When Does an Ugly Facebook Message Qualify as an Illegal 'True Threat' of Violence? SCOTUS Will Decide.
The Supreme Court takes up “true threats” and the First Amendment in Counterman v. Colorado.
First Amendment
Inside the CDC's Campaign To Police COVID Speech
Plus: FOSTA in court, challenges to Illinois' assault weapon ban, and more...
Inside the Facebook Files: Emails Reveal the CDC's Role in Silencing COVID-19 Dissent
Throughout the pandemic, the CDC was in constant contact with Facebook, vetting what users were allowed to say on the social media site.
How the CDC Became the Speech Police
Secret internal Facebook emails reveal the feds' campaign to pressure social media companies into banning COVID "misinformation."
Appeals Court Panel Seems Skeptical That FOSTA Doesn't Violate the First Amendment
The 2018 law criminalizes websites that "promote or facilitate" prostitution. Two of three judges on the panel pushed back against government claims that this doesn't criminalize speech.
The Hazards of Holding YouTube Liable for Promoting Terrorism
A Supreme Court case illustrates the potential costs of making it easier to sue social media platforms over user-generated content.
Phoenix Sued After Giving the NFL Power To Censor Signs on Private Property
The city is banning temporary signs that don't have the NFL's approval in a downtown "clean zone."
House Republicans To Probe White House Pressure on Social Media Companies
Plus: House votes to rescind IRS funding, the FDA is putting unnecessary strings on pharmacies filling abortion pill prescriptions, and more...
Did 'Every Conspiracy Theory' About Twitter Turn Out To Be True?
The internal company documents offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the federal agencies distorted the public debate on one of the world's largest social media platforms.
Government Snoops in Maine Caught Spying on Peaceful Americans
Intelligence-gathering “fusion centers” repeatedly abuse civil liberties without making us safer.
A College Fired a Professor for Showing a Painting of Muhammad. Now, It Could Lose Its Accreditation.
"If Hamline won't listen to free speech advocates or faculty across the country, they'll have to listen to their accreditor," said FIRE attorney Alex Morey, who filed the complaint.
'The Hypocrisy Hurts': Enes Kanter Freedom on Standing Up to China in the NBA
"When it comes to problems happening in America, [the NBA is] the first organization saying, 'This is wrong,'" says the former professional basketball player. But then they're silent for victims of torture.
A Surly Showdown for Speaker
Plus: Would Adam Smith be a libertarian if he were alive today?
Under Government Pressure, Twitter Suppressed Truthful Speech About COVID-19
The company's broad definition of "misleading information" and its deference to authority invited censorship by proxy.
Twitter Files Reveal Politicians, Officials Evading the Constitution's Restrictions
People in power lean on private businesses to impose authoritarian policies forbidden to the government.
Yet Another Senator Bungles the First Amendment To Justify Censorship
This week, a clip of Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin claiming that speech that espouses "hate" and "violence" is not protected by the First Amendment made the rounds on Twitter, sparking sharp backlash.
Doing Pickering Balancing Right
It is not a workplace "disruption" that co-workers objected to a MAGA hat
5 Infuriating Ways People Got the First Amendment Wrong in 2022
As free speech becomes an increasingly important part of the culture war, people won't stop misinterpreting—and outright violating—the First Amendment.
Don't Count on Criminal Prosecution To Hold Trump Accountable for His Egregious Post-Election Behavior
The final report from the January 6 select committee falls short of proving the elements required to convict the former president.
The Hidden Subtitle of the NDAA That Will Ban Basic Facts About Judges Online
No judge should have to fear for their lives as they defend the rule of law. But that doesn’t mean they can infringe on other civil liberties to protect their information.
Judge Agrees Consumers Can Sue Over Misleading Movie Trailers
The weird judge-invented "commercial speech" exception to our right to free expression breeds strange results in suit against distributors of the 2019 movie Yesterday.
The War on Christmas Comes for the Drag Queens
Some conservatives toss “parents’ rights” out the window in a holiday culture war against kids at live shows.
Sen. Mike Lee Wants To Ban Porn by Redefining 'Obscene'
The IODA aims to edit the legal defintion of "obscenity" to allow for the regulation of most pornography. But even if it passes, a nationwide porn ban is unlikely to succeed.
