Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
Lawsuits
Reason Files FOIA Lawsuit Against Bureau of Prisons for Inmate Death Records
Reason reported in 2020 on allegations of fatal medical neglect inside two federal women's prisons. The Bureau of Prisons heavily redacted reports that would show if women died of inadequate care.
District Court Halts New York Law Forcing Online Platforms To 'Respond' to 'Hateful' Speech
"Today's decision is a victory for the First Amendment that should be celebrated by everyone who hopes to see the internet continue as a place where even difficult and contentious issues can be debated and discussed freely," said one attorney.
An Alabama Man Was Taken to Jail. Two Weeks Later, He Was Dead From Hypothermia.
Tony Mitchell's death was a "direct and proximate result" of jail officers' "deliberate indifference or malice, and of their ongoing denial of Tony's constitutional rights under a scheme that continued to operate after his death," his family's suit states.
Can the Feds Prosecute Douglass Mackey for His Twitter Trolling?
Because of a series of misleading memes, a troll has been charged with conspiracy "to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate one or more persons in the free exercise and enjoyment of a right and privilege secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States."
A White Employee Is Suing the City of Seattle for Alleged Racial Discrimination
"If I disagreed or offered another opinion, I was told I had cognitive dissonance," Josh Diemert says.
Save Endangered Species From Environmental Regulations
A legal fight over the Arctic grayling shows how regs can hurt rather than help.
Yes, You Have a First Amendment Right To Livestream Cops
Plus: Some State of the Union fact checking, a livestream discussion about gun rights and violence, and more...
Police Officer Who Kneeled on a 12-Year-Old Girl's Neck Faces a Federal Lawsuit
According to the suit, the officer "acted with malice or in reckless disregard of Jane Doe's federally protected rights."
An Iowa Town Charged a Man With Disorderly Conduct Because He Called a Cop a 'Domestic Abuser'
Now a judge has cleared him of wrongdoing and struck down the rule used to justify the arrest.
Police Harassed a Man Holding a 'God Bless the Homeless Vets' Sign. He's Suing.
"My intention is to ensure that all Americans from the wealthiest millionaire to the poorest homeless person can exercise these rights without fear of consequence from our government," said Jeff Gray.
A Wisconsin Town Targeted a Couple's Political Yard Sign. Now, They're Suing.
"Everybody should have an expectation that they can put a sign in their yard and speak on a certain topic," a lawyer for the couple said.
Texas Death Row Prisoners Sue Over Automatic Solitary Confinement
The state's "arbitrary requirement to house all male death row prisoners in permanent solitary confinement does not promote safety and security, is inconsistent with correctional best practices, and serves no penological purpose," the lawsuit claims.
A Louisiana Town Repeatedly Arrested a Man for His 'FUCK JOE BIDEN' Flags. Now, He's Suing.
"The Town has routinely detained, cited, and forced Mr. Brunet to go to trial to vindicate his constitutional rights, taking the extraordinary step of adopting a boldly unconstitutional local Ordinance to silence him," the complaint reads.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Wrongfully Jailed Children for Months, New Lawsuit Alleges
"Sometimes I even feel like they wanted me in there, because I was in there so long," said one 18-year-old who was wrongfully incarcerated for 166 days.
Trump and His Lawyer Fined Nearly $1 Million Over 'Frivolous' Suit Against Clinton, Comey, and Democrats
Plus: Criminalizing light projections onto buildings, immaculate disinflation?, and more...
She Lost Her Job For Showing a Painting of Muhammad in Class. Now, She's Suing.
"Hamline subjected López Prater to the foregoing adverse actions because . . . she did not conform her conduct to the specific beliefs of a Muslim sect," the lawsuit states.
Seattle School District Sues Google, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok for Causing Teen 'Mental Health Crisis'
It's hard to believe its arguments will hold up in court.
South Carolina Supreme Court To Decide the Future of the Death Penalty in the State
On Thursday, the South Carolina Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case that could see the state's attempt to execute inmates by electrocution or firing squad declared unconstitutional.
Is Texas About To Use Expired Drugs To Execute Death Row Inmates?
Defendants say this practice violates the state’s own laws. The attorney general is pushing onward anyway.
