On Thursday, I have the pleasure of debating Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy on the question “Does Harvard support free speech and intellectual diversity?” I will be taking the opposing position. Continue reading “Turley to Debate Free Speech at Harvard Law School”
Below is my column in The Hill on the Musk mania now sweeping over the media with pundits and politicians unleashing unhinged attacks on the billionaire. In an Age of Rage, Musk is now eclipsing Donald Trump as Public Enemy No. 1. It began with his stance against censorship.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Liberals are Losing their Minds over Elon Musk”
In announcing his “Operation Aurora,” former President Donald Trump has suggested that he may use the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 to crackdown on “every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil.” The plan to begin mass deportations is certainly popular with the public, according to polling. However, without a declaration of war, he will likely have to look to alternative statutory vehicles for a peacetime operation. There are novel arguments that could be made in federal court, but they run against the presumed meaning of critical terms under the law. The odds do not favor the government in the likely challenges.
Continue reading “No, the Alien Enemies Act is Not a Viable Legal Basis for “Operation Aurora””
It appears that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan and Special Counsel Jack Smith are not done yet in releasing material in advance of the election. In a previous column, I criticized the release of Smith’s 180-page brief before the election as procedurally irregular and politically biased, a criticism shared by CNN’s senior legal analyst and other law professors. Nevertheless, on Thursday, Judge Chutkan agreed to a request from Smith to unseal exhibits and evidence in advance of the election. Continue reading “Adversarial Process or Oppo Research? Judge Agrees To Release More Trump Material Before the Election”
In prior columns, academic articles, and my book, “The Indispensable Right, I discuss the never-ending litigation targeting Jack Phillips, the Christian baker who declined to make cakes that violated his religious beliefs. Phillips continues to be the subject of continuing lawsuits despite the Supreme Court upholding his right to decline to make expressive products for ceremonies or celebrations that he finds immoral. Now the Colorado Supreme Court has dismissed an action brought by a transgender lawyer against the cake shop and its owner. Continue reading “Colorado Supreme Court Dismisses Another Lawsuit Against Masterpiece Cakeshop”
We previously discussed the defamation lawsuit against Deadspin and writer Carron Phillips over an article claiming that nine-year-old Holden Armenta appeared at a Chiefs game in 2023 in black face. I noted in a prior column that I believed that the court would view this as a matter that had to go to a jury. It now has. Superior Court Judge Sean Lugg this week rejected Deadspin’s motion to dismiss.
Continue reading “Deadspin Loses Major Motion in Defamation Case Over Blackface Column”
The reinvention of Vice President Kamala Harris in this election has been a thing to behold. In politics, candidates often reconstruct their records to secure votes, but Harris appears to have constructed an entirely mythical being. Once ranked to the left of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and viewed as among the most liberal members of the Senate, Harris has sought to convince the public that she is actually a frack-loving, gun-toting, border-defending moderate. This last week, Harris sounded like she has hired Neo as her new campaign manager from the Matrix. When asked “what do you need, besides a miracle?” Neo replied “Guns. Lots of Guns.” Continue reading “Kamala’s True Grit: Harris Embraces a Gun Vilified During the Biden-Harris Administration”
Below is my column in The Hill on the release of the filing by Special Counsel Jack Smith just weeks before the election. Even Judge Tanya Chutkan described the move as “irregular,” but still ordered the release. While the usual voices heralded the move, others, including the CNN senior legal analyst, denounced the release as a raw political act by the court and the Special Counsel. The problem is that it was not in the least bit surprising.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Jack Smith’s October Surprise Was Not That Surprising . . . and that is the Problem”
Hillary Clinton is continuing her global efforts to get countries, including the United States, to crackdown on opposing views. Clinton went on CNN to lament the continued resistance to censorship and to call upon Congress to limit free speech. In pushing her latest book, “Something Lost and Something Gained,” Clinton amplified on her warnings about the dangers of free speech. What is clear is that the gain of greater power for leaders like Clinton would be the loss of free speech for ordinary citizens. Continue reading ““We Lose Total Control”: Clinton Continues Her Censorship Campaign on CNN”
Today I have the pleasure of speaking at the Sinai Forum sponsored by Purdue Northwest (PNW) in Michigan City, Indiana. The Sinai Forum is over 70 years old and has served as a unique program to engage in a civil and substantive discussion of the issues facing every generation. I will be discussing my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” Continue reading “Turley to Deliver Keynote Address at the Sinai Forum”
There was a strange synergy recently as activists from the left and the right were convicted of fraudulent charities to benefit themselves. In our “Age of Rage,” there are many who capitalize on the times to elicit funds for different causes. Prosecutors have secured convictions in two cases where such conduct was alleged in Georgia and Nevada. Continue reading “Activists from the Left and Right Convicted in Two Cases Involving Fraudulent Charities”
Below is my column in USA Today on the most chilling moment from the Vance-Walz debate when the Democratic nominee showed why he is part of the dream ticket for the anti-free speech movement.
Here is the column: Continue reading ““Schencking” Free Speech: Walz Makes the Case for the Most Anti-Free Speech Ticket in History”
Below is my column in the New York Post on the recent remarks of former Secretary of State John Kerry to the World Economic Forum, the latest in an array of powerful American politicians warning about the dangers of free speech and calling for government controls. He joins his fellow former Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton in reaching out to the global elite for help in censoring their fellow Americans.
Here is the column: Continue reading ““Curbing” Free Speech: John Kerry Criticizes the First Amendment as “a Major Block” for Censorship”
We previously discussed the defamation case against NYU Law Professor and MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann. He is being sued by lawyer Stefan Passantino after Weissmann said that he coached former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to “lie” to Congress. At the time, I wrote that “it is hard to see how Weissmann can avoid a trial.” U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan apparently agrees. She just rejected Weissmann’s motion to dismiss the case. Continue reading “Court Refuses to Throw Out the Defamation Lawsuit Against MSNBC Legal Analyst Andrew Weissmann”