Can Professors be Sanctioned for Political Flyers?
District court's opinion in Gruber v. Bruce shows problem with how Pickering balancing is done
Twitter Files: The FBI Frequently Flagged Joke Tweets, Asked for Moderation
Maybe the FBI has something better to do with its time?
Phoenix and the NFL Are Censoring Small Business Owners' Signs
Property owners are required to get permission from the city, the NFL, and/or the private Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee before displaying temporary advertisements and signs.
Elon Musk Kicks Tech Journalists, Mastodon Off Twitter
Plus: Sen. Mike Lee wants to remove First Amendment protections for porn, IRS doxxes taxpayers, and more...
Sifting Through the Twitter Files: Live With Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern for a live analysis of the internal Twitter documents recently published by Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss, and Michael Shellenberger.
Elon Musk Should Take a Clear Stand Against Censorship by Proxy
The most disturbing aspect of the “Twitter Files” is the platform’s cozy relationship with federal officials who demanded suppression of speech they considered dangerous.
Merchants of Death, Swaps, and Shake-ups
Plus: The editors briefly celebrate a noteworthy shake-up in the Senate.
California City Pays $300,000 to Marine Veteran Tackled for Filming a Cop From His Porch
The city of Vallejo, California, has paid millions in recent years to settle excessive force lawsuits against its heavy-handed police force.
Twitter Files: FBI, DHS Reported Tweets for Election Misinformation
Content moderators had "weekly confabs" with law enforcement officials, reports Matt Taibbi.
Adam Schiff Attempts Censorship by Proxy, 'Demanding Action' To Suppress 'Hate Speech' on Twitter
Instead of debating whether the platform has been flooded by bigotry, Elon Musk should tell the congressman to mind his own business.
Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Law Forces Artists To Echo the State's Message
A website designer asks SCOTUS to let her eschew work that contradicts her opposition to gay marriage.
What Twitter's Suppression of the Hunter Biden Laptop Story Tells Us About the Media
Plus: The editors consider a listener question on the involuntary hospitalization of the mentally ill.
New York Forces Websites To Monitor 'Hateful' Speech. A New Lawsuit Says This Violates the First Amendment.
"The state of New York can't turn bloggers into Big Brother, but it's trying to do just that," said FIRE attorney Daniel Ortner.
Supreme Court Debates Whether Web Designers Can Be Forced To Make Gay Wedding Pages
A million hypotheticals bloom in arguments over when and where the government may compel speech.
Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi Reveal Why Twitter Censored the Hunter Biden Laptop Story
The Twitter Files are interesting but contain few true surprises. A mix of incompetence and partisanship got the site in trouble.
Kanye's Suspension Shows Musk Twitter Might Look a Lot Like…Old Twitter
Plus: Freedom's Furies, SCOTUS to take up student loan forgiveness plan, and more...
Twitter Is More Like a Traveling Circus Than a Public Square
It's a private company. Its owner can do what he chooses, even if it seems crazy.
You Can Record Video of Police in Action. But Can You Livestream That Video?
Plus: Court rejects Biden plea on student loan plan, Ohio cops don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
Twitter Quits the Biden Administration's Ham-Handed Crusade Against COVID-19 'Misinformation'
Elon Musk's rescission of the platform's prior policy, which forbade dissent from official guidance, is consistent with his promise of lighter moderation.
'Real' Journalists Recognize That Prosecuting Julian Assange Poses a Grave Threat to Freedom of the Press
The Justice Department’s discretion is the only thing that protects them from a similar fate.
Major Media Outlets Condemn Continued Prosecution of Julian Assange
The open letter warns the indictment “threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press.”
Abortion Rights Advocates Ask DOJ To Defend Section 230
While "the 26 words that created the internet" have been under fire from both sides, two groups argue that the 1996 law is essential to the future of abortion rights.
Two Federal Judges Say New York's Presumptive Prohibition of Guns on Private Property Is Unconstitutional
The state's ban applies unless the property owner posts a sign allowing firearms or otherwise gives "express consent."
