Outside the Beltway

The Supreme Court will have another interesting First Amendment case on its docket this Term.

Mitt Romney is still being dogged by charges of changed positions. Now, he’s trying to spin that as a good thing.

Ten Muslim students were found guilty on misdemeanor conspiracy charges for their “plot” to shout down the Israeli ambassador during a speech at UC Irvine.

A case pending in Maryland raises the question of when boorish online behavior crosses the line from protected speech to criminal act.

What’s a little thing like freedom of speech when there are shops being looted and burned?

The Twitterverse and the Democratic National Committee are having a field day with Mitt Romney’s declaration that “Corporations are people, my friend.”

Is S&P’s downgrade of the US bond rating “free speech” and thereby protected by the Constitution?

A somewhat surprising First Amendment decision arising out of the 2010 Elections.

A European anti-Muslim blogger observes, ‘It is clear that Anders Behring Breivik is one of us.'”

Does a family court have the authority to tell a parent to delete a blog critical of his ex-wife?

The star of a controversial reality show about polygamy is suing to have Utah’s law that makes his living arrangement illegal struck down.

I’m continually shocked when demonstrably bright and accomplished people fall in love with authoritarian states.

Another major campaign finance case from the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court struck down a ban on the sale of violent video games to children, a victory for the First Amendment and parental authority.

Sarah Palin will be heading to yet another important primary state while insisting she isn’t running for President yet. And the press follows her like a lonely puppy.

Stephen Colbert has been running an ongoing shtick in which he’s trying to start a political action committee, gets letters from his Viacom bosses poo-pooing the idea, and then inviting his lawyer on to explain ways to get around these concerns.

Mitch Daniels, the candidate of George Will and a host of mainstream Republicans hoping for something better in 2012, has announced he will not be running for president in 2012.

A Texas high school student who was kicked off her high school’s cheerleading squad after refusing to cheer for her rapist had her lawsuit dismissed as frivolous and was ordered to pay $45,000 in legal fees.

A major law firm has withdrawn from defending DOMA in Court, and a public controversy has erupted.

Terry Jones may sue the City of Dearborn for its prior restraint actions against him. And he should.

By engaging in a blatantly unconstitutional prosecution of Pastor Terry Jones, Dearborn has actually boosted his nonsensical cause.

The duty to defend “hateful, extremely disrespectful, and enormously intolerant” expression.

The only people responsible for the murders in Afghanistan are the people who committed them, but the demagogues like Terry Jones deserve condemnation as well.

If we allow the possible reaction of the most dogmatic, evil people who might hear the message to govern our expression, we don’t have freedom at all.

The New York Times wins for “Afghans Avenge Florida Koran Burning, Killing 12.”

At what point does the legitimate right to demonstrate cross the line into infringing on the rights of others?

The Supreme Court rules that “offensiveness” does not trump the First Amendment. And they’re right.

It’s a Republican meme that President Obama has “apologized” for America repeatedly. The one problem with the meme is that there aren’t any facts to support it.

New York Times writer Adam Liptak discovers that a Supreme Court decision protecting “corporate speech” might not be a bad thing considering that he works for a corporation.

Examining Levin’s examination of the Constitution, jurisprudence, and property rights.

The events in Egypt have led some to ask if the mere act of cutting off access to the Internet is, in itself, an human rights violation.

The Obama administration’s slow and cautious response to Egypt’s protest was frustrating. And correct.

The House has voted to repeal the broken system of financing presidential elections.

Republicans in Idaho are talking about resurrecting the foolish and discredited idea of nullification as a weapon in the fight against ObamaCare.

Sarah Palin released a statement today about the Arizona shootings and the debate that has followed. It’s unlikely to help her.

The political firestorm that has erupted in the wake of the shootings in Arizona is drifting, inevitably, into calls for more government control over the content of speech.

The relationships between inflammatory rhetoric and political violence is complicated.

Constitutional interpretation is easy, right?

With DADT Repeal now on its way to being fully implemented, the right is now claiming that it poses a threat to the religious liberties of military chaplains. As with their other arguments, this one is totally without merit.

Contrary to current conservative talking points, Net Neutrality is not a nefarious government scheme to takeover the Internet, but is aimed to address a real problem. Like most ideas that involve the government, though, it doesn’t really address the real source of the problem; not enough freedom

Wayne State has canceled the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in the Media Award, citing its namesake’s controversial remarks.

Sarah Palin has taken to her Facebook page to raise “Serious Questions about the Obama Administration’s Incompetence in the WikiLeaks Fiasco.” They’re more interesting than I’d expected.