Free Republic

Biden Press Sec calls for users banned on one social platform to be banned from ALL social platforms. "You shouldn't be banned from one platform and not others if you providing misinformation out there."

Trump’s lawsuits against Big Tech — although most Americans aren’t likely to hear this any time soon — could prevail according to analysts and experts.The familiar protest that private companies are not bound by the First Amendment is directly addressed in Trump’s lawsuits against the major tech companies; and the central argument that these particular private companies should be treated as agents of the state has precedent to support it.“Their censorship constitutes state action because the government granted them immunity from legal liability, threatened to punish them if they allow disfavored speech, and colluded with them in choosing targets for...

President Trump is expected to make an important announcement regarding First Amendment rights in New Jersey on Wednesday morning. “President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America, will make a significant announcement about his efforts to protect Americans’ First Amendment rights in Bedminster, NJ, on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, at 11:00 AM EDT,” the Office of the 45th President said in a statement on Saturday. Chairwoman of the America First Policy Institute Linda McMahon, and the CEO/president of the institute Brooke Rollins, are expected to join him at a press conference that RSBN will broadcast. Make...

President Donald Trump has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday where he will make a "major announcement" about his plans for social media, according to reports. The presser will be held at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey and is planned for 11 a.m.

<p>Former President Donald Trump is expected to announce a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against three of the country's biggest tech companies: Facebook, Twitter and Google.</p><p>Trump will serve as the lead plaintiff in the suit, claiming he has been wrongfully censored by the companies, according to a person familiar with the action. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the announcement.</p>

Law professor Alan Dershowitz was dragged online after saying Wednesday that former president Donald Trump's lawsuit against Google, Facebook and Twitter is an "important First Amendment case." "This is the most important First Amendment case of the 21st Century," the lawyer declared on Fox News' "Hannity." He went on, "It's important because it pits freedom of speech on the one hand against the First Amendment on the other hand. That may sound paradoxical, but remember, it's the high-tech giants that are banning freedom of speech. They are censoring but they're claiming the right to do so under the First Amendment...

In a 6-3 opinion issued Thursday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a California requirement for charitable organizations to turn over information on donors is unconstitutional. The opinion of the Court — authored by Chief Justice John Roberts — in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, Attorney General of California, found that "California’s disclosure requirement is facially invalid because it burdens donors’ First Amendment rights and is not narrowly tailored to an important government interest." The invalidated measure required charities in California to turn over names of their largest donors to the state, something conservatives say...

When you run down the list of issues the Oath Keepers are worried about, it reads a lot like a bill of particulars from the American Civil Liberties Union. The Oath Keepers don't like warrantless searches. They're upset that the executive branch has claimed the power to classify American citizens as enemy combatants, detain them indefinitely, and try them before military tribunals. They worry that a large-scale terrorist attack similar to 9/11 could lead to the mass detention of Arabs or Muslims, just as Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. They worry about crackdowns on political speech, protest,...

In honor of George Owell’s birthday yesterday, here’s a selection of our favorite quotes about freedom of speech, political correctness, and the First Amendment. “Political correctness is tyranny; just tyranny with manners.” – Charlton Heston “Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it.” – Mark Twain “The right to speak freely does not include the right to be taken seriously. And it certainly doesn't include the obligation that others must supply you with a platform.” – Johan Norberg “Those who call for censorship in the name of the oppressed ought to...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with a Pennsylvania cheerleader punished for a vulgar message shared on Snapchat, with the justices ruling the school violated the student's First Amendment rights when it disciplined her for the off-campus rant. The high court ruled 8-1 in favor of the cheerleader, Brandi Levy, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing the majority opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. While the Supreme Court found Levy's school went too far when it punished her for her social media posts, which are entitled to First Amendment protections, Breyer wrote there is some student speech that takes place off campus...

Source: Courtesy of Myra Adams"This decision might as well be written on the dissolving paper sold in magic shops." So wrote Justice Samuel Alito in the concurring opinion he filed last week in a case that pitted the City of Philadelphia against Catholic Social Services (CSS). The court voted 9-0 in favor of CSS. But the arguments presented were far from unanimous. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a weak opinion based on a technicality -- and was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Alito wrote a forceful counterargument based on...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday rolled out what it said is a new strategy to counter domestic terrorism: a series of changes to elevate the federal government's response to an urgent problem, with renewed efforts to deter, detect and prosecute those who would use violence in pursuit of political aims.SNIPIn a statement Tuesday morning, President Joe Biden said, "[O]n my first day in office I directed my national security team to confront the rise in domestic terrorism with the necessary resources and resolve. Today, I am releasing the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. SNIPThe new strategy...

