I am returning today from a speech in Boise, Idaho. I love coming to Idaho and Boise in the “Treasure Valley” is always a delight. This city was initially founded as a fort along the Oregon Trail and grew rapidly during the Gold Rush. It remains an American gem, a quiet and graceful city along the Boise River. Continue reading “The Beauty of Boise in the Fall”
Author: jonathanturley
As someone who has taught torts (including defamation) for three decades, I pay close attention to defamation claims coming out of campaigns. I often question the viability of such claims given the higher burden for public officials and public figures under controlling defamation cases. However, a claim during the New Jersey gubernatorial debate between Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, may have triggered a viable torts case. It occurred when Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of “killing thousands.”
On MSNBC’s “All In,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) doubled down on his pledge of legal retaliation against Trump officials and associates if Democrats retake power. He noted that Trump “sycophants” in the Department of Justice do not have immunity and will be pursued. The statement comes after the indictment of Letitia James for mortgage fraud. The statement suggests that the country could be in store for waves of purge politics in which parties fire or prosecute officials from the prior administration. Continue reading “Purge Politics: Jeffries Pledges Legal Retaliation When Democrats Take Power”
James Comey made history this week by standing in the dock and entering a not guilty plea as the first FBI Director ever indicted in the history of the country. Comey hopes to be spared the added ignoble distinction of a trial scheduled for 2026. He and his counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, are reportedly going to seek a dismissal under three primary challenges: vindictive prosecution, selective prosecution, and challenging the status of the acting U.S. Attorney, Lindsey Halligan. I wanted to briefly address these claims, including the one that has the most credibility. Continue reading “Hail Mary Play: Comey Reportedly Will Raise Three Challenges to Block his Prosecution”
As a native Chicagoan, I must confess that I have little patience for Mayor Brandon Johnson, a politician who has been a disaster for the city. One of the most unpopular mayors in the city’s history, Johnson has been using the increased ICE operations to try to ride a wave of rage back into popularity. His language has become more and more inflammatory in calling for citizens to “resist” and “fight” federal law enforcement. Now, he is claiming the authority to not only mandate “ICE-free zones” in the city but to arrest federal officers. Continue reading “Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for the Arrest of ICE Officers”
On Sunday, the Green Party in the United Kingdom voted to “abolish” private landlords in a move that reaffirms the party as a largely socialist movement. For some environmentalists, it is a sad hijacking of a cause by far-left elements that moves it away from its original environmental priorities.
Jay Jones, Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate, is under fire for shocking statements that expressed a desire to kill political opponents and their young “fascist” children. Despite the violent rhetoric, Democrats like Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Virginia, have stood by Jones and continue to campaign for his election. Now, however, Jones is accused of making disturbing comments about the benefit of killing a few cops as a warning to others. It is unclear whether the alleged comments were made in writing (as were earlier comments), and Jones has denied them.
Just in time for Halloween, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to rule on Hawaii’s so-called “Vampire Rule” on gun possession in Wolford v. Lopez. The state law bars gun permit holders from bringing handguns onto private property open to the public without the owner’s express permission. So, like vampires, gun owners must be invited in with their weapons. Continue reading “Supreme Court Takes Up Hawaii’s “Vampire Rule” on Gun Possession”
Below is my column in The Hill on the pledge of Zohran Mamdani to end some of the early Gifted and Talented programs in the New York educational system. The move is part of a national campaign against such programs as racist or privileged due to the higher percentage of White and Asian students who qualify. The fear is that the Mamdani administration will return to the disastrous policies of the de Blasio administration in rolling back on the programs.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Mamdani’s Plan to Ruin the New York Educational System”
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of debating Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Before returning to Washington, I made a pilgrimage to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage and wanted to share a few pictures. Nashville is a favorite city that has been featured on this blog previously. However, no trip would be truly complete without a trip out to Hermitage. Continue reading “The Beauty of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage”
An elementary school in Kansas has raised a novel question under the First Amendment: whether the freedom of speech includes the right to use the word “freedom.” According to some media reports, Arbor Creek Elementary Principal Melissa Snell stopped the wearing of shirts reading “Freedom,” which have become popular after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The move is clearly a violation under the First Amendment, in my view. Continue reading ““Freedom” Shirts Reportedly Banned in Kansas Elementary Public School”
When I wrote my book on Free Speech in an Age of Rage, I never thought Virginia would become ground zero for rage politics. Yet, recently, the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Abigail Spanberger, told supporters, “Let your rage fuel you.” Then her running mate, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi, seemed to declare the death of the Constitution and democracy … unless they are elected, of course. Now, a shocking series of statements by Jay Jones (the Democratic candidate for Attorney General) from 2022 has been released in which he talks about putting two bullets in the head of a political opponent, “pissing on the grave” of a dead Republican, and asking whether a Republican colleague and his wife were “breeding little fascists.” Continue reading ““Jay. Please Stop”: Virginia Democratic Candidate for Attorney General Accused of Rage Rhetoric from 2022″
I have the pleasure of joining Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy today for a discussion of the state of free speech in America at Vanderbilt University. The event will be held at the Marriott at Vanderbilt University at 4:30 p.m. You can register here: globalfreespeechsummit.com/highlights/
Continue reading “Jonathan Turley and Randall Kennedy to Debate the State of Free Speech in America”
The Democratic candidate for Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi, appears to believe that the United States Constitution is dead. During a recent campaign stop, Hashmi gave a speech in front of an upside-down American flag, a symbol of distress, accompanied by a makeshift tombstone that read, “RIP Constitution.” Continue reading ““RIP Constitution”: Democratic Candidate for Virginia Lt. Governor Holds Startling Rally”
Yesterday, I flagged the decision of New York University’s School of Law to cancel the planned Federalist Society event featuring conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro. It is only the latest example of schools scuttling or limiting speeches by conservatives and libertarians, citing the likely protests on campus. Instead of punishing those who disrupt events, NYU and other schools enable those protesters and reinforce the ideological orthodoxy in higher education.