Civil Liberties
1,368 Articles
Russia’s Tightening Control of Cyberspace Within its Borders
Russian proposals to ban certain materials online and to block search engines that don’t comply with requests of state authorities highlight the need to beware of domestic policies…
The UK Government’s Weak Response to Torture Reports
The UK government has published its response to two reports published this summer by the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) on “Detainee Mistreatment…
10 Ways the U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuses
Interpol serves a good purpose, and it has good rules. But not all members are as good as its rules. The U.S. can take steps, on its own or with others, to limit abuses and shield…
Criminalizing Speech to Protect Religious Peace? The ECtHR Ruling in E.S. v. Austria
It is 2008. A far-right party in Austria hosts seminars that are free to attend and advertised to the public. The subject of one such seminar series is “Basic Information on…
What Not To Believe About Interpol—Exploding Five Myths
If Interpol is to be fixed so that it operates according to its own rules, it is necessary to know the difference between how it actually works, and the myths that are widely believed.
Legal Analysis of “Cabinet Memo” on the Military’s Role at Southern Border
Avoidance of military involvement in civil society is part of America's political culture and heritage. The new White House order on U.S. Army role at the southwest border threatens…
Birthright Citizenship for Children of Unlawful U.S. Immigrants Remains an Open Question
Shortly before the midterm elections, President Trump stirred up a hornet’s nest in suggesting he could, by executive order, withdraw the right to citizenship at birth from children…
Was Your Voting Machine Hacked? Without More User-Friendly Devices, We May Not Know
Election-technology monitoring during the midterms logged more than 900 individual reports of voting issues. But the problems weren’t the anticipated cyberattacks.
Digital Journalism and the New Public Square – Or’ Emet Lecture
I was delighted to be asked by the Nathanson Center and Or’ Emet Fund at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School to deliver the 2018 Or’ Emet Lecture. In the lecture I…
Misogynist Apartheid — Saudi Arabia’s Original Human Rights Sin
The murderous brutality of the Saudi regime is rightly condemned for the killing and dismembering of courageous dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the merciless Saudi war…
Reply to Bauer and Goodman: No, the Government Doesn’t Decide What ‘Legitimate Press Functions’ Are First Amendment Worthy
Former Obama administration lawyers Bob Bauer and Ryan Goodman make a dangerous argument: that coordination with a political campaign is outside the “legitimate press function” and…
Why the First Amendment Does Not Protect Trump Campaign Collusion with Wikileaks and Russia
Despite the president’s signature hostility toward the press, the Trump campaign is strenuously trying to wrap itself and Wikileaks in the protective garb of the First Amendment…