Free Republic

Despite being slapped down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for ordering a Jan. 6 probationer’s computer use be monitored for so-called “disinformation,” a senior federal judge in Washington D.C. appears ready to reimpose the restriction on Daniel Goodwyn of Corinth, Texas. Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ordered Mr. Goodwyn to “show cause” for why the computer monitoring provision should not be reimposed. Judge Walton set a June 4 hearing date on the issue in Washington.

As journalists, it’s our job to choose our words wisely and not perpetuate stereotypes. n the 13 years that I’ve lived in the US, I’ve heard the words “No can do” on so many occasions — from teachers, comics, news anchors, Hall & Oates — that I’ve always thought it was simply a cheeky way to say “alas.” But the phrase, I learned several days ago, emerged in the late 19th century, around the time the US passed the Chinese Exclusion Act banning immigration from China, the country of my birth. Some white Americans popularized the saying to mock the...

On XApr 17, 2024 TRANSCRIPT:Katherine Maher: The number one challenge here that we see is, of course, the First Amendment in the United States... is a fairly robust protection of rights, and that is a protection of rights, both for platforms, which I actually think is very important. The platforms have those rights to regulate what kind of content they want on their sites, but it also means it is a little bit tricky to really address some of the real challenges of 'where does bad information come from?' and some of the influence peddlers who have made a real...

"So my biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways in the most important time periods."-Ketanji Brown Jackson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With oral arguments taking place before the United States Supreme Court regarding online censorship, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a grave warning that the right to free speech would mean people could speak freely. As the nation's highest court considers whether the federal government can limit free speech on social media platforms, Justice Jackson expressed alarm at the potential for the First Amendment provision of free speech to allow people to actually say whatever they want. "This is a very dangerous idea," Jackson said. "Having the right to free speech plainly written into the Constitution could set...

In a debate Monday at the Supreme Court challenging the Biden administration’s alleged coordination with Big Tech to censor certain messages, one justice raised eyebrows in her comments about the government’s relationship with the First Amendment. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states Missouri and Louisiana that accused high-ranking government officials of working with giant social media companies “under the guise of combating misinformation” that ultimately led to censoring speech on topics that included Hunter Biden’s laptop, COVID-19 origins and the efficacy of face masks — which the states argued was a First Amendment violation. In nearly...

This afternoon, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted about today’s US Supreme Court case (Murthy v. Missouri) that involves several plaintiffs, including The Gateway Pundit, who have been harmed by censorship by the government and big tech. In his tweet, Senator Rand Paul wrote: Today, SCOTUS heard Murthy v. Missouri, the most consequential free speech case in U.S. history. This isn’t just about social media companies; it’s a critical examination of government overreach. The Biden administration and FBI’s efforts to influence Big Tech into silencing dissent tramples on the 1st Amendment. Our focus must be on preventing government censorship, not compelling...

Far-left NY judge Juan Merchan Monday night expanded Trump’s gag order and barred the former president from criticizing his family members. Last week Judge Merchan hit Trump with a gag order. Merchan ordered Trump to refrain from making any public statements about witnesses and jurors in the Stormy Daniels case. Alvin Bragg accused Trump of violating the gag order when he criticized Merchan’s daughter even though she isn’t a witness or a juror. President Trump last Wednesday said the daughter of the far-left judge who just hit him with a gag order in the Stormy Daniels ‘hush payment’ case posted...

The Washington Post Editorial Board went to bat for the federal government colluding with Big Tech to police so-called disinformation online. Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow Gordon Chang was having none of it. “Don’t defund the fight against Russia and China’s disinformation,” decried the Board in the editorial. In the editorial, the Board defended the State Department-tied Global Engagement Center’s financing of the now-infamous Global Disinformation Index (initially based in the U.K.), which has since been panned for blacklisting right-leaning American media. The Post propagandized how the GEC “deploys a $61 million budget and a staff of 125 to counter disinformation...

If you think free speech is under attack in the United States—and it is—you should see its besieged status in the rest of the world. Open contempt for unrestricted debate prevails in even many supposedly "free" countries and finds its expression in laws that threaten harsh penalties for those who dare to speak in ways that offend the powers that be. Contempt for Free Speech "When other communications revolutions like the printing press, radio, and television came along, they were still largely controlled by the elites. But when the internet came along, regulatory bodies like Canada's [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications...

