James Alan Fox: There Is No Evidence of an 'Epidemic of Mass Shootings'
The nation's leading scholar of mass shootings explains how media coverage of horrific events such as El Paso and Dayton stoke unwarranted fear and anxiety.
First Amendment
Democrats Join Trump in Seeking Balance by Policing Speech
The constitutional amendment they support, like the president’s plan to regulate social media, trusts the government to moderate our political debate.
Every Democrat in the Senate Supports a Constitutional Amendment That Would Radically Curtail Freedom of Speech
The Democracy for All Amendment aims to mute some voices so that others can be heard.
Trump's Social Media Executive Order Would Let Unelected Bureaucrats Police Online Speech
It would essentially be a Fairness Doctrine for the internet.
The Sec. 230 Temperature is Rising
Liability safe harbors for Internet intermediaries are not responsible for Internet "hate speech"
Senate Democrats Back Constitutional Amendment to Undo Citizens United
Plus: Marijuana banking, suing Facebook, and more...
Neighbors Claim Los Angeles 'Emoji House' Is 'Bullying,' Demand New Rules Against Murals
Owners painted the house bright pink and added two funny emojis after neighbors complained about illegal Airbnb rentals.
Free Speech on the Internet Continues to Confuse Everyone
Plus: 8chan called before Congress, data privacy bill hits a snag, and more...
How Libertarians Should Respond to Mass Shootings
Plus: the budget deal, GOP retirements, and the latest front in the trade war.
University of Florida Settles Lawsuit With Conservative Student Group
The suit came after the school denied funding to bring Dana Loesch and Andrew Klavan to campus.
Cops Can't Take a Joke? The First Amendment Doesn't Care
Plus: Behind the bipartisan war on internet speech, New York "decriminalizes" pot (but you'll still get fined), and more...
The Dismissal of Nicholas Sandmann's Lawsuit Shows There's a Difference Between Unfair Press Coverage and Libel
While the teenager has a legitimate beef about coverage of his encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, that doesn't mean he has a legal cause of action.
Section 230 Is the Internet's First Amendment. Now Both Republicans and Democrats Want To Take It Away.
From Josh Hawley to Kamala Harris, online free speech is under attack.
Tulsi Gabbard's $50 Million Lawsuit Against Google Is Another Attack on Online Free Speech
The presidential hopeful alleges the company violated her First Amendment rights when it suspended her campaign advertising site for 6 hours.
San Francisco Judge Overturns Illegal Warrant Used to Monitor Journalist's Phone
Superior Court Judge Rochelle East says the warrant violated California law.
Joy Behar Has No Idea What the ACLU Does or That Hate Speech Is Protected Under the First Amendment
Donald Trump is far from the only person who doesn't understand the Bill of Rights.
Judge Rules Florida Can Require a License To Give Out Diet Tips
No diploma, no making money telling people how to eat better.
Dennis Prager, Who Boasts 1 Billion Video Views a Year, Decries YouTube 'Censorship'
The pundit made the claim at a Senate hearing on allegations of tech censorship against conservatives.
John Paul Stevens Was a 'Liberal Champion,' Except When He Wasn't
The late Supreme Court justice was an inconsistent defender of civil liberties.
The Folly of Government-Imposed Social Media 'Neutrality'
Trump supports a bill that would encourage censorship in the name of free speech.
City of Everett Can Force Bikini Baristas To Cover Their Butts, 9th Circuit Rules
The law is an ass, cleft and all.
Backpage Prosecutors Want to Seize Assets First, Answer Questions Later
Aggressive asset forfeiture collides with First Amendment rights.
Trump To Convene 'Social Media Summit' Over Accusations of Anti-Conservative Bias
The president invited Republican lawmakers as well as social media stars who claim that tech giants are suppressing free speech.
Two Lawsuits Argue That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Blocking of Twitter Critics, Like Trump's, Violates the First Amendment
The New York congresswoman's use of Twitter seems similar to the president's in constitutionally relevant ways.
A Mural Quoting Trump at His Most Profane Is Protected Speech, Judge Rules
New Orleans can't use zoning regulations to decide what counts as artistic expression.
2nd Circuit Agrees That Trump Cannot Constitutionally Block Critics on Twitter
The court says the "interactive space" created by his account is a public forum, meaning that the president's viewpoint discrimination violates the First Amendment.