Roselle Park officials have given a court date to a homeowner who has profanity-laced anti-President Joe Biden flags outside her residence. The Willow Avenue property owner was issued a summons Monday over three of six flags that her daughter, Andrea Dick, has on display outside the Willow Avenue property, including one that says “F--- Biden” and another that shows former President Donald Trump raising middle fingers. The summons charges Dick’s mother with “having signs hanging on fence containing obscenity” and cites an ordinance that prohibits signs featuring “obscene, pornographic or lewd messages.” She is scheduled to appear in court on...

A Loudoun County, Virginia, elementary school teacher who was placed on administrative leave in May for refusing to affirm transgender identity in children was reinstated by a judge Tuesday. Byron “Tanner” Cross, who teaches physical education at Leesburg Elementary School, secured a temporary injunction from Judge James Plowman in his lawsuit against Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), according to an announcement from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which defended him. “BREAKING: Tanner Cross, a Virginia elementary school teacher and ADF client who was suspended for raising concerns to the board about a proposed gender policy, has won a temporary injunction and...

The Washington Post's publisher accused the Biden DOJ of "unprecedented" assault on the media. Fred Ryan described an "escalation" in attacks on the First Amendment since Trump left office. The publisher of The Washington Post accused the US Department of Justice of an "unprecedented assault on American news organizations" under President Joe Biden. Fred Ryan said that government action against media outlets had worsened since President Donald Trump left office, despite Biden officials taking a much less combative approach to the news media in public. Ryan noted in an opinion article that Biden had criticized the Trump administration for using...

A former member of the University of Oklahoma volleyball team is suing the school and her former coaches, alleging she faced discrimination after she publicly shared her conservative political views. The Oklahoman reported Thursday that Kylee McLaughlin, 22, left the team this past season after she was forced to redshirt. The former standout said that sharing her political views, which contrasted with those of her teammates and coaches, resulted in her being discriminated against and ultimately being forced to transfer to the University of Mississippi.

A high school in Michigan has reversed course after initially telling a graduating senior that references to her Christian beliefs were "not appropriate" for her upcoming valedictory speech, her lawyers say. After receiving a demand letter from the First Liberty Institute, officials at Hillsdale High School relented after pressuring student Elizabeth Turner to alter the valedictory speech for her June 6 graduation ceremony. "I’m grateful I will be able to share my faith with my classmates, and I pray that God uses this situation to advance His kingdom," Turner said in a statement Thursday shared by First Liberty Institute, a...

In a recent episode of her podcast, Iona Italia expressed frustration about bad arguments against freedom of speech that she’s had to combat over and over again. I am therefore submitting something that is less of an article and more of a listicle: responses to some of the most common arguments against freedom of speech, and, where possible, suggestions for additional reading.Assertion: Free speech was created under the false notion that words and violence are distinct, but we now know that certain speech is more akin to violence.Answer: Speech equals violence isn’t a new idea. It’s a very old—and very...

A Michigan high school student was directed by her principal to remove religious references she included in a valedictory address she was expected to deliver on June 6. “For me, my future hope is found in my relationship with Christ,” Hillsdale High School senior Elizabeth Turner wrote in her prepared remarks. “By trusting in Him and choosing to live a life dedicated to bringing His kingdom glory, I can be confident that I am living a life with purpose and meaning. My identity is found by what God says and who I want to become is laid out in scripture,”...

I am pretty certain that California taxpayers will have to cough up the money to pay for Gavin Newsom's misbehavior, even as cop-haters press to make police officers personally liable for judgments against their actions on the job. Nonetheless, it is a satisfying development in the disposal of Newsom's unconstitutional shutdown of religious services in the name of COVID.Landon Mion reports on Townhall:California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $1.35 million for the lockdown of 3,000 churches amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has been deemed discriminatory.Newsom is required to pay the costs and attorney...