Texas
Deepfake Crackdowns Threaten Free Speech
From criminal penalties to bounty hunters, state laws targeting election-related synthetic media raise serious First Amendment concerns.
2024: The Year of the Driverless Car
Waymo is expanding its autonomous taxi fleet that can carry passengers on public roads, no human driver required.
Texas State Ed Board Approves Curriculum That Emphasizes Biblical Teachings
Critics say the curriculum borders on outright proselytization.
The New FCC Chairman's Agenda Contradicts Conservative Principles
Brendan Carr’s plans for "reining in Big Tech" are a threat to limited government, free speech, free markets, and the rule of law.
After Wrongful Diagnosis, Texas CPS Took This Baby Away
Thankfully, a judge reunited the Boatright family last week.
Texas Bill Takes Aim at Online Speech About Abortion Pills
Abortion battles are becoming tech policy battles.
Review: Like Friday Night Lights, But For High School Mariachi
A documentary on Netflix follows a team of young musicians vying for competition wins in Texas.
Texas Cops Fired for 'Inappropriate' Sexual Contact With Massage Workers
As a result of the internal affairs investigation, three Lewisville officers were fired, one was demoted, and seven were suspended without pay.
Dallas Voters Nix an All-Purpose Excuse for Police Harassment: 'I Smelled Marijuana'
The ballot initiative says a whiff of weed does not establish probable cause for a search or seizure, which was already doubtful in light of hemp legalization.
To Get Through This Election, Take an Edible
Whether you're facing existential dread about this election's outcome or just hoping that we at least know the outcome before the week is over, cannabis can be a welcome stress reliever.
Citizen Journalism Is Under Attack. This Texas Woman Is Fighting to Save It.
After being arrested for doing journalism, Priscilla Villarreal has taken her fight to the courts.
The Best of Reason: Secession Is Back in Style in Texas
Can't Americans all just get along? Maybe we can't—and perhaps we shouldn't have to.
This Mom Was Arrested and Jailed for Making Her Son Walk a Half-Mile Home
Media hysteria and overzealous governments have led many to believe that childhood independence is a form of abuse.
Texas Lawmakers Temporarily Save Death Row Inmate Robert Roberson From the Execution Chamber
Roberson was scheduled to become the first person in the country to be executed based on "shaken baby syndrome" evidence, until Texas lawmakers subpoenaed him to testify.
These Texas Inmates Wrote a Book. Then the Prison System Banned It.
The government will prevent prisoners from getting TEXAS LETTERS, an anthology about experiences with solitary confinement.
This Reporter Was Arrested for Asking Questions. The Supreme Court Just Revived Her Lawsuit.
Priscilla Villarreal's case is about whether certain reporters have more robust free speech rights than others.
Secession Is Back in Style in Texas
Can't Americans all just get along? Maybe we can't—and perhaps we shouldn't have to.
Texas Appeals Court Overturns 'Shaken Baby' Conviction Ahead of Execution Date in Another Disputed Case
The court found scientific opinion about "shaken baby syndrome" has changed, and a man sentenced to 35 years in prison deserves a new trial.
A Texas Cop Endangered Himself by Jumping Onto a Moving Car. Then He Shot the Driver.
The Supreme Court will review a 5th Circuit decision that let the officer off the hook without considering the recklessness that turned a routine traffic stop into a deadly encounter.
Citizen Journalist Barred From Press Conference Can Sue Texas Sheriff for Violating His Rights, Judge Rules
The decision is a reminder that independent reporters are still protected by the same First Amendment as journalists in legacy media.
A Texas Reporter Was Arrested for Asking Questions. The State Says That's No Big Deal.
Opposing Priscilla Villarreal's petition for Supreme Court review, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton portrays basic journalism as "incitement."
Texas Court Rejects Last Appeal for a Man Set To Be Executed Based on Disputed 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' Evidence
Robert Roberson is scheduled to become the first person in the country to be executed based on evidence of what used to be called "shaken baby syndrome."
