News & Opinion

A coalition of news organizations have asked a government oversight board to investigate the role of domestic spying in compromising journalist’s sources and ability to cover the news. Over 24 organizations are asking the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to find out the extent of surveillance of journalists; how the data collection is affecting the practice of news reporting; and policies and procedures in place to protect journalists and newsgathering. (Reporters Committee for Freedom

To fight street crime, California recently enacted a law requiring kill switches for cell phones, but many in the field are concerned about implications of the law. Some are worried that law enforcement or service providers could trigger a smartphone’s kill device at the expense of civil liberties.  (San Francisco Examiner, August 27, 2014, by Kate Conger) Others are concerned that the law locks in anti-theft solutions that could become obsolete and consequently a burden

The 6th Circuit U.S. court of appeals ruled that a demonstration by “Bible Believers” at the Arab International Festival was not protected under the First Amendment since in the Court’s opinion the Christian speakers intended to incite violence and once violence ensued, it could only be stemmed by limiting speech. Eugene Volokh in The Volokh Conspiracy in The Washington Post, August 27, 2014, objected to the Court’s stance as rewarding those who use violence to

The American Civil Liberties Union claims that Homeland Security is stonewalling their request for statistics about the border patrol’s practice of deporting people without due process. The ACLU filed a request in February on the numbers throw out of the country under an expedited “removal policy.” The ACLU also claimed that Homeland Security blocks reporters from obtaining the information in other ways by barring them from border areas and subjecting border agents to criminal charges

Judicial Watch is suing Homeland Security for reports of sexual misconduct by TSA screeners. The initial Freedom of Information Act request filed in March was prompted by a complaint by a Colorado woman that a TSA worker frisking her was sexually assaulting her. (The Blaze, April 21, 2014, by Pete Kaperowicz) Despite Judicial Watch’s agreement to narrow their request for information, TSA did not provide any documents. TSA also failed to answer the request for