Police Tore Up His Protest Sign. Now They Owe Him $50,000
Police also wrongly cited him for "improper hand signal" after the man flipped them off.
First Amendment
SCOTUS' Ruling in Gay Wedding Website Case Was a Defeat for Compelled Speech
"The opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion.
Jessie Appleby and Bill Blanken: Do California Community Colleges 'Mandate Viewpoint Conformity'?
"Science should have no agenda other than a relentless pursuit of the truth.... With DEI, we're expected to search out racism within science curriculum, and it's just not there," says professor Bill Blanken.
That School Is Still Treading on Jaiden Rodriguez's Free Speech Rights
The district is still censoring the Gadsden flag patch as well as Second Amendment advocacy, according to FIRE.
In Scathing Rulings, Federal Courts Block Arkansas and Texas Age Verification Laws
Plus: Meta revises controversial "dangerous organizations" policy, a win against civil asset forfeiture in Detroit, and more...
Are California's New 'Woke' DEI College Standards Illegal?
Join Reason on YouTube at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion about a lawsuit against California Community Colleges' new DEI standards with FIRE attorney Jessie Appleby and the plaintiff
Don't Tread on Jaiden! School District Learns Its Lesson
The 12-year-old boy kicked out of class for sporting a Gadsden flag patch is back in school.
A Ruling Against a Man Arrested for a COVID-19 Joke Highlights the Influence of a Pernicious Analogy
A federal judge compared Waylon Bailey’s Facebook jest to "falsely shouting fire in a theatre."
12-Year-Old Boy Removed From School Over 'Don't Tread on Me' Patch
"The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American revolution," says Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Talking About Sex Online Shouldn't Be Illegal
Porn sites and other online spaces with adult content are fun; they’re also important sources of community and information.
'No Reasonable Officer' Would Have Arrested a Guy for a COVID-19 Joke, the 5th Circuit Says
The appeals court ruled that a Facebook post alluding to World War Z was clearly protected by the First Amendment.
How Does Intramural Speech Fit Within the First Amendment?
A response to Porter v. North Carolina State University
Hospital Threatens Defamation Suit Over a 15-Year-Old's Change.org Petition
The hospital baselessly claimed the teenager's mother wrote the petition after she was fired without cause.
The Washington Post Says Democracy Demands Less Freedom of Speech
The paper worries that "social media companies are receding from their role as watchdogs against political misinformation."
Court Rules in Favor of Pro-Life Protesters Arrested for Chalk Messages
While chalking on D.C. sidewalks and streets is illegal, the protesters say they were targeted for their beliefs.
Jay Bhattacharya & John Vecchione: Biden's Social Media Meddling Was Illegal
Plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden allege that federal pressure to remove and suppress COVID-19 material on Facebook and Twitter violates the First Amendment.
Was Biden's Social Media Meddling Illegal?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern for a live discussion with Jay Bhattacharya and John Vecchione about their legal case against the Biden administration.
D.C. Circuit Revives Viewpoint Discrimination Suit Against District of Columbia
The District allowed "Black Lives Matter" protestors to violate the city's defacement ordinance, but enforced the law against groups with a different political message.
Why Stripping Fox's Broadcast License Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: A listener inquires about the potential positive effects of ranked-choice voting reforms.
Cops Invented a Reason To Cite Man Who Flipped Them Off
Body camera footage shows that Delaware police cited Jonathan Guessford for flipping them off, even though they later agreed it was his right to do so
Owner of Kansas Newspaper Dies Amid 'Shock and Grief' After Police Raid
Plus: New Zealand libertarianism, Barbie economics, and more...
A Louisiana Man Was Jailed for Criticizing Police. A Federal Court Wasn't Having It.
The decision supports the notion that victims are entitled to recourse when the state retaliates against people for their words. But that recourse is still not guaranteed.
A Ham-Handed Bill Attacks the First Amendment in the Name of Protecting Minors From Online Harm
The Kids Online Safety Act imposes an amorphous "duty of care" that would compromise anonymous speech and restrict access to constitutionally protected content.
Here Is Why Trump's Lawyers Say His Post-Election Conduct Was Constitutionally Protected
When he alleged fraud and sought help from government officials, they say, Trump was exercising rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Clearing up Common Misconceptions About the Charges Against Trump
Recent articles by Lawfare and Walter Olson perform a valuable service on this front.