She Told Him to Kill Himself. He Did. Should She Be Held Responsible?
HBO documentary explores teen’s culpability in boyfriend’s suicide.
Prominent Pornography Researcher Frames Defamation Claims As Sexual Harassment, Prompting a Defamation Suit by Her Target
Nicole Prause and Donald Hilton, longtime opponents on the subject of pornography, are now facing off in court.
Facing Legal Challenge, Washington Weed Regulators Lift Ban on Cannabusiness Signs at Seattle Hempfest
The state's Liquor and Cannabis Board changed its policy after Hempfest and two marijuana retailers challenged it on constitutional grounds.
The War on Backpage.com Is a War on Sex Workers
The government's latest moral crusade shields traffickers, empowers pimps, and undermines free speech online.
Colorado Supreme Court Upholds a Decision That Forced a Teenager to Register As a Sex Offender for Swapping Nude Selfies
That result "may strike some as unfair," the court says, but it's what state law required at the time.
The Supreme Court Says Your Filthy Trademark Is Protected by the First Amendment
A 6-3 ruling says that the First Amendment protects brand names that are considered “immoral” or “scandalous.”
Oberlin Has Been Ordered to Pay $44 Million in a Defamation Lawsuit. The Punishment Doesn't Fit the Crime.
A local bakery accused the college of defamation after students launched a public campaign against the store for racial profiling. Oberlin mounted a free speech defense.
Josh Hawley Introduces Bill to Put Washington In Charge of Internet Speech
Hawley is selling it as a way to fight tech-company "bias" against Republicans. Don't believe him.
Sex Toy Company Sues New York Subway for Screwing With Its First Amendment Rights
In a letter to Dame explaining why the ads had been rejected, the MTA cited longstanding rules against ads "promoting a sexually oriented business."
Do the Hatch Act's Restrictions on Kellyanne Conway's Commentary Violate Her First Amendment Rights?
The president's spokeswoman is doing what she has always done on TV, unencumbered by the legal distinction between partisan pundit and executive branch employee.
Is Accepting Information About a Political Opponent From a Foreigner 'an Assault on Our Democracy'?
Nancy Pelosi's overwrought take on Donald Trump's receptiveness to "oppo research" is hard to take seriously.
Did Craig Hicks Murder His Neighbors Because They Were Muslims? Should It Matter Legally?
The debate about whether the killer should have been prosecuted for federal hate crimes shows how the Justice Department targets defendants based on the opinions they express.
New Jersey Regulators Crack Down on Craft Beer
New Jersey’s lousy craft beer rules are an affront to free speech and consumer choice
What the Battle To Publish Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' Means to Today's Free-Speech Struggles
The People v. Lawrence Ferlinghetti explains how America embraced free speech—and how we're ready to throw it away.
Hempfest Sues Washington's Marijuana Regulators for Censoring Sponsors' Signs
The Seattle festival's organizers argue that banning signs referring to state-licensed cannabusinesses violates the state and federal constitutions.
Rutgers Defunds Student Paper Because Referendum Turnout Was Too Low
The move violates the First Amendment, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
The European Union May Order Facebook to Stop You From Calling Austrian Politicians 'Corrupt Oafs'
Censorship inevitably ends up being used to protect the powerful from criticism.
San Francisco Police Got a Warrant to Monitor a Journalist's Phone Before Raiding His Apartment
The move is an assault on the First Amendment.
Think Trump's Attacks on Journalism Are Bad? San Francisco Cops Literally Raided a Reporter's Home.
Actions speak louder than words. Trump 's labeling of the media as "the enemy of the people" is bad, but he's not breaking into reporters' homes to find leakers. That's what the San Francisco Police Department did.
First Amendment Group Sues the University of Illinois Over Bias Reporting System, Restrictions on Political Speech
"An elaborate investigative and enforcement regime designed to restrain, deter, suppress, and punish speech."
Dissenting From a Decision Blocking a Retaliatory Arrest Claim, Neil Gorsuch Notes That 'Almost Anyone Can Be Arrested for Something'
The Trump appointee warns that "little would be left of our First Amendment liberties" if cops could punish people who irk them by finding a legal reason to bust them.
