Billionaire businessman Elon Musk announced Thursday morning he would file a lawsuit against the “perpetrators and collaborators in the advertising boycott racket.”
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Commentary: The WHO Pandemic Treaty Is Deja Vu All over Again
One would be hard-pressed to find many Americans today who look back at the pandemic with fondness or admiration for the way in which our government – including our public health officials – responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mistakes made were legion, the cost mind-blowing, and the misconduct even worse. Indeed, Anthony Fauci, the very face of the pandemic for most Americans, seems to have embodied a contempt for integrity in government. His record-keeping practices and aversion to congressional and public oversight were the epitome of bureaucratic arrogance.
Read the full storyCommentary: Another Defense Against Bragg’s ‘Sham’ Indictment
Jury selection has begun in the New York City “hush money” trial of Donald Trump, who is charged in a 34-count indictment with falsifying business records of the Trump Organization. This case is part of a Democrat-led effort to engage in lawfare on various Progressive battlefields.
Read the full storyU.S. Senator JD Vance Pens Letter to Irish Ambassador Regarding ‘Authoritarian,’ Anti-Free Speech Legislation
U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) sent a letter to Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason on Tuesday expressing his concern over a bill in the Irish parliament.
The bill, introduced last year, would combat “hate speech” by amending Irish law “relating to the prohibition of incitement to violence or hatred against a person or a group of persons on account of certain characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics) of the person or the group of persons.”
Read the full storyTucker Carlson Interviews Father of U.S. Citizen Imprisoned in Ukraine for Criticizing Zelensky and the Biden Administration
In episode 47 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed Gonzalo Lira Sr., the father of Gonzalo Lira who is a U.S. citizen currently imprisoned in Ukraine.
Read the full storyPoll: One-Third of Democrats Say Americans Have ‘Too Much Freedom’ of Speech
A new poll from RealClearPolitics shows that a staggering number of registered Democrats think there is “too much freedom” to speak freely in the United States.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the RCP survey on Friday revealed that 34% of Democrats believe that Americans have “too much freedom” of speech, compared to just 14.6% of Republicans who believed the same. By contrast, 46% of Republicans believe that Americans have “too little freedom,” with only 22% of Democrats agreeing.
Read the full story‘Losing Our Freedom of Speech’: Parent Speaks Out Against Middle School’s Explicit Reading List
Cooper Middle School in McClean, Virginia, gave students an age- inappropriate reading list for their 7th grade English class this year, a concerned parent told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Students in the English class were assigned a wide variety of books on topics that spanned from illegal immigration to Black Lives Matter (BLM), according to a copy of the list. Although the reading list clarifies that students will not have to read every single book, one teacher at the middle school said students would have to choose books to read from the provided options unless a parent offered an alternate, school-approved book, an orientation video welcoming students to the class showed.
Read the full storyChristian Organizations Celebrate Supreme Court’s Ruling Against Forcing Web Designer to Work for Same-Sex Weddings
Christian groups applauded the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday that held “The First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees.”
Organizations, including the Catholic League, Family Research Council, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, submitted friend of the court (amici) briefs in support of 303 Creative, the custom website design business owned by Lorie Smith.
Read the full storyMassachusetts Family Institute Defends First Amendment Rights of 12-Year-Old Student Against School That Punished Him for Wearing ‘Two Genders’ Shirt
The Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) announced Tuesday the public policy organization sent a demand letter to the superintendent of Middleborough Public Schools on behalf of a 12-year-old student who was allegedly punished for wearing a shirt that said, “There are only two genders.”
Liam Morrison defended his First Amendment rights to his school committee on April 13, several weeks after he was reportedly taken out of gym class at Nichols Middle School and informed by school staff that complaints had been made about the shirt he was wearing that said, “There are only two genders.”
Read the full storyGoldwater Institute Introduces Plan to Rid Universities of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Monday that it, in collaboration with Speech First, is unveiling model legislation called the “Freedom from Indoctrination Act” (FFIA), which could ensure College students are not forced to receive instruction around activism ideology.
“This legislation would strengthen the Arizona Board of Regents’ existing requirements that Arizona public universities provide education in American Institutions by stressing the importance of the nation’s founding documents and principles. It would also build on the Goldwater Campus Free Speech Act, which the Arizona legislature enacted in 2018 to protect free speech on college campuses. Importantly—considering we’ve already seen Northern Arizona University require students to take classwork in Critical Race Theory (CRT)—this legislation would also ensure that no student attending an Arizona public university would ever be forced to take courses in ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or CRT as a condition of getting a degree,” a GI spokesperson said in an email to The Arizona Sun Times.
Read the full storyAthlete Riley Gaines Tells Group in Native Sumner County That the Issue is Not Just Fairness in Sports
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee – Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky turned women’s sports advocate, told a group in her native Sumner County that the issue is not just a matter of fairness in sports but one of freedom of speech and denying objective truths.