This Texas Woman Was Jailed for Her Journalism. Is She the Future of Media?
Priscilla Villarreal, known as "Lagordiloca," is suing law enforcement for violating her First Amendment rights. She is appealing to the Supreme Court.
Uvalde Police Timid, Bungling During School Shooting, New Records Reveal
If you want something done right, do it yourself. That includes protecting family, friends, and neighbors.
Texas Might Soon Become the First State To Execute Someone Based on Disputed 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' Evidence
Texas has set an October 17 execution date for Robert Roberson, convicted in 2003 of murdering his 2-year-old daughter.
Texas School Bans All-Black Clothing, Claims It's Associated With 'Mental Health Issues'
In a letter sent to parents, school officials say the clothing is more "associated with depression and mental health issues and/or criminality than with happy and healthy kids ready to learn."
Homeschooling Grows as an Escape from Failing Schools and Curriculum Fights
Turned off by fumbling public schools and curriculum wars, families teach their own kids.
En Banc Fifth Circuit Rules for Texas in Water Buoy Case, but Doesn't Resolve Issue of Whether Illegal Migration Qualifies as "Invasion"
The invasion argument is still being litigated in another case.
Texas Prisoners Are Being 'Cooked Alive' by High Temperatures, Investigation Says
Last year, one prison's temperatures stayed above 100 degrees for 11 days.
Constitutional Theory and the Meaning of "Invasion"
Leading constitutional law scholars Larry Solum and Mark Tushnet opine on how we might answer this question.
Utah Joins Growing Number of States Ignoring Biden Admin's New Title IX Rule
The Biden administration says its new Title IX interpretation is a legitimate reading of the statute, but opponents characterize it as arbitrary and capricious.
A Law Professor's Beef With a First Amendment 'Spinning Out of Control': Too Much Speech of the Wrong Sort
Even as he praises judicial decisions that made room for "dissenters" and protected "robust political debate," Tim Wu pushes sweeping rationales for censorship.
He Faced a Terrorism Probe, Went to Jail on a Gun Charge, and Now Is Charged With Drug Possession
Although the FBI never produced evidence that Ali Hemani was a threat to national security, it seems determined to imprison him by any means necessary.
Texas Voters Punish Lawmakers Who Oppose School Choice
Of the 21 Texas House Republicans who joined Democrats to kill school choice during the special sessions, only seven survived their primaries.
RealPage Conspiracy Theories
The media, state attorneys general, and the Biden administration are blaming rent-recommendation software for rising rents. Normal stories of supply and demand are the more reasonable explanation.
Reason Wins 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include an investigative piece on egregious misconduct in federal prison, a documentary on homelessness, best magazine columnist, and more.
SCOTUS Makes It Easier for Victims of Retaliatory Arrests To Vindicate Their First Amendment Rights
The justices ruled that "objective evidence" of retaliation does not require "very specific comparator evidence."
Juneteenth Is a Celebration of Freedom
The holiday represents a page-turning from one of the most shameful chapters in American history.
A Federal Judge Rejects the Lame Excuses of Texas Cops Who Kidnapped a Supposedly 'Abandoned' Teenager
The decision clears the way for a jury to consider Megan and Adam McMurry's constitutional claims against the officers who snatched their daughter.
Will This Bill Save or Scuttle California's Builder's Remedy?
Plus: Sen. John Fetterman introduces a new zoning reform bill, U.C. Berkeley finally beats the NIMBYs in court, and Austin's unwise "equity overlay."
Texas Public Library Can't Remove Books About 'Butts and Farts,' Federal Judge Says
The court ruled that it is unconstitutional for officials to remove library books with the "intent to deprive patrons of access to ideas with which they disagree."
Photo: Cops Crack Down on Campus Protests
The University of Texas is just one campus that has seen police arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators.