Recent News
President Abraham Lincoln in many ways embodied the American dream. He came from humble beginnings yet rose to the highest office in the land. Born at a time when Black Americans were enslaved, he helped lead the charge to bring them into that dream. He was elected leader of a nation that was tearing itself […]
A news round-up on digital speech, social media, and tech The president believed it to be a “dangerous weapon” and signed a law to regulate its use. The “dangerous weapon”? A typewriter. Yes, in 1983, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu signed a law requiring citizens to seek police permission to own a typewriter. Some things never […]
The challenging part about defending free speech is that it means defending speech you hate. There has been a lot of that for me the last couple of weeks. Hamas terrorists killed Israeli civilians on October 7 and took hostage many more, including young children. While many individuals and organizations released statements and protested against […]
Forget the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte to Starbucks menus. Fall means the Supreme Court is back! Yes, the 2023-2024 Supreme Court term started on Monday, October 2. There are a lot of big cases on the Court’s docket already. And the Court will continue announcing through January any additional ones it will hear […]
Newsletter readers: Please welcome back my AFP colleague David Voorman, who joined us a few months ago to discuss self-censorship, protest rights, and professional athletes. He’s back this week to look at the ways politicians and government use new technologies as an excuse to censor speech. – Casey What does artificial intelligence have to do […]
Allow me to be the first to wish you a happy Constitution Day Eve Eve Eve! Yes, in just a few days, our country will celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution – September 17 marks Constitution Day. In my humble opinion as a constitutional attorney, this day deserves much more celebration. Constitution Day celebrates […]
A “Back to School Free Speech Guide” for parents Backpack. Pencils. Paper. You know the items on every back-to-school list for children. But what about for parents? A viral video from Colorado this week in which a school reportedly removed a student from class for wearing a Gadsden flag patch reminds us that parents and […]
I’m back from my vacation! And I’ve been catching up on all the news I missed (or studiously avoided) while I was across the Atlantic. Truthfully, while I always appreciate the opportunity to experience other cultures and immerse myself in history, I remain grateful that we live in the nation where free speech is more […]
Quick note for our AFP civil liberties newsletter readers: I’m excited to share that I’m currently on vacation. I’m even more excited to share that I haven’t been replaced by Artificial Intelligence or ChatGPT; instead, I’m handing this week’s civil liberties newsletter over to AFP Senior Policy Analyst James Czerniawski, who specializes in technology and […]