Officials insist it's only allowed 'when students are not present'.. A school district in Texas is being taken to court because of its decision to ban an employee from praying. It is the American Center for Law and Justice that has gone to federal court in Houston on behalf of Staci Barber, an employee of the Katy Independent School District. Defendants are the district and Bryan Rounds, principal of Cardiff junior high. The federal court filing explains that the district "violated, and continues to violate, her rights to religious expression by prohibiting her from praying when students might be present,...

Murthy v. Missouri perfectly illustrates the dangers of censorship, but Justice Jackson still thinks the government’s ‘perspective’ of ‘threatening circumstances’ should matter.. Following Monday’s Supreme Court oral argument in the social media censorship case Murthy v. Missouri, outraged free-speech advocates rightfully excoriated Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson for worrying that the First Amendment will “hamstring[] the government in significant ways in the most important time periods.” Given that “hamstringing” the federal government was precisely the purpose of the Bill of Rights, Justice Jackson’s comment laid bare the fundamental disdain she and other politically liberal justices hold for the classically liberal freedoms...

Ketanji Brown Jackson Defenestrates the First AmendmentAt her confirmation hearings, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson claimed she lacked the expertise to define “woman.” Just two years later, she did not hesitate to redefine the First Amendment and free speech as she advocated for the regime to bulldoze our Constitutional liberties provided they offer sufficiently sanctimonious justifications.At Monday’s oral arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, Jackson said her “biggest concern” was that the injunction, which prohibits the Biden Administration from colluding with Big Tech to censor Americans, may result in “the First Amendment hamstringing the Government.” This, apparently, was of greater concern to...

Six eighth-grade students in Southwick, Massachusetts have been criminally charged for their involvement in an alleged “hateful and racist” Snapchat group chat. According to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, the group chat in question featured appalling language and behavior, including a mock slave auction and derogatory remarks aimed at people of color. The existence of the group chat and the comments made were first reported to school authorities at Southwick Regional School. Upon learning about the group chat, Gulluni notified the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit to launch an investigation. Subsequently, he authorized the Detective Unit and the Chief of...

Democrats are no longer coy about their disdain for constitutional freedoms. They used to put on a show, pretending to be champions of free speech and swearing that they didn't want to take our guns. Biden era leftists have abandoned all pretense and now sneer at freedoms that many of us hold dear. After they leveraged COVID panic to help usher Team Biden into the Oval Office.. they got tired of carrying on the fiction. Biden's puppet masters have been flying one freak flag after another .. Ketanji Brown Jackson is Joe Biden's legacy on the court .. a real...

Another step towards implementing a Social Credit system.. Financial privacy is a right under the constitution, as is free speech. Under the guise of “credit review”, Stripe is now rolling out a requirement that appears to target conservative or "anti-vax" Substack authors. Stripe is requiring that these authors provide all of their current and historic financial records associated with the bank account into which Stripe deposits Substack subscriber payments (after taking 10% off the top for Substack and 3% for Stripe). Stripe already has information concerning this bank account (including deposits from Stripe), as we have been doing business with...

Free speech is on trial at the Supreme Court, but Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson is no fan of the First Amendment. The Constitution, you see, limits the government. But leftists want unlimited government — which is why they hate the Constitution. During Monday’s oral arguments for Murthy v. Missouri, formerly known as Biden v. Missouri, Jackson claimed to oppose any ruling in favor of Americans’ constitutional right to free speech if it limited the government’s ability to censor that speech via Big Tech. “My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways...

the appeals panel agreed that several federal offices and agencies, including the White House .. violated the First Amendment by coercing the platforms’ content moderation decisions. ... A federal appeals court ... finding that several agencies likely violated the First Amendment. ... The original case was brought by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, who alleged that federal officials unduly pressured social media firms to limit speech on their platforms, as they communicated concerns about posts related to the Covid pandemic or elections. ... The decision had an immediate impact. Following the district court’s order in July, the State...

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been given a not-so-nice name after she said officials would try to identify firefighters that erupted in jeers on Thursday at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously vowed to take down former President Donald Trump. The Daily Mail reported Saturday that Kavanagh has been labeled a “fascist pit bull” for planning to go after the first responders.

New York’s partisan Attorney General Letitia James was loudly booed at a ceremony for the New York Fire Department on Thursday. While speaking at the event, James is heard praising FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, right before a large number of individuals in the audience begin shouting former President Trump’s name. When James began her lecture, several in the audience booed, leading her to reply, “Come on, we’re in a house of God…simmer down.” NY Firefighters Loudly Boo Letitia James FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said in a statement, “Today’s ceremony was about one thing: the accomplishments of the members...