This Tennessee Town Claims Restricting Protests Helps 'Facilitate' the First Amendment
A new ordinance in Franklin will restrict evening and weekend protests and subject violators to misdemeanor charges.
Freedom of Assembly
The Kentucky Bill That Would Criminalize Words That Offend Cops Also Would Authorize Arrests for Distributing Water Bottles
The heavy-handed measure, a direct response to the protests provoked by the shooting of Breonna Taylor, looks like an attempt to deter constitutionally protected activity.
Pennsylvania Lockdown Lawsuit Victory May Cure a Plague of Pandemic Restrictions
“The Constitution sets certain lines that may not be crossed, even in an emergency.”
The COVID-19 Pandemic Keeps Proving Deadly to Liberty
As the pandemic rages on, nominally free countries are sliding down a path blazed by authoritarian regimes.
It Wasn't Tear Gas. It Was a Gaseous Substance That Causes Tears.
Plus: Protest updates, COVID-19 upates, a surge in gun sales, and more...
A Huge Blow to Hongkongers' Freedoms
New legislation proposed in Beijing signals the likely end of the "one country, two systems" policy that has allowed Hong Kong to flourish.
"Car Parades, Cruises, and Joyriding" "Are NOT Prohibited," at Least in Osage County, Kansas
And they would, I think, be peaceable assembly protected by the First Amendment, even in a time of epidemic.
It Figures That Michigan Is Among the First States To See Protests Against Social Distancing
Plus: Puerto Rico criminalizes fake news about COVID-19, wide geographic disparity in U.S. income growth, and more...
Religious Freedom Clashes With Public Health Enforcers
Plus: Signal will leave the U.S. market if EARN IT passes, Justin Amash blasts Michigan shutdown orders, and more...
Mississippi City Bans Drive-in Church Services
That violates the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and probably the freedom of assembly and association.
Gun Rights Groups Sue Over Virginia Governor's 'Emergency' Ban
The governor fears a gun-rights rally might turn violent; a judge refuses to stop him from barring weapons from the demonstration.
Burning Man Sues the Federal Government Over Permitting Fees and a Sketchy Appeals Process
A federal lawsuit demands that the government honor its appeals process regarding the costs it imposes on the annual event.
American Woman Tells Hongkongers 'Safety Is More Important Than Freedom'
Under Chinese authoritarianism, they'll have neither.
Don't Destroy the Constitution To Fight Drag Queen Reading Hour
Putting up with some drag-queen storytelling seems like a small price to pay to live in a relatively free society.
Pro-Democracy Activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow Arrested in Hong Kong
"Hong Kong is a place without basic political and economic freedom," Wong tells Reason.
Is the First Amendment Flourishing or Floundering in the 21st Century?: Podcast
Nadine Strossen, Eugene Volokh, and Stephanie Slade discuss freedom of speech, assembly, and religion at Reason's 50th anniversary.
Portland City Council Rejects Mayor's Constitutionally Dubious 'Emergency Ordinance' on Protests
Believe it or not, authorities can maintain the peace while also respecting the First Amendment.
Government Drops Charges in Inauguration Protest Prosecution
Defense attorney slams the attempt to prosecute for being part of the protest, which raised First Amendment concerns, for being a "waste of time and a waste of taxpayers' resources."
Harvard Commits to Ban on Single-Sex Organizations, But Will Allow 'Gender-Focused' Female Groups
Female groups are allowed to remain "gender focused," while male groups are penalized.
After Violent Attack, Portland Mayor Calls for Abandoning First Amendment
For the millionth time, there's no "hate speech" exemption.
How Important Are Nonviolent Protests and Media Criticism in Preserving Democracy? Depends Which Party You Belong to!
Striking findings from Pew Research
OSU Threatens to Expel Student Activists for Making Campus Staff Feel Unsafe
"The people in this building have a right to a safe environment ... where their jobs won't be interrupted," OSU officials say.
All Anti-Feminist Talk Would Be Criminal 'Hate Speech' If U.K. Activists Get Their Way
Um, guys, a government allowed to whimsically bar people from coming to the country is sure not going to stop with preventing pickup artists from entering.
A Swingers Club Is Rebranded a Church To Evade Local Busybodies
"It will have the same rules that many churches observe" except adultery is OK.
Another Infuriating Crackdown on Sharing Food With the Homeless
San Antonio targets a good Samaritan, because rules are rules.