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.
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”
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”
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”
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”