Civil Liberties
1,364 Articles

The Attempt to Purge Trans Members from the Armed Forces
The effort to purge all trans people from the military is not merely a repeat of the struggle that played out during the first Trump administration; it is an attack of a different…

What Just Happened: Purges at the DOJ and FBI — How Do and Don’t the Civil Service Laws Apply
Expert Backgrounder on how civil service laws do or do not protect DOJ and FBI officials from retaliation.

Supporting Freedom and a Foreign Aid Freeze are Incompatible — But Perhaps the Point? A Case Study
The Trump administration’s action undermines bipartisan efforts to support freedom fighters and enables corrupt autocrats.

Connecting the Dots: Trump’s Tightening Grip on Press Freedom
The president and his allies are leading an effort to eviscerate the free press and construct an information ecosystem favorable to his views.

The Dangerous Sweep of Trump’s Plan to Designate Cartels as Terrorist Organizations
Bringing foreign cartels under the umbrella of terrorism may seem appealing, but it is unnecessary and dangerous.

What Happens After the Most Powerful Media Institutions Keep Surrendering to Trump
U.S. media institutions are abandoning their own First Amendment rights by settling lawsuits with Trump, writes Jaffer for the New York Times.

Expand, Don’t Dismantle, America’s Privacy Watchdog
Strengthening independent oversight of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board would provide crucial accountability and transparency.

Court Says Warrant Needed for U.S. Person Queries of FISA Section 702 Data
Judge Hall’s Hasbajrami decision marks the first time a court has ruled that U.S. person queries of FISA Section 702 data must be performed pursuant to a warrant or an exception…

The Colombian Model of Success: Civil Society and Excess Force by Anti-Riot Squads and Police Units
To counter impunity, civil society and survivors of police brutality are organizing against abuses such as eye mutilation.

A Start for AI Transparency at DHS with Room to Grow
An assessment of the achievements and areas for improvement in the DHS's most recent AI use case inventory.

A Free Speech View on the “Free Speech” Executive Order
There’s a version of this executive order that might have given free-speech advocates hope that the incoming administration would investigate “jawboning”—government pressure…

President Trump’s Attempt to “Save” TikTok is a Power-Grab that Subverts Free Speech
"I remain convinced that the statute authorizing the ban is an ill-advised and unconstitutional law that does lasting damage to the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans…