A Missouri School District Censored a Parent's Negative Facebook Emoji Because It Was 'Upsetting'
Annie Palmer was banned from the district's Facebook page for expressing her displeasure at the hiring of a new elementary school principal.
Free Speech
These Minnesota Parents Were Censored at a Public Meeting for Saying School Employees' Job Titles
"You can't talk about the superintendent," a Foley Public School Board official told Blake and Katy DeMarais when they tried to advocate for their disabled and nonverbal son.
Rand Paul Was Right To Block the Senate's Attempt To Censor the Internet
The bill’s “duty of care” could pressure platforms to suppress lawful speech in the name of protecting children.
Kids Are Using NPR Podcast Comments as Secret Group Chats
Teenagers barred from social media are turning obscure corners of the internet into makeshift chat rooms.
An Iowa Judge Rejects Trump's Unconstitutional Attempt To Recover Damages for 'Fake News'
The dismissal of the president's lawsuit against The Des Moines Register is a victory for freedom of the press.
A Tennessee 1st Amendment Auditor Is Suing After Videos of Police Led to a Predawn Arrest Raid
Joshua Gibbons says his embarrassing videos of police officers in Kingsport, Tennessee, were a motivating factor in their decision to arrest him on minor charges that were thrown out of court.
A Trump Appointee Blocks the President's Banishment of Disfavored News Outlets
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly is skeptical of the belated "national security" rationale for banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House.
After Banishing Journalists for Writing 'Purposely Negative' Stories, Trump Invokes 'National Security'
The president hopes that post-hoc rationalization will override due process and freedom of the press.
Trump's Banishment of Disfavored News Outlets Reflects His Contempt for Freedom of the Press
The president has a long history of retaliating against journalists who offend him.
3 Leading News Outlets Say Their Sudden Banishment From the White House Is Unconstitutional
In a federal lawsuit, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico argue that Trump's bans violate due process and freedom of the press.
A Federal Judge Enjoins DHS From Threatening To Prosecute a Critic for Constitutionally Protected Speech
After David Streever castigated ICE's acting director in an email, investigators delivered a "warning notice" saying he "may be in violation of federal law."
Professor Investigated for Mocking a University 'Land Acknowledgment' Gets a $600,000 Settlement
The agreement follows a 9th Circuit ruling that the University of Washington violated Stuart Reges' First Amendment rights by treating his dissent as intolerable "disruption."
Texas Terrorism Law Chills Speech for Muslim Group
By labeling this group a terrorist organization, the state is chilling more than Muslims' freedom of expression.
Congress Is Trying (Again) To Ban Boycotting Israel
The bipartisan bill, which passed the House, takes aim at university boycotts of any “major strategic partner.”
Trump Can't Deport Legal Immigrants for Protected Speech, Judge Rules
The court struck down the government’s use of immigration law to threaten lawful noncitizens with deportation for protected speech.
Prosecutors Say a North Carolina Teenager Committed Murder by Livestreaming a California Mosque Shooting
The case smacks of a desire for retribution that cannot be satisfied by prosecuting the actual killers, who committed suicide.
Inside Venezuela's El Helicoide Prison: How Dissident Jesús Armas Endured Torture and Outlasted Maduro
For helping prove that Maduro lost the 2024 election, Jesús Armas spent more than a year in Venezuela’s most-feared prison. He’s lucky it wasn’t more.
Lawmakers Want To Stop Kids From Nicknaming Their Pokémon
The Safer GAMING Act would silence minors in every online game by default—and violate the First Amendment.
A Federal Judge Just Struck Down Texas' Anti-Drag Law, Again
A Texas law restricting “sexually oriented performances” was struck down after a federal judge said it could apply to everything from cheerleading to karaoke to performances by Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, and Miley Cyrus.
Brendan Carr's Vendetta Against ABC Conflates the 'Public Interest' With Trump's Personal Grievances
The FCC chairman is punishing the network for news coverage and programming decisions that offend the president.
How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt?
Plus: Trump's trade war with Canada, the growing backlash against data centers, and calls to censor journalists in Britain
Censors Seize on Jason Arday's Death as Excuse To Demand More Censorship
Politicians respond to tragedy by demanding more regulation of journalism.