Gaines spoke at the monthly meeting of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans (SCCR), which moved across the road to the Beech Cumberland Church from its usual meeting location at the Shackle Island Fire Rescue building, due to the crowd size numbering well over 100.
Read the full storyArizona Court Rules Against the City of Phoenix in Free-Speech Lawsuit, Even After the City Made Changes to NFL Signage Rule
Arizonan Bramley Paulin has achieved victory in a free-speech lawsuit against the City of Phoenix which allowed the National Football League (NFL) and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee (ASBHC) to decide what signs residents could or could not display in a part of the City.
“This ruling is a huge victory for Bramley’s rights. Thanks to today’s order, Bramley will be able to exercise his free speech rights without unconstitutional restrictions on what he can and cannot say,” said Goldwater Institute Staff Attorney John Thorpe in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.
Read the full storyTemporary Victory Achieved in the Goldwater Institute’s Free Speech Lawsuit Against Phoenix
The Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Wednesday that its lawsuit against the City of Phoenix has resulted in a judge barring it from enforcing its “Clean Zone” law, at least for the next week.
“Phoenix residents and business owners shouldn’t have to beg the NFL for permission to freely communicate with the public on their own property. Yesterday’s temporary injunction ensures they don’t have to — and we hope that city leaders will do the right thing and repeal this unconstitutional mandate at next week’s City Council meeting,” said GI Staff Attorney John Thorpe in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.
Read the full storyPhoenix Allows NFL to Determine What Residents Can Display on Their Property During Super Bowl
The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) has called out the city of Phoenix for imposing free speech restrictions on residents in a “Special Promotional and Civic Event Area” (Clean Zone) leading up to and through the 2023 Super Bowl.
Read the full storyMAGA Rapper Bryson Gray Drops ‘Alex Jones and Kanye’ Hit, Talks Freedom of Speech in Limbo
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed MAGA rapper Bryson Gray to the newsmaker line to talk about his latest hit song Alex Jones and Kayne that deals with freedom of speech in America.
Read the full storyAttorney Cece O’Leary Discusses Restoring Freedom of Speech for Conservative Students at Liberal-Skewed Colleges
Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed attorney Cece O’Leary of Southeastern Legal Foundation and the Director of 1A violations to the newsmaker line to detail what’s happening at colleges and universities limiting the freedom of speech for conservative students.
Read the full storyGavin Newsom Signs Bill to Punish Doctors for Providing COVID-19 Vaccine Informed Consent Information Not Backed by Government and Big Pharma
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Friday a bill that allows the medical boards of California to be used as government overseers as they discipline doctors who provide their patients with informed consent about the risks of the COVID-19 mRNA shots and the benefits of early treatment for COVID disease with off-label drugs.
Newman signed AB 2098, which labels as “unprofessional conduct,” a doctor’s discussion about the benefits of early treatment of COVID with effective, readily available, and inexpensive medications already in use for years.
Read the full storyGoldwater Institute Helps Uncover Free Speech Concerns at the University of Arizona
A recent report shared that there may be issues concerning free speech on the University of Arizona campus following the disclosure of bias complaint documents.
“Colleges throughout the country have set up anonymous reporting systems where students inform on their peers to campus authorities, creating social justice activists who blow the whistle on their classmates’ politically incorrect social media posts or professors who fail to use the most up-to-date ‘wokeisms,'” According to a press release from the GI. “Now, the Goldwater Institute has uncovered what the University of Arizona tried to hide: an Orwellian campus reporting apparatus that fosters a culture of fear over free speech.”
Read the full storyGoldwater Institute Grills the University of Arizona After Refusal to Release Public Records of ‘Bias Reporting’ on Campus
The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute this week contacted the University of Arizona (UA), demanding it grants a reporter’s public record request for copies of complaints filed under UA’s Bias Education & Support Team (BEST).
“College campuses should be places of free and open exchange, where students can respectfully discuss opposing viewpoints and think critically about the major issues of the day. But instead, progressives are using bias response teams to implement their own, illiberal agenda across the country,” wrote Goldwater Institute Legal Programs Manager Kamron Kompani.
Read the full storyFederal Court Strikes Down Law Against Openly Encouraging People to Come into the U.S. Illegally
A U.S. federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a federal law banning the encouragement of non-U.S. citizens to enter or reside in the country illegally is unconstitutional because it penalizes freedom of speech.
In a 2-1 decision, The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law criminalizes “vast amounts of protected speech” like informing non-citizens about social programs or telling family members to stay in the country even if their visa expires. Although the law is part of a broader statute barring human smuggling, Circuit Judge Nancy Moritz wrote that the law likely bans commonplace statements that are repeated across the nation countless times each day.
Read the full storyMark Brnovich Applauds SCOTUS for Upholding the First Amendment Rights of a Former Public High School Coach
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) applauded the Supreme Court of the United States for upholding the First Amendment rights of Joseph Kennedy, a former Washington high school football coach.
