When Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Individual Freedom Act (a.k.a. the “Stop WOKE Act”) in April, he made it absolutely clear that his intent was to censor private speech. “In Florida, we will not let the far-left woke agenda take over our schools and workplaces. There is no place for indoctrination or discrimination in Florida,” […]
One challenge prohibitionists face is that not everybody supports their prohibitions. Many people under their nominal authority want access to what’s forbidden, no matter what the law says. Aware that the procedure remains available elsewhere, South Carolina lawmakers seeking a near-complete ban on abortion propose to forbid speech about terminating pregnancies to prevent residents of […]
Former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to try and retain his job after DeSantis ousted the prosecutor for alleged neglect of duty. DeSantis announced in an August 4 press conference, flanked by local law enforcement, that he was suspending Warren after […]
Do you have a constitutional right under the First Amendment to give people diet advice? The state of Florida says citizens can’t get paid for it unless they have the proper occupational license, and a woman threatened with fines for breaking state regulations is asking the Supreme Court to uphold her freedom to suggest healthy […]
In a zoning Catch-22, a small Christian congregation in Bedford, New Hampshire, is being told by local officials that because it got permission to add a meeting hall to a house it uses for church services, it has to stop using that house to host church services. The church is now suing Bedford, arguing that […]
After Kari Lynn Overington survived an aggressive form of breast cancer, she wanted to celebrate her recovery. So she got an “FCANCER” vanity plate. That F has led to a prolonged legal battle with the Delaware authorities, who moved to recall the plate for profanity. This week the state branch of the American Civil Liberties […]
A man was wrongfully arrested for standing outside a Bronx courthouse handing out flyers about jury nullification, the practice where juries render “not guilty” verdicts despite overwhelming evidence of guilt, a federal court confirmed last week. Michael Picard, a civil libertarian activist, was taken into custody in late 2017 after police took issue with him […]
Organized youth shooting is disappearing in California as a result of a new law sold as banning advertising guns to kids but also potentially penalizes any promotion of firearms to minors. Rightfully criticized as a totalitarian attack on gun-oriented speech, the law is also an example of desperation on the part of those opposed to […]
COVID misinformation not protected speech. A man who lied on Facebook about paying someone with COVID to lick items at a grocery store is not protected by the First Amendment, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The court’s decision upholds a conviction handed to 40-year-old Christopher Charles Perez last October. […]
From shows and movies ranging from Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers to Life of Brian and A Fish Called Wanda, the comedian John Cleese has uproariously and relentlessly satirized politics and religion while stretching the boundaries of decorum and good taste like so many silly walks. Now 82, Cleese—who studied law at Cambridge—has […]