UVA Dean of Students 'Purposefully Tampered' With Investigations Into Student's Speech, Lawsuit Claims
UVA found "insufficient evidence" to conclude that Morgan Bettinger called protesters "good speed bumps." They punished her anyway.
Backpage Founder, Alt-Weekly Entrepreneur, and Free Speech Warrior James Larkin Has Died
Larkin, 74, took his own life on Monday, just a little over a week before he was slated to stand trial for his role in running the web-classifieds platform Backpage.
The Democratic Governor Who Wants Drug Legalization and Free Markets
"Government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary," says Jared Polis.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers File Free Speech Suits Over Illinois and Vermont Laws
Plus: California tries to stop professors from testifying in suit over COVID education policies, state Republicans aren't all abandoning free market economics, and more...
Giuliani Admits His Oft-Told Tale of Georgia Election Fraud Was Not True
Unlike calling Trump's stolen-election fantasy "the Big Lie," his lawyer's statements were demonstrably false assertions of fact.
Biden White House Pressured Facebook To Censor Lab Leak Posts
"Can someone quickly remind me why we were removing—rather than demoting/labeling—claims that Covid is man made," asked Meta's president for global affairs.
A Professor Criticized a Public Official. Then Her University Suspended Her.
Texas A&M placed a professor on paid leave for criticizing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a lecture on the opioid crisis.
Matt Taibbi: How the Left Lost Its Mind and Legacy Media Its Audience
The independent journalist talks about true press freedom, the Twitter Files, Russiagate, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Matt Taibbi: How the Left Lost Its Mind
The maverick journalist talks Twitter Files, the end of the anti-government left, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Get Your Culture War Out of Our Pension Funds
Plus: Should libertarians consider employing noble lies when pitching themselves to new potential voters?
Federal Judge Strikes Down Arizona Law Limiting Ability To Record Police
Both the state attorney general and the state legislature declined to defend the law in court after the ACLU of Arizona and news media organizations sued to overturn it.
Ron DeSantis Bullies Bud Light Like Elizabeth Warren Bullies Amazon
DeSantis talks a lot about freedom but increasingly only applies it to those who agree with him.
2 Reasons It's Not Clear That Trump 'Corruptly' Obstructed an Official Proceeding
Appeals in the January 6 cases raise serious questions about how broadly the statute should be applied.
74 Percent of College Students Support Snitching on Professors Who Make 'Offensive' Statements
Blame university administrators.
NYC Agrees To Pay $13 Million to Activists Arrested in 2020 Racial Justice Protests
Plus: Twitter subpoenas Elizabeth Warren's communications with the SEC, mortgage rates are starting to fall, and more...
Tennessee Public School Sued After Suspending A Student Over Instagram Memes
Schools don't get to censor nondisruptive off-campus speech.
Homeless Veteran Sues Police After Service Dog Tased During Panhandling Arrest
Joshua Rohrer not only seeks damages for his violent arrest but also wants the city's anti-panhandling ordinance overturned on First Amendment grounds.
Federal Officials Can Keep Pressing Tech Platforms To Remove Content for Now, Court Says
Plus: GOP candidate defends “limited role of government” in parental decisions for transgender kids, some common sense about Diet Coke and cancer, and more…
A Win for the First Amendment, and a Loss for Partisans Who Want to Weaponize Censorship
One thing is clear about Missouri v. Biden: The decision cannot be understood by viewing it through a polarized lens.
Who Is Protected As a Journalist? Everybody, Suggests Court Ruling.
Journalism is an activity shielded by the First Amendment, not a special class or profession.
Some Critics of the Ruling Against Biden's Censorship by Proxy Have a Beef With the 1st Amendment Itself
"Disinformation" researchers alarmed by the injunction against government meddling with social media content admire legal regimes that allow broad speech restrictions.
Critics of the Ruling Against Biden's Anti-'Misinformation' Crusade See No Threat to Freedom of Speech
The response to the decision illustrates the alarming erosion of bipartisan support for the First Amendment.
The Courts vs. Misinformation Cops
Plus: A listener questions last week’s discussion of the Supreme Court's decision involving same-sex wedding websites and free expression.
