Most accounts of the history of free speech political doctrines—after a nod to the Magna Carta (which lays some groundwork but does not specifically mention free speech)—begin with poet and scholar John Milton’s famous, Areopagitica: A Speech For The Liberty Of Unlicensed …
Jonathan Sumption on Gaza, lockdown and the ECHR
Jonathan Sumption is a difficult man to define: revered historian, esteemed lawyer and one of Britain’s greatest public intellectuals. He came to greatest popular prominence during the Covid pandemic as one of the most lucid opponents of the Government’s lockdown …
Internet Censorship, Everywhere All at Once
It used to be a truth universally acknowledged by citizens of democratic nations that freedom of speech was the basis not just of democracy, but of all human rights.
When a person or group can censor the speech of others, …
The Post-Cold War Origins of the Surveillance State
Just a few months ago I visited Israel for the first time in 40 years. I stayed in a distant aunt’s apartment, in the spare room that doubled as a shelter from missile attacks. Its two-foot thick walls were curious …
The Nays Have It, and That’s Great for Australia
On Saturday 14 October, Australians voted in the 45th referendum to amend the constitution. Only eight of 44 previous attempts had succeeded. In this case Australians were asked to say Yes to a three-part question: did we approve of a specific recognition …
Thousands of New Zealand Health Service Workers Secretly Exempted from Covid Vaccine Mandates
More than 11,000 Health New Zealand employees may have secretly dodged Covid vaccination, despite nationwide mandates and vaccine passports for everyone else.
The news comes from an Official Information Act (OIA) request asking how many exemptions had been granted within the national …
The High Stakes in the Legal Battle for Free Speech
The ongoing war between the US Security State and the First Amendment is perhaps the most underreported development of the 21st century. Now, Missouri v. Biden may bring it to the Supreme Court.
Just two decades ago, the internet promised …
The High Stakes in the Legal Battle for Free Speech
The ongoing war between the US Security State and the First Amendment is perhaps the most underreported development of the 21st century. Now, Missouri v. Biden may bring it to the Supreme Court.
Just two decades ago, the internet promised …
The Costs and Casualties of Government’s Information Total War
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,”
This phrase, misattributed to Voltaire, has largely come to dominate—and confuse—our understanding of the importance of free speech in a free society. That …
Legal Updates on Missouri v. Biden
A few brief updates on my legal cases. First, on Missouri v. Biden: we expected to hear from the Supreme Court last Wednesday, but a new wrinkle at the Fifth Circuit has delayed a Supreme Court ruling. The circuit court is …
Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes
If you have not yet read the book 1984 by George Orwell, you absolutely must.
I loathed that novel when I read it as a teen, because I hated the entire idea of an authoritarian government controlling its people so deftly. The …
The White House’s ‘Misinformation’ Pressure Campaign Was Unconstitutional
I am one of five private plaintiffs in the landmark free speech case Missouri v. Biden. Earlier this month, the Fifth Circuit Court found that the government “engaged in a years-long pressure campaign designed to ensure that the censorship [on social media] aligned …
Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Woman
A moment comes, which comes but rarely in a nation’s history, when a new star is born in the political firmament. In the years ahead, Australians might well look back on Thursday September 14, 2023, as one such moment. That …
Russell Brand and the presumption of innocence
Should the presumption of innocence apply to Russell Brand in the court of public opinion, as it should in a court of law? It is a question that has sharply divided social media this past week, and both sides have …
Thunderstruck In an Unforgettable Day
Well, without a doubt, September 13th will live forever in my mind as one of the most memorable days of my life. I doubt I will ever forget it. To me, it symbolized a moment in history when I saw …