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CEI opposes SEC’s gag rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission does not like to be criticized. That’s not unusual. What is unusual is that the SEC includes a prohibition of…
News Release
SCOTUS Hears Troubling Jawboning Cases Involving Big Tech and Government
Today, the Supreme Court heard argument concerning jawboning – government pressuring private entities like social media companies to suppress politically disfavored speech. CEI expert Wayne…
Reason
Photos Show the Transformation of Great Britain
Not so long ago, Great Britain was deemed “the sick man of Europe.” The 1970s were plagued by inflation, labor union strikes, and a rise…
Search Posts
Blog
CEI opposes SEC’s gag rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission does not like to be criticized. That’s not unusual. What is unusual is that the SEC includes a prohibition of…
News Release
SCOTUS Hears Troubling Jawboning Cases Involving Big Tech and Government
Today, the Supreme Court heard argument concerning jawboning – government pressuring private entities like social media companies to suppress politically disfavored speech. CEI expert Wayne…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter in Support of Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA)
The undersigned organizations support strong anti-SLAPP laws protecting free speech and commend Texas for having one of the best in the nation. We are concerned…
Reason
Photos Show the Transformation of Great Britain
Not so long ago, Great Britain was deemed “the sick man of Europe.” The 1970s were plagued by inflation, labor union strikes, and a rise…
National Review
Rise of the Woke Taliban
The ascent of civilizations is a wondrous thing. On the way up, each generation produces treasures of its own, building on the achievements of those…
Washington Examiner
The Supreme Court’s First Amendment ruling could help stop cancel culture
In what could be an important precedent in these days of academic political correctness and cancel culture, the Supreme Court has confirmed that…
Letters
CEI and Other Organizations Urge Governor Cox to Veto Amendments Limiting Online Free Speech
Governor Cox: We write to urge you to veto Senate Bill 228, Electronic Free Speech Amendments. If enacted, this bill faces serious constitutional challenges, threatens…
National Review
Why Are We Even Contemplating Canceling Aristotle?
There is a good piece hidden in philosopher Agnes Callard’s recent article for the New York Times about cancel culture. Unfortunately, that piece is lost in the framing device.
National Review
Socialism and the Corporation: A Love-Hate Relationship
Socialists would rather the traditional American firm did not exist. Animosity towards the capitalist boss for reaping all the rewards of his employees’ labor, or (perhaps…
News Release
Executive Order Compelling Private, Online Platforms to Host Speech is Unconstitutional
President Trump today announced his intention to sign an Executive Order aimed at compelling companies that own private online platforms to host speech against their…
Blog
USMCA Won’t Protect Tech from Trudeau
A point of contention in the debate over the new U.S., Mexico, Canada (USMCA) trade agreement has been whether or not the final deal will…
Forbes
How Regulation of “Harmful Speech” Online Will Do the Real Harm
Much of the debate over online speech concerns whether or not conservatives are “censored” by big tech. But there are bigger fish to fry.
Blog
Government of Singapore Demonstrates Real Online Censorship
Singapore’s recent policing of online content provides an instructive example of the difference between private curating of material by platform owners and dangerous curtailing of…
Blog
Twitter’s Ban on Political Ads Has No First Amendment Implications
Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey announced that the social media platform will ban all political advertising. This comes on the heels of Facebook’s recent announcement…
Blog
Cautiously Optimistic about Facebook’s New Approach to Speech
It seems increasingly the case that there is a lot more to like about what Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has to say than not. His…
Blog
Where Facebook Interim Report on Bias Falls Short
Today former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), in fulfillment of an arrangement with Facebook, released an independent Interim Report (and accompanying op-ed) cataloging the primary concerns of…
Blog
Leaked White House Executive Order on ‘Censorship’ Violates Two Basic Constitutional Tenets
Earlier this week it was reported that the Trump administration was drafting an executive order to combat perceived “censorship” of conservatives on online platforms such…
News Release
Draft White House Executive Order Aimed at Social Media Companies Would Violate First Amendment
Following yesterday’s Politico report about a draft executive order aimed at social media companies’ policies, CNN obtained a copy of the proposed order on Friday.
Citation
White House Should Refrain from Taking Executive Action against Tech that Violates First Amendment Rights
According to a new Politico report, the White House is considering an executive order to “address allegations of anti-conservative bias by social media companies.”…
Blog
Nipping at Big Tech’s Heels: Competition in Social Media
There has much bemoaning and hand-wringing by members of Congress on the alleged dangers of social media.
