of 'Collusion or Fraud' in His 'Settlement With Myself'
The sweet deal that resolved the president's fatally flawed lawsuit against the IRS was business as usual at the DOJ, his attorneys told a federal judge.
Maryland Court Rules Against Unconstitutional Stop-and-Frisk in Victory for State's Gun Owners
In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that it is unconstitutional for officers to stop and frisk someone based solely on suspicion that the person is carrying a gun.
2 Texas Grandmothers Who Overcame Addiction Wanted To Become Social Workers. The State Wouldn't Let Them.
Now Katherin Youniacutt and Tammy Thompson are taking their fight to become licensed master social workers to the Texas Supreme Court.
Gordon Wood's Enduring Defense of the American Revolution
Plus: When tattoos meet copyright law
This Attempt by the Trump Administration To Cripple Legal Immigration Is Illegal, Judge Rules
The government had imposed an indefinite pause on adjudicating asylum petitions and applications for green cards, work permits, and citizenship for legal immigrants from certain countries.
The Trump Administration Is Still Fighting To Keep Billions in Illegal Tariff Revenue
The administration has paid $20 billion in refunds. Now, it is asking a federal appeals court to limit which businesses will get the rest.
Lawsuit Says a Memphis Police Task Force Waged a Harassment Campaign Against People Who Filmed Them
The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a judge to block the Memphis Safe Task Force from retaliating against anyone who exercises their First Amendment right to record the police.
Trump's Corrupt 'Settlement' With the IRS Hits Two Judicial Roadblocks
One order temporarily blocks money for the president's "Anti-Weaponization Fund." The other asks whether the agreement is a fraudulent "product of collusion."
New York Legislators Seek Broader Anti-Shackling Protections Following Courtroom Birth in Brooklyn
New York lawmakers want to close loopholes in anti-shackling laws to protect incarcerated pregnant women.
Thomas and Alito Take a Regrettable Position in a Qualified Immunity Case
The two judicial conservatives continue to disappoint criminal justice reform advocates.
High Liquor Taxes and a Home Distillation Ban Guarantee a Thriving Booze Black Market
The courts have an opportunity to legalize small-scale distillation, but taxes remain a problem.
A SWAT Team Destroyed an Innocent Woman's Home. She's Been Waiting 6 Years for Justice.
Vicki Baker is more fortunate than several other similarly situated victims. But it took a very long time to get there.
SCOTUS Term Limits May Be a Good Idea. But They Still Require a Constitutional Amendment.
Lifetime tenure for federal judges has been the constitutional practice since ratification.
The Federal Government Tried To Spy on Your Financial Transactions. A Texas Court Just Said No.
The ruling is a victory not just for one Texas title company, but for the principle that agencies like FinCEN can only do what Congress actually authorized.
'Boneless Wings' Aren't Really Wings. Is That Fraud?
"Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken....Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo," Buffalo Wild Wings quipped.
D.C. Circuit Seems Disinclined To Let Pete Hegseth Punish a Senator for His Speech
The defense secretary argues that military retirees like Sen. Mark Kelly are not allowed to say things he unilaterally deems "prejudicial to good order and discipline."
Federal Court: Trump's Newest Tariffs Are Also Illegal
Trump's use of Section 122 ignored the plain language of the law and invoked a broad executive power where Congress clearly provided a narrow one.
Justice Neil Gorsuch: 'Aspirations for Power Need To Be Checked'
The Supreme Court justice discusses the Declaration of Independence, how unchecked power threatens liberty, and what the Founders can teach future generations.
SCOTUS Narrows the Reach of the Voting Rights Act
Plus: The Supreme Court says “demands for a charity’s private member or donor information” raises First Amendment problems.
Why Homewrecking in North Carolina Could Cost You Millions
Some states still allow vengeful spouses to sue a third party for destroying their marriages.
Separation of Church and State
Federal Appeals Court Says Texas' Ten Commandments Law Isn't Indoctrination
The 5th Circuit upheld a controversial law requiring Texas schools to display the Ten Commandments.
A Rare SCOTUS Case That Pitted Thomas Against Alito
Plus: Does Trump expect to lose the birthright citizenship case?
Retired Pastor Faces Trial Under U.K. Speech Laws for Preaching John 3:16 Near Hospital
Despite not mentioning abortion in his sermon, Clive Johnston is being charged for trying to "influence" people not to go through with the procedure.
The Supreme Court's 'Shadow Docket' Has Sprung a Leak
Plus: a credible new report on the Alito retirement rumors.
Alabama Supreme Court to Cops: It's OK To Force a Pastor Watering Flowers To Show His ID
The court ruled that police can demand a physical ID under the state's stop-and-identify law.
Jury Finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster To Be Monopolists Over $1.72 Concert Ticket Price Increase
Punishing Live Nation and Ticketmaster for their success won't substantially lower primary ticket prices and will do nothing to address scalping.
62-Year-Old Protester Acquitted on All Charges for Wearing Penis Costume
The judge felt there was probable cause for an arrest but he declined to go so far as to convict.
When the U.S. Censored a Movie About the American Revolution and Imprisoned Its Producer
Remembering the infuriating case of United States v. “The Spirit of ’76.”
When SCOTUS Did Lasting Damage to the Bill of Rights
Plus: The Alito retirement rumors keep swirling.
Wisconsin Reined in Public Sector Unions. Now Those Reforms Are in Jeopardy.
Act 10 saved taxpayers billions and helped government run more efficiently. Fifteen years later, a questionable legal challenge may doom it.
A Maryland Hospital Held a Woman for Months Against Her Will. The Supreme Court Will Decide if She Can Sue.
The case will determine whether an unnamed plaintiff can take the hospital and its doctors to federal court.
Lawsuits Targeting Social Media Are an Attack on Free Speech
Tech companies that create social media apps should not be blamed for the complex mental issues of everyone who might use them.
Colorado Becomes First State To Protect Defendants Against Faulty Roadside Drug Tests
A 2024 study estimated that 30,000 people every year may be getting wrongly arrested due to unreliable roadside drug tests used by police.
A Jury Approves Damages After 2 Texas Cops Snatched a Supposedly 'Abandoned' Girl From Her Home
The jurors concluded that the officers violated the Fourth and 14th amendments when they seized a 14-year-old without evidence that she was in danger.
Government Actions Against Anthropic Are 'Classic First Amendment Retaliation'
Plus: the Facebook verdicts, porn star chatbots, facial recognition gone awry, drag queen regulation, and more…
Judge Rejects 'Orwellian Notion' That Anthropic Is a Supply Chain Risk for Disagreeing With the Government
Judge Rita Lin's preliminary injunction confirms what government officials had implicitly acknowledged: The supply chain risk designation was punishment, not policy.
Minnesota Bills Would Create State Right To Sue Government Officials for Constitutional Violations
Two different pieces of legislation aim to create state workarounds to the procedural quagmire of federal civil rights litigation.
Taylor Lorenz: Is Social Media Responsible for Bad Parenting?
Tech journalist Taylor Lorenz discusses the Meta trial, the moral panic around social media, and the risks of regulating online speech.
#Addiction
Plus: Meta and Google found liable, what the verdict means, an OnlyFans-style campaign website, and more...
DOJ Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Harvard, Citing Campus Antisemitism
The Trump administration wants its federal funding back from Harvard, alleging the Ivy League university did "nothing" about campus antisemitism.
Jury Clears Afroman of Defamation for Mocking Cops Who Raided His House
Ohio sheriff's deputies raided Afroman's house in 2022 based on a bogus tip, then sued the rapper after he released music videos mocking the deputies.