New Jersey Town That Sued a Woman for Public Records Requests Now Wants Lawyer Prosecuted for Same Thing
Irvington made national headlines last year when it filed a lawsuit against an 82-year-old woman for filing too many public records requests. Now it says a lawyer for FIRE should be prosecuted.
Phoenix Police Sued Over Death of Mentally Ill Man in Their Custody
Officers piled on top of a cuffed Akeem Terrell after he was arrested for acting erratically at a party, and later found him pulseless and facedown in an isolation cell.
Illinois City Agrees To Stop Fining People for Resisting Warrantless Home Inspections
Zion’s attempts to push out unwanted renters collides with Fourth Amendment protections.
Now Anybody Can Write a Sherlock Holmes Story
Nearly a century after author Arthur Conan Doyle's death, the character is finally free.
Judge Rules Illinois' Elimination of Cash Bail Unconstitutional
The governor and attorney general say they’ll appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Judge Agrees Consumers Can Sue Over Misleading Movie Trailers
The weird judge-invented "commercial speech" exception to our right to free expression breeds strange results in suit against distributors of the 2019 movie Yesterday.
City That Forced Landlords To Evict Tenants Suspected of Crimes Will Pay $1 Million To Settle DOJ Lawsuit
Plus: Elon Musk bans Twitter account that tracks his private jet, Iong permit waits to build new apartment buildings in San Francisco, and more...
California's Landmark Environmental Law Finally Comes for the Legislature Itself
Golden State lawmakers have refused to fix the California Environmental Quality Act. Now it could cost them a brand new office building.
Indiana Lawsuit Accuses TikTok of Fraud, Calls the App a 'Chinese Trojan Horse'
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok's algorithm funnels inappropriate content directly to teens. That not only defies logic, but it is also antithetical to how a social media platform keeps users.
New York Forces Websites To Monitor 'Hateful' Speech. A New Lawsuit Says This Violates the First Amendment.
"The state of New York can't turn bloggers into Big Brother, but it's trying to do just that," said FIRE attorney Daniel Ortner.
Arizona Town To Pay $8 Million to Widow of Daniel Shaver, Shot While Crawling Unarmed Toward Police
The cop who killed Shaver was fired. But he will receive a disability pension for the rest of his life because he claims he has post-traumatic stress disorder.
Alabama Jails Woman for Endangering Her Fetus. She Wasn't Pregnant.
Plus: Jack Daniels sues Bad Spaniel, Oregon issues marijuana pardons, and more...
A Michigan Mayor Tried To Stop Constituents From Criticizing Her. Now, They're Suing.
Monique Owens shouted over critical speakers at a September city council meeting, claiming it was her "First Amendment right."
Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Is Unconstitutional, Says Federal Judge
Plus: Users surge on decentralized social media platform Mastodon, the fall of city drugstores, and more...
Arizona Appeals Court Deflates Subsidies for Space Balloons
According to the ruling, the Pima County Board of Supervisors violated the state constitution's Gift Clause with its sweetheart deal to a space tourism company.
Some Supreme Court Justices Want the Court To Tackle More Government Abuse Cases
Unfortunately, in five separate cases today, they're outnumbered.
Reddit Is Not Guilty of Sex Trafficking, Says Court
In a post-FOSTA world, Section 230 still protects websites from lawsuits over criminal sexual conduct by their users.
United States of America Pageants Has First Amendment Right To Exclude Transgender Women, Court Says
Plus: The emptiness of Democrats' pro-democracy rhetoric, the real reason Social Security checks are getting bigger, and more...
Michigan Court Allows Town To Use Drones To Snoop Without Warrants. One Couple Is Suing.
The Institute for Justice argues evidence from warrantless searches can’t be used for zoning enforcement.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against TikTok Over Child's Death in Blackout Challenge
In his dismissal order, the judge cited Section 230, the law protecting websites from liability for user-generated content.
Bikini Baristas Win Lawsuit Over Unconstitutional Dress Code
Plus: Fiona Apple fights for court transparency, ACLU asks SCOTUS to consider boycott ban, and more...
Texas Pete Hot Sauce the Latest Victim in Exploding Trend of Cynical False Labeling Lawsuits
A handful of law firms are behind a spike in class-action lawsuits claiming consumers are harmed by opaque, half-full macaroni boxes and "all natural" fiber supplements.