Broadcasting Cable
Trump’s Social Media Summit Billed as ‘Bias’ Bashing Exercise
Broadcasting Cable cites Research Fellow Patrick Hedger on social media censorship. The fiscally conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute weighed in with a warning before…
News Release
Empowering Government to Regulate Speech Would Harm Americans’ First Amendment Rights
This afternoon, the White House is convening a group of elected officials, public policy organizations, and private citizens for a “Social Media Summit.” …
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter in Support of Section 230
Dear House and Senate Leadership, The undersigned groups believe that government should not be setting speech codes online or undermining free speech. The…
Blog
More to Like in Zuckerberg’s Aspen Talk Than Not
Yesterday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg touched on some of the most pressing issues facing his company and big tech as…
Blog
State Legislatures Seek to Undermine ‘Janus’ Decision
Labor unions continue to deny the First Amendment rights of public employees despite the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Janus v. AFSCME, which ruled one…
Blog
Post-‘Janus’, Unions Continue Undermining Public Workers’ First Amendment Rights
It has been nearly one year since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the First Amendment rights of public employees, but many members are still having…
Blog
Corporate Virtue in Eye of Beholder
The main impression I’ve gotten from much recent reporting on the ethical behavior and social responsibility of business is that its value depends greatly on…
Fox Business
Big Tech vs. Free Speech? It’s Not that Simple
After Facebook and other social media companies’ recent moves to ban Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and other extremists some pundits are calling for the end of the safe harbor that…
Citation
Government Regulation of Speech Will Not Protect Conservatives
Yesterday, the White House launched a landing page (http://wh.gov/techbias) claiming social media platforms “should advance freedom of speech” and asking Americans who believe that their…
Blog
Breaking up and Regulating Facebook: Unfair, Un-American, Unacceptable
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, former publisher of The New Republic, argues in a long essay for The New York Times that the company should be…
Blog
Don’t Let Facebook Team up with Big Government to Censor the Web
Facebook’s expulsion of several controversial figures from its platform last week is an example of a company managing its own private property to what it…
Blog
VIDEO: Government Should Not Regulate Social Media Content
Trends in social media have rocketed to the top of the national political agenda recently, whether in the desire of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to…
Blog
Union Membership Post-Janus
It has been difficult to gauge the impact of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME. In this ruling, the Supreme Court held…
Blog
Move Slowly and Establish Rules: Facebook’s Call for Regulation
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s motto used to be “Move fast and break things.” Now that his company is under increased political scrutiny—and facing calls for…
Blog
Chuck Todd’s ‘Daily Show’ Comments Got It Wrong on the Climate Debate
Last night Chuck Todd went on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and was asked about his announcement on a recent episode of “Meet the…
Blog
Don’t Blame Google for a Feature Consumers Want
It’s very rare I disagree with the great freedom-loving journalist John Stossel, but his column at Townhall this week made me raise an eyebrow. In…
Blog
Making a Living with Free Speech
Free speech protections in the United States are pretty far reaching, including protections for commercial free speech and occupational free speech. If you…
Blog
Government for Rent: Exposing Climate Politics in Governors’ Offices
Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute has released my colleague Chris Horner’s new study on how special interests have been buying influence in governors’ offices, “…
Blog
Real Sin for Social Media Companies Not ‘Censorship,’ but Getting into Bed with Government
Social media outlets have been filled with commentary this week about the decisions by Apple, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify to remove content created by…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter To Prevent Further IRS Targeting of Non-Profit Organizations Based on Ideology
On behalf the undersigned individuals and organizations representing millions of concerned taxpayers across America, we write regarding an issue of utmost importance: preventing further Internal…
Blog
Messages of Freedom and Hope from FEEcon
Last week I was in Atlanta enjoying the excitement and intellectual ferment of FEEcon, the annual conference held by the Foundation for Economic Education.
Blog
Cato Institute Honors Human Rights Work of Cuba’s ‘Ladies in White’
Congratulations are in order to our friends at the Cato Institute on their recent big event in New York, the Friedman Prize Dinner. Every two…
Blog
What Exxon Knew: AEI Panel on Recent Climate Change Litigation
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) this week held a panel discussion titled “What did they know, and when did they know it?” on the growing swirl of…
Blog
City of Boulder and Two Colorado Counties Join Climate Shakedown Racket
Boulder, Colorado and Boulder and San Miguel Counties filed suit in state court this week against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy. The suit claims that petroleum products…
Blog
Prof. Rajshree Agarwal on the Rubin Report: The True Value of Free Enterprise
I’ve been interested over the last several years to see Dave Rubin’s metamorphosis from stand-up comedian to podcast co-host to serious public affairs…
Blog
Facebook Privacy Critics Ignore Benefits of Social Media
Facebook is not a tool designed to violate privacy nor fan the flames of hate, but it and other social media platforms have been some…
Blog
Zuckerberg Testimony Hints at Devil’s Bargain with Big Government
Much of the political class in Washington, D.C. is currently holding its breath for the big event of the week: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-awaited…
Blog
Chef Geoff Tracy Fights Virginia’s Happy Hour Ad Ban
Local D.C.-area chef Geoff Tracy is a bacon lover, popular food Instagrammer, and a budding legal activist. This week, aided by his attorneys at the…
Inside Sources
Freedom of Speech Should Protect All Opinion
President Trump has called this country’s libel laws a sham and a disgrace and said he wants to change libel laws to allow liability for…
Blog
Landmark Supreme Court Case Can Restore Worker Freedom
Today at oral argument in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said “You're basically arguing, do away with unions,” when questioning Bill…
News Release
CEI Hopeful Supreme Court Will Strike a Victory for Worker Freedom and First Amendment in Janus Case
“No worker who wants to serve the public should be forced to pay union fees against their will at the risk of losing his or…
Blog
Exploring the Frontiers of Free Speech at Scalia Law School
Free speech fans were treated to a fascinating and informative day of discussion recently when the Center for the Study of the Administrative State presented…
Cato
CTIA—The Wireless Association v. City of Berkeley
Cato covers their petition filed to the Supreme Court with CEI and Cause of Action Institute in CTIA—The Wireless Association v. City of Berkeley. Residents…
Blog
The First Amendment Protects the Right Not to Speak
Many local governments are abusing product disclosure mandates because it costs the local government nothing, yet enables them to push an ideological message. This will…
The Washington Times
Conservatives Fear More Left-Leaning Media With AT&T, Time Warner Merger
The Washington Times quotes Wayne Crews on the traditional importance of deregulation in communications for conservative policy and how traditional media conglomerates are losing influence…
Blog
Melugin Takes on 3 Common Net Neutrality Myths
If we want real Internet neutrality, we need less government, not more. CEI's Jessica Melugin dispels three common myths about Net Neutrality.
