The NIH Deleted Comments Criticizing Animal Testing. A Federal Court Says That Violates the First Amendment.
The NIH had been deleting all social media comments containing words like animal, testing, and cruel.
First Amendment
More Than Half of Americans Think the First Amendment Provides Too Many Rights
"Evidently, one out of every two Americans wishes they had fewer civil liberties," said one researcher. "This is a dictator's fantasy."
Prosecutor of Anti-Trump Protesters Allegedly Withheld Exculpatory Evidence and Lied About It
According to disciplinary charges against Jennifer Kerkhoff Muyskens, she suppressed video evidence that would have helped DisruptJ20 defendants.
70 Percent of College Students Say Speech Can Be as Damaging as Physical Violence
A new survey from the Knight Foundation found that more than 1 in 4 college students agreed schools should prohibit "speech they may find offensive or biased."
Trump's Favorite Justice Was One of Those 'Stupid People' Who Think Flag Burning Is Protected Speech
Antonin Scalia twice joined Supreme Court decisions rejecting bans on that particular form of political expression.
KOSA Moves Forward in Congress, Threatening Free Speech and Encryption
Only Sens. Paul and Wyden are expected to vote "no" on Tuesday. Power to stop KOSA now resides with the House.
Courts Close the Loophole Letting the Feds Search Your Phone at the Border
Customs and Border Protection insists that it can search electronics without a warrant. A federal judge just said it can't.
Trump Calls for Jailing Flag Burners
"Now, people will say, 'Oh, it's unconstitutional.' Those are stupid people," the former president said.
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
The Kids Online Safety Act would have cataclysmic effects on free speech and privacy online.
Coconut Trees, Price Controls, and Demand Subsidies
Plus: Gainesville shrinks minimum lot sizes, a Colorado church can keep providing shelter to the homeless, and Berkeley considers allowing small apartments everywhere.
This Colorado Church Wants To Shelter the Homeless. The Town Won't Let It.
The Church of the Rock is suing, arguing that the zoning crackdown in Castle Rock violates the First Amendment.
Man Who Was Arrested for Flipping Off Cop Settles for $175,000
However distasteful, the First Amendment protects a citizen’s right to give a police officer the middle finger.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
Louisiana Federal Court Affirms the Right To Peacefully Protest
Nearly eight years after it was filed, the vexatious lawsuit against protester DeRay Mckesson has been dismissed with prejudice.
Journalist Sues Cops Who Handcuffed Him for Photographing 'Cop City' Arrests
After police detained Benjamin Hendren, they urged construction workers to lie about him.
Tennessee Woman's 'Fuck Em' Both 2024′ Sign Is Protected Speech, Rules District Court
The town of Lakeland will have to refund Julie Pereira $688 in fines and fees and pay her $1 in nominal damages for violating her First Amendment rights.
Why the Media Covered for Biden
Plus: A listener asks whether Bruce Springsteen's song Born in the U.S.A is actually patriotic.
Oklahoma To Require Public Schools To Teach the Bible
"Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom," state Superintendent Ryan Walters announced last week.
Federal Intervention in Campus Protests Is Going Too Far
Department of Education settlements with protest-wracked colleges threaten censorship by bureaucracy.
Rapper B.G. Ordered To Turn Over New Song Lyrics to the Feds
Supervised release shouldn't require former inmates to give up their First Amendment rights.
Judges Block Indiana and Mississippi Age Verification Laws for Porn, Social Media
And the Supreme Court agrees to weigh in.
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.
Louisiana Parents Sue Over Law Mandating 10 Commandments Displays in Classrooms
"This is an obvious attempt to use our public schools to convert kids to Christianity. We live in a democracy, not a theocracy," one ACLU attorney tells Reason.
Supreme Court Remands Texas and Florida Social Media Cases—But Strongly Suggests the States' Laws Violate the First Amendment
The majority opinion makes clear that social media content moderation is an activity protected by the First Amendment. That likely dooms large parts of the state laws restricting content moderation.
Social Media Moderation Is Speech, Says Supreme Court
The Court is remanding these two cases for more analysis—but it made its views on some key issues clear.
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.
The Supreme Court's Dangerous Standing Ruling in Murthy v. Missouri
The standing requirements laid down by the majority might make it extremely difficult or impossible for victims of indirect goverment censorship to get their cases to court.
SCOTUS Declines To Punish the Feds for Suppressing Social Media Speech
The verdict in Murthy v. Missouri is a big, flashing green light that jawboning may resume.
A Government Veto on Speech at the Supreme Court
Murthy v. Missouri challenges government efforts to suppress dissenting viewpoints on social media.
Jay Bhattacharya on COVID, Social Media Censorship, and Trump vs. Biden
"It’s not like public health is infallible," the Stanford professor and Great Barrington Declaration author tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
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."
A Florida Man Was Arrested for Filming Marion County Sheriff's Deputies. Now He's Suing.
Numerous federal appeals courts have ruled that filming police is protected under the First Amendment, but police continue to illegally arrest people for it.
NIMBY Towns, Fake Parks, and Eminent Domain
Plus: unpermitted ADUs in San Jose, Sen. J.D. Vance's mass deportation plan for housing affordability, and the California Coastal Commission's anti-housing record.
Justice Department Says Phoenix Police Violated Rights of Children, Minorities, Protesters, Homeless People
Phoenix police are trained that "deescalation" means overwhelming and immediate force, whether or not it's necessary.
New York Community College Abruptly Cancels Jewish Student Event
This isn't the first time a student event has been canceled over alleged safety issues.
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."
'If They Can Control the Flow of Information, They Can Control You': BASEDPolitics Sues To Stop TikTok Ban
The plaintiffs hope to "help Republicans and conservatives see why this ban is inconsistent with the free speech values they say they care about."
Louisiana's New 25-Foot Legal Forcefield for Police Threatens Accountability and Civil Liberties
A new law will make it much harder to film law enforcement officers in their public duties. Does that violate the First Amendment?
D.C.'s Rules for Subway Ads Are Blocked in Federal Court
The transit authority was sued after rejecting an ad that directed viewers to go to a website "to find out about the faith of our founders."
Maryland Elementary School Tries To Force Students To Say The Pledge
Students have a constitutional right to refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance, no matter what school officials think.
The Supreme Court Was Right to Consider Andrew Cuomo's Unconstitutional Motives in NRA v. Vullo—and the same Principle Applies to Trump and Other Presidents
Chief executives' illicit motives can render their subordinates' actions unconstitutional. There is good reason for courts to enforce that rule.
The NRA's Unanimous Supreme Court Victory Is Good for Free Speech—No Matter How You Feel About Guns
The ACLU, another polarizing organization, was willing to defend the NRA in court. That should tell you that some things aren't partisan.
These Strange Bedfellows Want SCOTUS To Remind the 5th Circuit That Journalism Is Not a Crime
An ideologically diverse mix of individuals and organizations supports a Texas journalist who was arrested for asking questions.
This Journalist Was Arrested, Strip-Searched, and Jailed for Filming Police. Will He Get Justice?
Justin Pulliam's arrest and lawsuit once again demand we ask if "real" journalists are entitled to a different set of rights.
Ending Section 230 Would Kill the Internet as We Know It
Don’t unleash censors; restrain them more!
Vox Wants Progressives To Support Free Speech for the Wrong Reasons
Eric Levitz argues that the left should take a stand against censorship—for practical rather than principled reasons.
