News & Opinion

The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned a lower court, ruling that a police officer violated a man’s First Amendment rights when they arrested him for holding a sign warning of a police traffic checkpoint. (Reason, March 3, 2023, by C.J. Ciaramella) The court said Michael Friend was not violating any law in holding the sign and that the police action in setting up a checkpoint was a matter of public concern. (Courthouse News

An English professor won a $1 million settlement after he was fired for reporting incidents of antisemitism and sexual harassment. In firing him, Linfield University violated school policy in not affording Daniel Pollack-Pelzer due process. (The Free Speech Center, February 27, 2023, by Dennis Hetzel( Pollack-Pelzer said of the settlement, “Everyone should be able to work and study without fear of discrimination or harassment, and everyone should be able to report their safety concerns without

A federal appeals court ruled that San Francisco could require committees formed to contest ballot measures to reveal their top three donors. The city had held that these committees often tried to hide their intentions from the public. A group filing a lawsuit against the law argued that the disclosure requirement was a violation of the First Amendment. (Courthouse News Service, March 8, 2023, by Eric Burkett) Seventy-seven of the voters approved the law in

Professor Sarah Conly of Bowdoin College argues for restricting some types of speech in educational settings. She argues that the most essential goal of colleges and universities is to provide and promote education. There are two vital element to this quest, to know the truth supported by true facts and to learn how to determine which ideas are correct. Given this, education requires selection of what is said. (Reason, February 24, 2023, by Eugene Volokh)