Free Speech

Supreme Court Unleashes Censors and Betrays Democracy

by James Bovard September 25, 2024

On the eve of the first presidential candidate debate, the Supreme Court gave a huge boost to Joe Biden to help him “fix” the 2024 election with maybe its worst decision of the year. It remains to be seen whether the court’s refusal to stop federal censorship will be a wooden stake in the credibility of American democracy. The court ...

In a Battle Between Freedom of Speech and the Legal Monopoly, North Carolina Sides with the Monopoly

by George Leef September 20, 2024

All government-backed monopolies are objectionable, but perhaps none so much as the monopoly that state governments give to their licensed attorneys. Laws against “unauthorized practice of law” (UPL) ensure that licensed attorneys won’t have to face competition from individuals who are not licensed. Obtaining a law license is extremely time-consuming and costly, which acts as a huge barrier to ...

The Government Pressured Tech Companies to Censor Users

by John W. Whitehead September 13, 2024

“Internet platforms have a powerful incentive to please important federal officials, and the record in this case shows that high-ranking officials skillfully exploited Facebook’s vulnerability... Not surprisingly these efforts bore fruit. Facebook adopted new rules that better conformed to the officials’ wishes, and many users who expressed disapproved views about the pandemic or COVID–19 vaccines were ...

How the Police State Muzzles Free Speech

by John W. Whitehead May 31, 2024

“Politicians of both parties want to use the power of government to silence their foes. Some in the university community seek to drive it from their campuses. And an entire generation of Americans is being taught that free speech should be curtailed as soon as it makes someone else feel uncomfortable.”—William Ruger, “Free Speech Is Central ...

The Language of Force

by John W. Whitehead March 27, 2024

“If the state could use laws not for their intended purposes but to silence those who voice unpopular ideas, little would be left of our First Amendment liberties, and little would separate us from the tyrannies of the past or the malignant fiefdoms of our own age. The freedom to speak without risking arrest is ...

When Corporations Serve As a Front for Government Censors

by John W. Whitehead March 8, 2024

“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. We must, therefore, be on ...

Is Free Speech a Relic in America?

by James Bovard December 1, 2023

Is the First Amendment becoming a historic relic? On July 4, 2023, federal judge Terry Doughty condemned the Biden administration for potentially “the most massive attack against free speech in United States history.” That verdict was ratified by a federal appeals court decision in September 2023 that concluded that Biden administration “officials have engaged in a broad pressure campaign ...

Conspirators for the Constitution

by John W. Whitehead June 8, 2023

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”— George Orwell Let’s be clear about one thing: seditious conspiracy isn’t a real crime to anyone but the U.S. government. To be convicted of seditious conspiracy, the charge levied against Stewart Rhodes who was sentenced to 18 ...

The War on Free Speech Is Really a War on the Right to Criticize the Government

by John W. Whitehead May 5, 2023

“Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek ...

Don’t Let the Government Criminalize Free Speech

by John W. Whitehead April 26, 2023

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”—George Washington What the police state wants is a silent, compliant, oblivious citizenry. What the First Amendment affirms is an engaged citizenry that speaks truth to power using whatever peaceful means are available to us. Speaking one’s truth doesn’t have to be the ...

Biden’s Atrocious Assange Prosecution

by James Bovard March 1, 2023

“A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press,” proclaimed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. But he was referring only to the Chinese government crackdown on Hong Kong journalists early last year. Unfortunately, the Biden administration continues rushing to destroy one of the most important truth tellers of our times. Julian Assange has been locked away ...

All of Us Are in Danger

by John W. Whitehead October 7, 2022

“If you can’t say ‘F@#k’ you can’t say, ‘F@#k’ the government.’”— Lenny Bruce, comedian Anti-government speech has become a four-letter word. In more and more cases, the government is declaring war on what should be protected political speech whenever it challenges the government’s power, reveals the government’s corruption, exposes the government’s lies, and encourages the citizenry to push back against the ...