After El Paso and Dayton Shootings, Threatened Crackdowns on Guns, Immigrants, and Internet Speech
Plus: the trouble with "national conservatism," the decline of the mortgage interest deduction, and more...
Hate crimes
The White Nationalist Who Drove His Car Through Charlottesville Protesters Gets Another Life Sentence
James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer in the fatal Charlottesville car attack, is sentenced to life plus 419 years.
Appellate Court Upholds Constitutionality of Federal Hate Crimes Act Conviction Based on the Commerce Clause
The decision is a complicated ruling that potentially sets a dangerous precedent for the scope of federal power under the Constitution.
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.
I Testified Before Congress About Hate Crimes and the Alt-Right. Here's What Happened.
A hearing on white nationalism produced some agreement that the FBI's hate crime statistics don't reveal strong evidence of a surge.
California Was Ready to Punish This Synagogue Shooter for Murder. The Feds Want to Make Sure He Is Also Punished for Hating Jews.
The federal hate crime charges against John T. Earnest are redundant and constitutionally problematic.
Anti-Semitic Attack on Jewish-Owned Restaurant Is Another Hate Crime Hoax, Cops Say
"We found evidence of a crime. It just wasn't a hate crime."
Kim Foxx, the State's Attorney Who Let Jussie Smollett Go, Has a Lot of Explaining to Do
"A case with the consequential effects of Mr. Smollett's should not be resolved without a finding of guilt or innocence."
The Southern Poverty Law Center Is Both a Terrible Place to Work and a Place That Does Terrible Work
Top executives are departing amidst reports of racial and sexual harassment.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Superintendent Still Think Jussie Smollett Is Guilty—and Are Furious He's Going Free
"Where is the accountability in the system?"
Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against Jussie Smollett
The FBI is still investigating, however.
From Momo to Hate Crimes, Skittles Parties, and Sex Trafficking, Fake News Is Clearly a Problem
Fake news is real. Momo is not.
This LGBT Activist's House Was Burned Down. Police Now Suspect He Set the Fire Himself.
Cops arrested Nikki Joly of Jackson, Michigan, for alleged hoax that resulted in the death of his five pets.
America Is Not as Racist as Jussie Smollet's Defenders Fear or White Supremacists Hope
We make a mistake when we think outliers somehow represent who we are as a country.
Stop Letting People Lie to You About Hate Crime and Human Trafficking Spikes
Government statistics often show more reports of both. That doesn't mean either is on the rise.
Chicago Police Now Consider Jussie Smollett a Suspect
CPD: "Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation."
Jussie Smollett Reminds Us That Some Hate Crimes Are Hoaxes—and the Statistics Are a Mess
As the investigation turns on the Empire star, it's important not to confuse "reality" with "narrative."
Reports Claim Jussie Smollett Allegedly Staged Hate Crime Attack; Police Say News Is 'Unconfirmed, Inaccurate'
Police, Fox contradict local reporters' claims.
Chicago Police Deny Claim That Jussie Smollett Identified Attackers as White, Can't Get Their Story Straight About Whether He Heard Them Say 'MAGA'
Empire star attacked on streets of Chicago late last night.
James Fields Killed Heather Heyer Because of Her Opinions, and Now the Government Is Trying to Do the Same to Him
The federal case against the Charlottesville murderer illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for their bigoted beliefs.
The FBI Says Hate Crimes Rose 17% in 2017, but That Doesn't Mean Things Are Actually Getting Worse
1,000 more agencies submitted data in 2017 vs. 2016, which could account for much of the increase.
The DOJ Should Not Prosecute Robert Bowers
The federal case against the Pittsburgh shooter is redundant and constitutionally questionable.
An Ohio University Student Said She Received Death Threats. The Police Think She Sent Them Herself.
The Student Senate has no regrets, will continue to believe survivors.
Law & Order: Hate Crimes Is a Bad Idea Built on Worse Statistics
But if the show must exist, I have some ripped-from-the-headlines ideas for upcoming plots.
Should This Obnoxious Drunk Be Punished for His Political Views?
That's what Illinois prosecutors are trying to do by charging Timothy Trybus with hate crimes for objecting to a woman's Puerto Rican flag shirt.
Cops Arrested a Black Man. He Called Them Nazis, So He Was Charged With a Hate Crime.
"This is not what the hate crime statute was for. This is criminalizing pure speech, and that violates the First Amendment."
Fight Hate Speech with More Speech, Not Censorship: ACLU's Nadine Strossen
Nick Gillespie talks to former president of the ACLU Nadine Strossen about the difficulties and importance of free speech.
Cops Have No Idea If Hate Crime Laws Stop Hate Crimes
..and other things I learned when I spoke at a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights briefing.
Another Hate Crime at the University of Maryland Turns Out to Be a Hoax
Beware of easy narratives about "bias incidents." We usually don't know who's behind them-and when we find out, they often aren't who you expect.
The Southern Poverty Law Center Scam
A "hate group" list loved by the media is bogus.
What Is Hate Speech? We Asked College Students
Should the U.S. join other countries in regulating certain speech? Can people even agree on what 'hate speech' is?
Hate Crimes in 2016: New FBI Numbers Show Little Change
The data should help dispel fears of a Trump-induced surge in American hate crimes.
Racist Graffiti Incidents at Eastern Michigan and the University of Maryland Were Both Hoaxes
Both perpetrators were black males.
'Hate Crime' at Michigan State University Was Actually Just a Missing Shoelace
How common are bona fide "bias incidents"? We don't know.
Hate or Hoax? When It Comes to Campus Bias Incidents, We Usually Have No Idea
A confusing report from BuzzFeed suggests perpetrators are seldom caught and true motivations are often unknown.
U.K. Expands Hate Crime Law Enforcement with Vague Online Crackdown
What exactly does it mean to treat 'online' crimes the same as those committed in person?
Gov. Cuomo Wants a New Hate Crime Law. Would Police Use It to Suppress Protests?
Enhanced sentences for rioting against a "protected class"? In two states, that now includes law enforcement.
Trump Denounces Racism in Charlottesville. Too Little, Too Late.
Did the president really need a teachable moment to denounce neo-Nazis?
No Rise in Hate-Crime Rate Since 2004
"Hate crimes" suspected to be motivated by racial bias have dropped, but those perceived to be motivated by gender bias nearly doubled.
Supporting Laws Banning Hate Speech Means Supporting Police Raids on People's Homes
Germany violently enforces the law by busting into dozens of households to prevent a "climate of fear".
Are Racist Remarks Illegal in Massachusetts?
A Red Sox fan's bigoted comment about a singer's rendition of the national anthem prompts a police investigation.
Are Trump Fans a Protected Class? Maryland Cops Charge Teens Who Burned Trump Sign With a Hate Crime
Cops say the 19-year-old women violated a state law against harassment based on "race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or national origin."
Dylann Roof's Many Sentences Highlight U.S. Hate Crime Law's Dangerous Redundancy
There is no reason to think federal intervention was needed to achieve justice in this case.
Kentucky Becomes Second State to Add Police to Hate Crimes Law
Louisiana already illustrating potential for abuse.
Do a Jewish Teenager's Bomb Threats Against Jews Count As Hate Crimes?
An Israeli Jew is accused of making frightening phone calls that were attributed to a post-Trump rise in anti-Semitism.
Do Crimes Against Immigrants Deserve More Attention?
The coverage of recent shootings of Indian Americans was muted compared to terrorist attacks
