Free Speech

Maj. Nidal Hasan and the "Desperation Explanation"

Heather Robinson | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Heather Robinson

Mainstream media has helped to cloud perceptions of the true causes of suicide terrorism. They've reinforced the perception that suicide bombing and other forms of terrorism are in some sense arguably justifiable.

Censored Images of Muhammad Finally Printed in New Book

Greg Lukianoff | Posted 11.10.2009 | Media


Greg Lukianoff

My organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), is proud to join a broad coalition criticizing Yale University's decision to censor the Muhammad cartoons from a book about the cartoons.

Under Attack, Credit Raters Turn to the First Amendment

HuffPost Investigative Fund | By Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert | Posted 11.03.2009 | Business


Editor's note: This is the first of three articles by the Investigative Fund on the credit rating companies. To help with the investigation, sign up ...

Frankfurt Book Fair Official Fired For Treatment Of Chinese

The New York Times | STEVEN ERLANGER | Posted 10.22.2009 | Books


The Frankfurt Book Fair, which struggled to find a balance between free speech and honoring China as its featured country, dismissed its project manag...

Anonymous Push Polls: Coming Soon to a Phone Near You?

Luis Toro | Posted 10.22.2009 | Denver


Luis Toro

What kinds of polls are actually campaign advertisements? A Colorado court is set to rule on the answer.

Vikram Buddhi, Anti-Bush Blogger, Wrongfully Jailed, Says Family (VIDEO)

Russia Today | Posted 10.15.2009 | World


The case of an Indian student jailed in the U.S. more than three years ago, is being seen as a major test of America's human rights. A jury found Vik...

What Do Dog-Fights and Gloria Allred Have In Common?

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 10.10.2009 | Media


Judge H. Lee Sarokin

When lawyers speculate about wrongdoing, as in the Letterman case, and advance claims without factual basis, I wince for all of us who view the practice of law as an honorable and worthy profession.

Supreme Court Hears First Amendment Case In Selling Of Dogfight Videos

The New York Times | ADAM LIPTAK | Posted 10.07.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON -- Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wanted to know if Congress could ban a "Human Sacrifice Channel" on cable television. Justice Ruth Bader G...

Twittering the G20 Iranian Style

Leslie Harris | Posted 10.06.2009 | Technology


Leslie Harris

In the wake of protests last week at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, the police arrested a self-professed anarchist for using Twitter to coordinate communications among G20 summit protesters.

Free Speech Threatened Again (POLL)

The Huffington Post | Jessie Kunhardt | Posted 10.06.2009 | Books


Publishers, librarians, booksellers, and authors have banded together this summer in rejection of a government claim that there can be exceptions to t...

Supreme Court To Hear Animal Sex Fetish Case; "Crush Videos," Dogfighting Footage May Be Treated Like Child Porn

Newsweek | Krista Gesaman | Posted 10.04.2009 | Politics


Kittens, brutality, fetish videos, and dogfighting--these aren't the elements of a twisted cable-television show; they're just some of the factors in ...

Is the Obama Administration Supporting Calls to Outlaw Supposed Hate Speech?

Eugene Volokh | Posted 10.01.2009 | World


Eugene Volokh

I'm worried that the Executive Branch's endorsement of speech-restrictive "international human rights" norms will affect how the courts interpret the First Amendment.

The Corporate Marionette

Harry Moroz | Posted 09.25.2009 | Business


Harry Moroz

As the Supreme Court considers expanding corporate personhood, it is worthwhile remembering that corporate America was not handed down to us from above.

What Beck, Dobbs and Limbaugh Are Really Afraid Of

Timothy Karr | Posted 09.16.2009 | Media


Timothy Karr

The ultimate irony of Beck, Dobbs and Rush is that they couch in populist rhetoric a message that is anti-populist, designed to protect the swindle at the core of our media system's failure.

Tempests in a Tea Party

Jim Selman | Posted 09.15.2009 | Media


Jim Selman

They are a few thousand hard-core individuals intent on destroying possibility and undermining the man that a majority of Americans elected.

NY Billboards Cause Fight: Free Speech Vs. Beauty

New York Times | DOMINICK TAO | Posted 11.14.2009 | New York


Since the 1940s, at least on paper, the city has restricted, or banned outright, the placement of billboards along its highways. But because of haphaz...

As Supreme Court Hears Landmark Campaign Finance Case, Public Funding Solution is Missing

Bob Kerrey | Posted 11.11.2009 | Politics


Bob Kerrey

When campaign finance legislation levels up rather than limits down political speech, the result is more candidates from diverse backgrounds competing for support. Call it the ''more speech'' solution.

The Irony in the Tobacco Companies Suing So That They Can Tell the "Truth"

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 10.18.2009 | Business


Judge H. Lee Sarokin

If history is any teacher, I can think of no industry more deserving of scrutiny and strict government regulation, consistent with their free speech rights, than the tobacco industry.

Michigan State University: Serious Student Complaints = Spam

Greg Lukianoff | Posted 09.28.2009 | Media


Greg Lukianoff

We all hate spam, but censors, especially ones on college campuses, are remarkably good at bundling protected speech with speech that does not enjoy constitutional protection.

Brandeis University Called Out for Free Speech Abuses in Its Student Newspaper

Greg Lukianoff | Posted 09.26.2009 | Media


Greg Lukianoff

The Hindley case, the university's bungled decision to close down the Rose Art Museum, and various other abuses of student and faculty rights have continued to embarrass Brandeis University.

"The Free Speech Exception"

Earl Pomerantz | Posted 09.25.2009 | Politics


Earl Pomerantz

Yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater, and no First Amendment protection for you, Mister. You're going straight to jail.

The Tyranny of the Tantrum

Terrance Heath | Posted 09.25.2009 | Politics


Terrance Heath

What we're seeing from the health care town halls and what we've seen from the "birthers" is essentially what I call the Tyranny of the Tantrum, which many parents encounter during the "terrible twos."

Free-Speech Organization Launches Ad Campaign Warning Colleges That Violate Students' Rights

Greg Lukianoff | Posted 09.24.2009 | Politics


Greg Lukianoff

The ad focuses on the almost unbelievable tale of Keith John Sampson, a student at a college in Indiana who was punished simply for sitting at a table and quietly reading a book.

It's Time to Stop Carrying Guns to Town-Hall Meetings

John W. Whitehead | Posted 09.21.2009 | Politics


John W. Whitehead

Here's the bottom line: there are only two reasons for carrying a gun in America -- to protect yourself or go hunting. There is no valid reason for carrying a gun to these town hall meetings.

"Natural Growth"? There's Nothing Natural About Destroying Israeli Democracy

Hagai El-Ad | Posted 09.19.2009 | World


Hagai El-Ad

The price of "natural growth" and the other excuses-du-jour will be the unnatural further demise of Israeli democracy, as well as the prolonged suffering of Palestinians living under occupation.