“This is a great win, strongly affirming our constitutional recognition for freedom of speech, religion, and personal expression for all,” Brnovich said. “The First Amendment is at the core of who we are as Americans, and we must vigorously uphold it not only in court but every day of our lives.”
Read the full storyFBI Director Says China Is Bigger Threat to U.S. Than Any Other Nation
On Monday, FBI Director Christopher Wray declared that the greatest foreign threat to the United States is the country of China, adding that the nation’s recent escalation of tensions regarding the country of Taiwan are “more brazen” and “more damaging” than anything seen in recent history.
The New York Post reports that Wray made his remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. Just days before the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Wray said that China poses a threat “to our economic security and to our freedoms: Our freedom of speech, of conscience, our freedom to elect and be served by our representatives without foreign meddling, our freedom to prosper when we toil and invent.”
“I’ve spoken a lot about this threat since I became FBI director,” Wray continued. “But I want to focus on it here tonight because in many ways it’s reached a new level — more brazen, more damaging than ever before, and it’s vital, vital, that all of us focus on that threat together.”
Read the full storyEmails Reveal University President ‘Struggled with Supporting Free Speech’ for Christian Activist’s Appearances on Campus
A Christian activist’s appearances at Salem State University prompted the institution to change its free speech policies while being legally compelled to uphold the individual’s First Amendment rights.
Campus Reform has previously covered the activist, Chike Uzuegbunam during his legal fights to exercise free speech as he publicly promotes his religious views, which have come under scrutiny for their purported anti-LGBTQ messages.
In October 2020, Uzuegbunam won his Supreme Court case against his institution after Georgia Gwinnett that his speech, which included controversial flyers, “should not be constitutionally protected,” Campus Reform reported in March.
Read the full storyTexas Governor Signs Law Preventing Social Media Companies from Banning People for Their Views
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law Thursday preventing social media companies from banning users for their political views.
The law, known as HB 20, prohibits social media platforms from banning or suspending users, and removing or suppressing their content, based on political viewpoint. The bill was introduced by state Sen. Bryan Hughes partly in an effort to combat perceived censorship of conservatives by Facebook, Twitter, Google-owned YouTube, and other major tech companies.
“Social media websites have become our modern-day public square,” Abbott said in a statement. “They are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas.”
Read the full storySupreme Court Rules Against California Requirement That Exposes Non-Profit Donations
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down a California requirement, pushed by Vice President Kamala Harris while she was Attorney General, that would force the disclosure of donations to various non-profits.
In an opinion siding with the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) and Americans For Prosperity (AFP), who both sued the state, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “The government may regulate in the First Amendment area only with narrow specificity, and compelled disclosure regimes are no exception.”
Read the full storyMemphis Entrepreneur Jeff Webb Talks About His New Book American Restoration and Helping the Middle Class
Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Memphis entrepreneur, CEO, and author Jeff Webb to the newsmakers line to discuss his new book American Restoration.
Read the full storySen. Blackburn Introduces Resolution to Protect Freedom of Speech at Universities
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday about her newly introduced resolution to encourage free speech and inclusive debate on college campuses. Video of her remarks on the Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2019 is available here. College campus protests in the 1960s framed Americans’ ideas for what modern protests look like, Blackburn told the Senate. “Once-sleepy college campuses became the scenes of widespread unrest,” she said. Blackburn referenced the Supreme Court ruling in Healy v. James that found that Central Connecticut State University had deprived students of their First Amendment rights when the university prevented the formation of a local chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. Free speech of conservative views is being stifled at universities today, she said. Blackburn, in a press release, said, “On the eve of National Higher Education day, I am introducing the Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2019. It’s a first step in restoring sanity to free speech for American college students. It recognizes that universities should protect the free and open exchange of ideas and that freedom of speech is worth protecting in a world increasingly hostile to democracy.” The Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2019 is…
Read the full storyThe Origins of ‘Hate Speech’
by Kim Holmes Intolerance and illiberalism, nakedly defined as abstractions or principles, are seldom if ever outwardly embraced by progressives. None but the most extreme will argue that intolerance and censorship are good things in themselves. Normally the preferred course is more subtle. Instead of openly arresting people who say the wrong things, the new purveyors of intolerance try to sublimate their prohibitions on speech, expression, and thought into more popularly accepted channels. Something must be done to make these prohibitions more palatable, because there is still a great deal of respect in America for freedom of thought, speech, and expression. How to do that? The answer is quite simple: Change the subject. Shift the gaze away from the sanctity of speech to something more wholesome—to the feelings of minorities, for example, or to the supposed desire to live in more diverse communities. One of the most popular strategies is to carve out a special category of speech that, in theory at least, leaves the rest of free speech alone. If this can be done, speech can be regulated and criminalized without involving a direct assault on the First Amendment. A prime example of parsing good speech from bad…
Read the full storyJC Bowman Commentary: Celebrate Constitution Day
Our founding principles are critical as our country moves forward, if we are to survive as a nation. It is one area in which Americans are likely to find agreement. We celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th every year.
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