Anger at the killing of George Floyd has spurred useful reflection about race and perhaps some important police reform. But the political and cultural forces have transformed in recent weeks into something far less healthy—a ferocious campaign of political conformity sweeping across American artistic, educational, business and entertainment institutions. Read More »

When a Twitter mob realized they were incorrectly targeting an individual for a crime he didn't commit, that didn't stop them from continuing to harass him for his political beliefs. Read More »

Three people were arrested today during a rally at the Hawaii State Capitol to protest local government restrictions aimed at stopping COVID-19. Read More »

Many of us in the free speech community have warned about the growing insatiable appetite for censorship in the West. Yet we have been losing the fight, and free speech opponents are now capitalizing on the opportunity presented by the pandemic. Read More »

This timeline tracks the free expression concerns raised as governments and private companies enact emergency measures to contain and manage the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Along with new regulations issued in the interest of public health come concerns about incursions on civil liberties and threats to free expression. Free speech and civil liberties advocates anticipated some of these concerns, but as regulations change and the crisis continues, new and unexpected issues arise. Read More »

At a moment when our society is desperate to find innovative solutions to daunting political problems, we should loudly condemn any surveillance efforts which might chill our ability to freely discuss and associate about pressing issues. Read More »

“The government can’t, under the First Amendment, pick and choose the message it likes. It can’t enforce one law against a message it disagrees with and not enforce the same law (in favor of a) message it agrees with.” Read More »

According to the lawsuit, Cohoon, a high school student, had a scare in March with COVID-19 and posted about her experience on Instagram. A few days later, a deputy sheriff showed up at her home and demanded that she remove her post or be cited for disorderly conduct, arrested and jailed. Read More »

Snitch culture is dangerous in a larger way, too, since it erodes the structure of a free society by breaking community bonds. "Denunciations provide the means by which individuals can harm others whom they dislike and gain relative to them within their communities. Ultimately, this can lead to a reorientation of society away from cooperation and trust, and toward hierarchy and obedience." Read More »

In recent weeks, police in several cities have arrested people who continued to engage in anti-abortion rights demonstrations or other advocacy efforts outside reproductive health clinics, despite stay-at-home orders and similar restrictions. The arrests and citations come as the fight over abortion access continues to play out during the pandemic. Read More »