Academia, Columns

Mamdani’s Plan to Ruin the New York Educational System

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” →

Travel Blog

The Beauty of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

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” →

Academia, Free Speech

“Freedom” Shirts Reportedly Banned in Kansas Elementary Public School

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” →

Politics

“Jay. Please Stop”: Virginia Democratic Candidate for Attorney General Accused of Rage Rhetoric from 2022
.(Jay Jones/YouTube)

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″ →

Academia, Free Speech

Jonathan Turley and Randall Kennedy to Debate the State of Free Speech in America

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” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics

“RIP Constitution”: Democratic Candidate for Virginia Lt. Governor Holds Startling Rally

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” →

Academia, Free Speech

NYU Law School Cancels Conservative Speaker on Anniversary of Hamas Massacre
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.
Continue reading “NYU Law School Cancels Conservative Speaker on Anniversary of Hamas Massacre” →
Academia, Free Speech

The Farbman-Turley Debate: The Video and Results

Various people have asked for a video of my debate this week at the Virginia Military Institute over the question of whether “the U.S. is experiencing a constitutional crisis.” I want to thank again the Steamboat Institute and our moderator, Kaylee McGhee White, for facilitating this important debate.  I also want to express my gratitude to Professor Daniel Farbman, the McHale Faculty Research Scholar at Boston College Law School, who offered a substantive and civil case for the existence of a constitutional crisis. I have great respect for him and his academic work.

Continue reading “The Farbman-Turley Debate: The Video and Results” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Free Speech, International

The Bizarre Postcard Opinion Striking Down the Trump Visa Policies

Judge William Young has had a distinguished career since his appointment by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, including serving as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. At 85, his career includes notable cases such as the Boston Strangler and the Shoe Bomber. However, his 161-page opinion declaring the Trump Administration in violation of the First Amendment over visa denials is nothing short of bizarre.  It starts as a type of letter to an anonymous person who sent the judge a postcard.

Continue reading “The Bizarre Postcard Opinion Striking Down the Trump Visa Policies” →

Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics

The Curious Tale of Columbia Professor Daniel Richman

Just The News is reporting that “Person 3” in the Comey indictment is not former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe but rather Columbia Professor Daniel Richman. According to the outlet, Richman is the former FBI employee in the indictment who allegedly leaked information about “Person 1,” who is believed to be Hillary Clinton. The report continues the long uncertainty over Richman’s role in these controversies. Richman has described himself as a friend, an FBI special employee, and the lawyer representing Comey at different times. He has also been a columnist and commentator, including for the site Lawfare run by Comey’s friend Ben Wittes. What Richman was doing at any given time remains strikingly uncertain. Professor Richman is not himself charged with any crime.

Continue reading “The Curious Tale of Columbia Professor Daniel Richman” →

Academia, Constitutional Law

Turley to Debate Whether We Are in “a Constitutional Crisis” at VMI

Today, I will be participating in a debate on the following question: “Is the U.S. Experiencing a Constitutional Crisis?” Taking the affirmative side will be Professor Daniel Farbman, the McHale Faculty Research Scholar at Boston College Law School.  I will be taking the opposing side in the debate to be held in Lexington, Virginia.

Continue reading “Turley to Debate Whether We Are in “a Constitutional Crisis” at VMI” →

Columns, Politics

“Let Your Rage Fuel You”: Politicians and Pundits Embrace Rage Politics

Below is my column in the Hill on the rise of rage politics. There was barely a respite from the rage rhetoric after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the sniper attack on the ICE facility. Gov. Gavin Newsom is back this week to calling his opponents “fascists” while other Democratic politicians are back to calling ICE “fascists.”

Here is the column: Continue reading ““Let Your Rage Fuel You”: Politicians and Pundits Embrace Rage Politics” →

Criminal law, Free Speech, International

Scottish Police Arrest Serial Speaker: Elderly Woman Charged After Holding Sign Offering to Discuss Abortion

Rose Docherty is what they call a criminal recidivist in the United Kingdom. The 75-year-old woman has been arrested for a second time for the same fiendish act: offering to speak to women considering an abortion. She was arrested  outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for carrying a placard which stated “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” Fortunately, she and her sign were quickly seized by the local police to protect the public.

Continue reading “Scottish Police Arrest Serial Speaker: Elderly Woman Charged After Holding Sign Offering to Discuss Abortion” →

Academia, Criminal law, Politics

Des Moines School Superintendent Arrested by ICE as Protesters and Politicians Call for his Release

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested this week after fleeing ICE officers and abandoning a school-subsidized car with an illegal handgun inside. Roberts has a criminal record and a long-standing order of removal from the country. The case has become a flashpoint over immigration policies with protesters demanding his release and Democratic politicians denouncing his arrest as evidence of a fascist regime. The controversy is also spilling over into the Senate race, as the district board is headed by Board Chair Jackie Norris, a former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama and a current Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Norris called for Iowans to rally around Roberts with “radical empathy.” Continue reading “Des Moines School Superintendent Arrested by ICE as Protesters and Politicians Call for his Release” →

Criminal law, Politics

Bragg Drops Charges Against Woman Who Attacked Pro-Life Advocate

For years, many of us have raised concerns over the political weaponization of the New York legal system from the civil fraud case against the Trump company by New York Attorney General Letitia James to the criminal prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The popularity of these lawfare warriors shows how a dual legal system has taken hold in the city. That was never more evident than in the decision of Bragg to drop the case against Brianna J. Rivers, 30, who assaulted a pro-life advocate in a case of political violence. While blamed on negligence within his office, the dropping of the prosecution of Rivers is only the latest example of enabling those who turn to violence in our political system. Continue reading “Bragg Drops Charges Against Woman Who Attacked Pro-Life Advocate” →