freedom of speech

Read the latest freedom of speech news, cases, and stories on Newser.com

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Texas' Crackdown on Porn Has Officially Begun

Pornhub disables its site in Lone Star State over new legislation regarding age verification

(Newser) - An appeals court has cleared the way for Texas to enforce a law requiring age verification before someone can surf porn sites, and, not surprisingly, the porn sites aren't happy about it. In a 2-1 ruling on March 7 by the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit...

Teen Suspended for Mocking Principal Sues

Tennessee student says free speech rights were violated after Instagram posts made fun of school

(Newser) - It's not unusual for students to poke fun of teachers or administrators, but one high school principal who suspended a teen for doing so is now on the receiving end of a First Amendment lawsuit. The Washington Post reports on the complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court...

Critics Slam DeSantis' New 'Medical Freedom' Law

Florida bill allows doctors, insurers to refuse services based on religious, moral, ethical beliefs

(Newser) - On Thursday, Ron DeSantis signed what his office is touting as "the strongest legislation in the nation for medical freedom," with four separate bills that the Republican governor says offer "expanded protections [that] will help ensure that medical authoritarianism does not take root in Florida." One...

Here Are the Best, Worst Colleges for Free Speech

Per Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, 3 Ivy League schools are in bottom 10

(Newser) - Students usually head off to college excited to open their minds, on campuses where academic freedom is said to be valued and the exchange of ideas paramount. However, per Greg Lukianoff, CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, free speech "has gotten far worse in the last...

Lawsuit Over 'FCANCER' Vanity Plate to Go Forward
DMV Revoked Her Vanity
Plate. She's Fighting Back
in case you missed it

DMV Revoked Her Vanity Plate. She's Fighting Back

Federal judge rules that Kari Lynn Overington's suit on 'FCANCER' plate may proceed

(Newser) - Kari Lynn Overington was in a celebratory mood when she hit the milestone of being cancer-free for two years, so she treated herself to a new car and a vanity plate that said "FCANCER," a defiant message to the breast cancer she'd beat. The DMV issued the...

Rapper Sentenced for Lyrics Barricades Himself in University

Spanish rapper was convicted of insulting monarchy, glorifying guerrilla groups

(Newser) - "They'll have to break in to arrest and imprison me," Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel tweeted Monday after barricading himself inside a university building with around 50 supporters. Hasel, who holds radical leftist and anti-establishment views, was supposed to surrender to authorities by last Friday to begin serving...

Murdoch Puts Cancel Culture on Blast

News Corp chairman rails against censorship in rare public remarks

(Newser) - Freedom of speech is being suppressed by "awful woke orthodoxy," according to the head of the conservative publishing empire that includes Fox News. News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch spoke against "cancel culture" and a "wave of censorship" in rare public remarks Saturday as he accepted...

Samuel Alito Gave Quite a Speech
Samuel Alito
Gave Quite a Speech
the rundown

Samuel Alito Gave Quite a Speech

Supreme Court justice worries about religious freedoms, pandemic restrictions, gay marriage

(Newser) - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito gave a 30-minute speech via video to conservative lawyers with the Federalist Society on Thursday, and his comments on issues ranging from religious freedom to gay marriage to COVID restrictions were getting lots of attention on Friday. The details:
  • COVID: Alito stressed that he didn'
...

College Probes Professor After 'Black Privilege' Remarks

University of Central Florida looking into complaints of bias against Charles Negy

(Newser) - A longtime tenured psychology professor at the University of Central Florida is under fire after a series of online posts. Per the New York Times , Negy, who has written a book about "white Americans under siege," recently put up multiple tweets that he acknowledged "will infuriate folks....

Iran State TV Anchors Quit: 'Forgive Me' for the 'Lies'

The Association of Iranian Journalists says public trust is melting down

(Newser) - Two anchors for Iranian state TV have quit amid growing furor over the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner, Fox News reports. "Thank you for accepting me as anchor until today," said Zahra Khatami, formerly of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. "I will never get back to...

Prof With 'Stunningly Ignorant' Views Gets to Keep Job

First Amendment protects Eric Rasmusen, says Indiana University

(Newser) - The dean of the business school Eric Rasmusen teaches at calls his views "reprehensible"; Indiana University Provost Lauren Robel says they're "stunningly ignorant." But despite posts on his private social media accounts Robel deems "racist, sexist, and homophobic," Rasmusen won't lose his job...

LeBron Speaks Out on China, Takes Immediate Flak

Lakers star faces backlash as critics call him a hypocrite on Hong Kong post by Rockets' GM

(Newser) - The controversial tweet by the Houston Rockets GM has made its way to LeBron Land. In early October, Daryl Morey tweeted in support of pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong, angering China and hurling the NBA into the middle of a firestorm. Now LeBron James is weighing in, and he's...

Knitting Site Announces It's Banning Support of Trump

Ravelry bans posts, projects supporting the president, his administration

(Newser) - The latest group to take a stand against President Trump comes from ... the fiber arts community. Ravelry, which BuzzFeed calls "the most popular online forum for knitting fans," has issued a ban against any and all content supporting Trump and his administration, including "forum posts, projects, patterns,...

Case of the Brand That Sounds Profane Heads to Supreme Court

Erik Brunetti has long tried to get a trademark for his Fuct streetwear

(Newser) - Nearly 30 years ago, Erik Brunetti, along with skateboarder Natas Kaupas, founded a streetwear company with a name that, depending on how it's said, could sound profane. They started Fuct with no major issues, save for the trademark they tried to get for the name—one that the Patent...

'Expression of Disapproval' Got Her Fired. Now She's Suing

Juli Briskman says employer violated state law by firing her after she flipped off Trump's motorcade

(Newser) - While not everybody is in favor of flipping off President Trump's motorcade, "there can be no doubt that such speech is at the very core of the First Amendment and the Virginia Constitution," says a lawyer for a woman fired for making the gesture last fall. Marketing...

Satanic Temple Sues to Lead City Council Prayers

Group is taking Scottsdale, Ariz., to court

(Newser) - A group that invokes the name Satan as a metaphor for opposing religious tyranny has sued the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Ariz., accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting. Michelle Shortt of the Satanic Temple of Tucson...

Limbaugh: Trump's NFL Remarks 'Starting to Make Me Nervous'

Conservative talk-show host says he's 'very uncomfortable' with how president is acting

(Newser) - For the past few weeks, President Trump has been firing off tweets pressuring NFL athletes to stand during the national anthem—and for the NFL to make them do so —with his most recent post Wednesday claiming ( falsely ) that Commissioner Roger Goodell was "finally demanding" all...

For Years She Sat During the Pledge. A Principal Ended That

Now mom of high school senior India Landry is suing, saying First Amendment rights are violated

(Newser) - "This isn't the NFL." That's what a Houston teen tells KHOU she was told right before she was booted from school for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. India Landry, a senior at Windfern High School, says she was in the principal's office...

Major Glitch in Plans for DC Protests on, Near Inauguration Day

Women's march set for Lincoln's Memorial must change locale

(Newser) - Anyone planning to attend the Women's March in Washington on the day after the inauguration may need to look out for updates. The original location for the event—which has been widely publicized on Facebook (138,000 or so saying they'll be "going," another 227,000...

Good News, NH: You Can Take Ballot Selfies Again

Federal court says ban infringes on 1st Amendment rights to 'core political speech'

(Newser) - If you live in New Hampshire and want to take a picture of your Election Day ballot to post on Facebook so your friends can argue over your judgment, that's your call. So says a federal appeals court that overturned a ban on ballot selfies, ruling that the 2014...

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