ICE Admits It Investigated a Critic Based on Constitutionally Protected Speech
The agency’s attempt to intimidate David Streever is at the center of a First Amendment case.
Hawaii's End Run Around Citizens United Faces a First Amendment Roadblock
A new Hawaii law reclassifies corporate political speech as a "power" the state can revoke at will.
Why James Madison Wanted Greater Limits on States' Rights
The “father of the Constitution” worried about federal and state overreach.
A New Jersey News Outlet Asks the Courts To Stop a Judge's Censorship
The judge concluded that a high school student's privacy interests trumped freedom of the press.
Records Show the Government Illegally Surveilled James Comey and Confirm the Absurdity of Its Case Against Him
The Secret Service asserted a nonexistent "emergency" to track Comey's cellphone, and the FBI's evidence falls far short of proving his seashell picture was a crime.
RIP Lou Koller, a Hardcore Punk Hero and Free Speech Champion
Remembering the lead singer for the iconic band Sick of It All
Brendan Carr Says ABC's Refusal To Air a Trump Speech Could Affect Renewal of Its Broadcast Licenses
The FCC chairman thinks the "public interest" standard is a license to interfere with freedom of the press.
Trump's Threats To Yank Broadcast Licenses Are Part of a Speech-Chilling Intimidation Campaign
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems to think TV stations are legally obligated to please the president.
By Blessing Corruption, Todd Blanche Has Disqualified Himself From the Job He Wants
Trump’s nominee for attorney general has repeatedly subverted justice to benefit his boss.
Afroman on Free Speech, Government Abuse, and Election 2028
"I want a smaller government. I want to get crooked judges and police officers out of the government," the rapper tells Reason's Andrew Heaton.
In Europe, Just Reposting Russian Propaganda Can Land a Blogger in Jail
Don't assume this couldn't happen in America too.
Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We're Told
Two distinctly American traits that powered the Revolution: We don't like being told what to do by our supposed betters, and we really don't like being told to shut up.
Texas Man Gets 30 Years in Prison for Transporting 'Anti-Government' Pamphlets
Eight of the Prairieland Detention Center protesters were sentenced to a combined 450 years in prison.
Louisiana Cops Threatened To Arrest a Man for Handing Out Religious Leaflets. They Got Qualified Immunity.
Richard Hershey is asking the Supreme Court to overrule a 5th Circuit decision that blocked the lawsuit provoked by that obvious First Amendment violation.
Two Senators Offer a Bipartisan Solution to Censorship by Proxy
The JAWBONE Act would let Americans sue government officials who try to restrict their speech by pressuring social media platforms, broadcasters, or AI companies.
Bill Introduced in Congress To Codify the First Amendment Right To Film the Feds and Sue for Violations
Civil liberties groups say recording the police is core First Amendment activity. The Right to Record Act of 2026 would create a right to sue federal officers who violate it.
Todd Blanche Hates 'Weaponization' of Government Unless It Benefits His Boss
Blanche is happy to pervert justice in service of the president's personal agenda. No wonder Trump wants to keep him as attorney general.
The FCC Wants Warning Labels for Shows With 'Transgender' Content
But free speech advocates are pushing back.
Trump Loves Accusing Critics of Treason. U.S. Law Makes That Charge Hard To Prove—for Good Reason.
The president’s habitual attempts to criminalize dissent hark back to tyrants of yore.
Does Reporting Bad News About the Iran War Make You a Foreign Agent?
The Trump administration invokes the notoriously vague FARA to threaten a critic.
The Supreme Court Protected Donor Privacy. The IRS Didn't Get the Memo.
The federal government is still fighting to collect nonprofit donor information despite Supreme Court warnings that such demands chill free speech.
Judge Stops U.S. Treasury From Sanctioning Someone's Speech
The Trump administration accused Francesca Albanese of “lawfare that targets U.S. and Israeli persons.” But a court said that’s not ground to seize her property.
The Global War on Free Speech
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff discuss the global decline of free speech, why democracies are embracing censorship, and what can be done to protect open debate.
Trump Administration's Review of ABC's Broadcast Licenses Looks Like 'Illegal Jawboning'
When he returned to the White House, Trump vowed to protect free speech from the government. The FCC's latest move against ABC and Disney looks like the opposite.
