We recently discussed the striking down of one of the state laws barring contractors who support the boycotting of Israel. In New Zealand, however, a similar law is in effect and a pro-Israel group is suing two people for simply encouraging pop singer Lorde not to hold a planned concert in Israel. The lawsuit demonstrates the danger to free speech in these laws, which seeks to punish people for their political views, association, and speech. As many on this blog know, I generally oppose any laws that curtail free speech and view the solution to bad speech to be better speech — not criminalized speech. This has nothing to do the merits of the boycotts; only the means used to oppose such views. I have not problem with fans or promoters suing Lorde over a cancelled concert if they lost money. This goes to the right of people to boycott a country due to their personal or political views.
According to Stanford University students, one of these flyers is a public service and one is hate speech. There is a controversy at Stanford University reported by College Fix over the distribution of the flyer on the right — a satirical jab at posters encouraging students and faculty to report any ICE activity. It is clearly satirical and political, but some Stanford students declared it to be hate speech and filed complaints with the university that they now felt unsafe and threatened on campus. The flyers were removed by residential staff. 
A District Court judge in Kansas has handed down a major free speech victory this week in striking down the state law requiring all state contractors “to certify that they are not engaged in a boycott of Israel.” We have 
The Polish legislature has joined other Western countries in criminalizing free speech, including threatening to jail people who challenge the state-supported view of history. The legislature approved a bill 
We have 
Below is my column in USA Today on the renewed calls of President Donald Trump to change our libel laws to make it easier for public officials and figures to sue over publications like the recent book by Michael Wolff. While the controversy was quickly pushed from coverage by the 
We have been discussing how Germany has led the West in the criminalization of speech, an anti-free speech trend that is now raging in England, France, Canada and other Western nations. Germany has continued its plunge into censorship and criminalization despite the failure of its speech laws to curtail extremism. Now even Germany’s justice minister has been censored under the laws that he and his colleagues have fostered. Heiko Maas has been 
There is an interesting controversy brewing at Fordham University, which has been sued by students over the failure of the school to recognize their pro-Palestinian group. The group is called the Students for Justice in Palestine and the university overturned the student government in recognizing it. 
Attorney Charles Harder has issued a “cease and desist” letter on behalf of his client President Donald Trump. The letter is addressed to author Michael Wolff and the president of the book’s publisher, but is clearly putting Steve Bannon on notice of a possible defamation action for his statements in the forthcoming book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.” The letter alleges violation of confidentiality rules and defamation in the forthcoming book, “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff. The threat of legal action is highly dubious and the suggestion of a prior restraint order or injunction would go against decades of precedent. It also leaves the worst possible optics of trying to stop the release of a book (and suggesting that Bannon is releasing bona fide confidential information).
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The University of Virginia has 
Gregory Lu is a student at the University of California San Diego who felt that all of the coverage over the acquittal of Jose Inez Garcia Zarate was missing sufficient consideration for his victim, Kate Steinle. Much of the coverage turned on the status of illegal immigrants like Zarate and their dreams in coming to the country. Accordingly, Lu posted 150 posters with her face and the words “She had dreams too.” The fliers were immediately taken down and Lu was informed that he was to report to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination due of an “online incident report.”