donal brown

A study of state laws regulating speech about government and policies revealed that states faltered in protecting the free speech rights of citizens with no laws that burden speakers or groups. Only Wisconsin earned over 80 percent and 35 states earned less than 50 percent with New York at 15 percent. Both blue and red states scored poorly with California at 28 percent and Florida at 29 percent. (Institute for Free Speech, August 8, 2022,

The Defense Department joined the Secret Service and Homeland Security on a list of government agencies that destroyed material related to the January 6 insurrection. Court records show that the government-issued phones of acting defense secretary Christopher Miller and Army Secretary Ryan McCathy were wiped clean when they left the government. Those officials were in charge of mobilizing the National Guard to protect the Capitol. (The Washington Post, August 2, 2022, by Karoun Demirjian and

Law Professor David S. Ardia, SSRN, July 4, 2022, argues that the view that the market of ideas is self-regulating, that more speech will lead to truth has not been borne out in the new world of the internet and social media. Instead the public relies on information that confirms existing biases and circulates it with little regard for its veracity. Many use the internet to undermine democratic processes. Ardia proposes two new rights under