Civil Liberties

Highlights:

A low-angle view of the U.S. Capitol dome against a clear blue sky, with an American flag flying in the foreground.

Introduction to “Fight Back: How States Can Counter Authoritarianism” Series

State and local governments have constitutional and legal powers that can be harnessed to challenge repressive federal actions and to advance meaningful freedom and equality.

The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture

Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This interactive graphic offers one method.
A wooden judge's gavel rests on a copy of the U.S. Constitution, with the opening words 'We the People' visible, set against a folded American flag.

“Fight Back: How States Can Counter Authoritarianism” Series

A series exploring the powers and authorities state and local governments have to check federal overreach and protect democratic norms and individual rights.
A smart-phone screen displaying the logo of main social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Telegram, X, Bluesky, Tiktok and Whatsapp.

The Government’s Unexplained Reversal on Social Media Disclosure Requirements

Social media disclosure requirements implicate fundamental First Amendment rights, and the public has a right to know why they were implemented.
A woman wearing a tan head covering with black and white stripes, her face hidden from the camera's view, watches a video of a pop singer on a smartphone, as she stands in front of a window.

U.S. Tech Companies Owe a Duty of Care to Afghan Girls Too – of a Different Kind

U.S. tech companies should take action to protect the Afghan women and girls who rely on their platforms for online education.
A close-up of U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche standing at a podium and holding a microphone at a press conference on August 12, 2026.

Four Things State and Local Prosecutors Can Do to Combat Federal Corruption

State attorneys general and local district attorneys can take action to uphold the rule of law in the face of unlawful federal actions.
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1,459 Articles

“In Focus” Syllabus Supplements: ICE and CBP Operations in Minnesota and Other States (2025–2026)

This syllabus supplement offers curated articles intended to be combined with traditional casebooks in a law or higher ed classroom.
Multiple rows of razor wire fencing surround the California City Immigration Processing Center, with a guard tower flying the American, California state, and CoreCivic flags in the background. Three people walk within the fenced perimeter near tan detention buildings, with hazy desert hills visible in the distance.

Free Speech, Immigration Law, and Truth Telling at UCLA Law’s Recent Federalist Society Event

An immigration expert considers questions that might have been asked at DHS General Counsel Percival's UCLA Law Federalist Society event.

The Just Security Podcast: Uncharted Territory: The Alien Terrorist Removal Court Hears Its First Case

Dani Schulkin is joined by Steve Vladeck and Jess Dawgert to discuss the first-ever case before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
The blue and yellow Ukrainian flag flies above the U.S. flag on the same flag pole, with two birds flying to the left against a whitish gray sky.

Ukraine’s Successes Make the Case for How Democracy Support Enhances U.S. National Security

Ukraine's survival in the face of Russia's aggression demonstrates how U.S. support to civil society and democratic institutions becomes a national security asset.
View of an FBI agent from behind wearing a green FBI vest inside the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court.

How the Alien Terrorist Removal Court Could Be Good for the U.S. Immigration System

DOJ's first-ever use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court raises due process concerns, but could offer more legitimacy than current immigration proceedings.
A tall man in silhouette, dressed in a dark long, straight jacket and flared trousers, stands in a street, his back to the camera, raising his right hand with pointed finger, while in the background people hold red and white Georgian flags and the smoke of flares obscures part of the scene.

The U.S. and the EU Must Wake Up to Threats in Georgia

Georgian Dream is crushing Georgia's civil society, courts, and opposition to entrench one-party rule and Russian influence; only targeted U.S. and EU sanctions can stop it.
The detectives sit in the foreground, the man in a suit jacket, the woman in a blouse, their backs to the camera, across a table from the prisoner, whose hands are folded atop the edge of the table, which is covered with files and photos and a tape recorder. A video recorder on a tripod is to the left.

Effective Interviewing, Not Torture: Lessons from the Méndez Principles Five Years On

The Mendez Principles, drafted to end the use of torture in interrogations, are being implemented variously across regions and institutions.
Wide view of the UN General Assembly Hall showing delegates standing at their desks, with the UN emblem illuminated on the gold wall behind the dias and a large screen displaying the chamber.

After a Failed U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Review, What Other Paths to Structural Reform?

The U.N.'s periodic review of its counterterrorism strategy again leaves human rights protections weak and its sprawling system unchecked.
The exterior of the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL) in Prague, Czech Republic, is a modern gray-slab building behind a tall black iron fence with the name of the news organization and its logo, a lighted torch. A building of older, classical architecture is at the left of the frame.

Authoritarians Keep Telling Us What They Fear. We Should Listen.

Research shows that, more than military strikes or sanctions, authoritarians fear support for independent media, anti-censorship tech, and civil society.
Security cameras are seen in the foreground as the United States national flag flies at the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou on July 14, 2026, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

AI and Warrantless Foreign Intelligence Surveillance

The use of LLMs for foreign intelligence surveillance erodes the rules put in place to safeguard Americans' civil liberties.
A banner featuring US President Donald Trump hangs on the outside of the Department of Justice headquarters ahead of a press conference with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing annual healthcare fraud takedown results in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026.

Trust, But Verify: Three Grand Jury Reforms to Hold the Government Accountable

Steps should be taken to strengthen grand juries by giving courts and defense counsel more tools to act as a much-needed check on prosecutors.
This photograph shows a handheld smartphone displaying the icons of some of the main artificial intelligence based apps, including LLMs, chatbots and generative AI, with logos (from L) of Proton AG's Lumo, Meta AI, Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat), xAI's Grok, Microsoft's Copilot, Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, Perplexity, Deepseek, OpenAI's Chat GPT, Google's Notebook LLM and generative AI music app Suno, in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on July 15, 2026.

AI and the Commercial Data Loophole

The Pentagon’s new deals to deploy commercial LLMs on its classified networks provide it with a powerful surveillance capability that could be turned on Americans.
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