Watchdog News
More Briefs Filed with SCOTUS in Forced Union Dues Case
Watchdog News covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. Three more briefs were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this week in support…
Politico
CEI to File Janus Brief
Politico’s Morning Shift covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. The Competitive Enterprise Institute will file an amicus brief this morning in …
InsideSources
A Case for Banning Forced Union Dues
InsideSources covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. The U.S. Supreme Court should outlaw forced union dues in the public-sector when it hears…
Blog
Brief Filed to Supreme Court in Forced Union Dues Case
No worker should be forced to fund an organization they do not wish to support.
Techdirt
Lawyer: Without The Monkey’s Approval, PETA Can’t Settle Monkey Selfie Case
Techdirt covers CEI’s brief in the Naruto v. Slater. Ted Frank is a well-respected lawyer who has heroically dedicated much of his career to…
National Review
When the Power of the State Was Used to Bully Climate-Policy Dissenters
Todd Myers, writing in National Review, covers CEI’s climate change subpoeana pushback from 2016. Last year, Washington attorney general Bob Ferguson announced that he would…
The Washington Post
Gorsuch Could Strike a Mortal Blow to Unions
The Washington Post covers Janus v. AFSCME and CEI’s brief in the case. Last week, the Supreme Court announced that it would…
National Review Online
The Supreme Court Will Probably Strike a Huge Blow to Public-Sector Unions
National Review Online covers Janus v. AFSCME and CEI’s brief in the case. The Supreme Court has announced that it will hear the case…
Blog
Celebrate National Coffee Day
In the modern American workplace, many people see coffee as essential to productivity and for socializing around the coffee machine, which makes it unsurprising that…
Blog
The Never-Ending Title IX Investigation
Los Angeles lawyer Ken White notes that a professor is being “investigated for writing about being investigated for writing about being investigated.” This Title…
Blog
Net Neutrality Rules Threaten Internet Free Speech
The supposed good intentions of net neutrality advocates don’t justify the real world harm of those regulations. …
Blog
Campaigning for Free Speech at FreedomFest
Legal attacks on free speech and association rights have been increasing in recent years at an alarming rate.
Blog
Net Neutrality ‘Day of Action’ Endorses Government Power to Suppress Free Speech
This week's net neutrality “Day of Action” seeks to defend a regulatory regime that ultimately facilities the suppression of free speech by a federal agency:…
Blog
Congress Should Repeal Overbroad College Harassment Rules
The Clinton/Obama demands completely ignored the very purpose of a university, which is to follow wherever the truth may lead, even when that offends people.
Blog
How Flying Dog Brewery Fought Government Censors and Won
Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery, sits down with Reason TV’s Nick Gillespie to discuss the brewing business, marketplace diversity, evolving consumer taste, and…
Blog
Left-wing Groups Attack Civil Rights Official for Enforcing Civil Rights Act
Civil rights laws do not contain exceptions for particular races, much less countenance segregation.
News Release
Court Criticizes Schneiderman’s Evasion of Open Records Law
A new court ruling criticizes New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s illegal stonewalling of public records requests. At issue in the case is the key…
Daily Caller
Judgeless Administrative Subpoenas Are An Enemy Of Free Speech
The Daily Caller reports on the subpoena CEI recieved from the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General. In the spring of 2016 after meeting…
Blog
Justice Department Disability Demands Raise Serious Free Speech Issues
The Justice Department’s demands exceeded its authority under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Blog
Darcy’s Story: The Need for Donor Privacy Protections
When the government forces nonprofit groups to disclose their supporters to the public, they threaten the free speech and free association rights of those involved.
Blog
Feds Back Down After Seeking to Unmask ‘Rogue’ Agency Twitter Account
Hopefully this saga marks the end of this administration’s efforts to unconstitutionally unmask anonymous critics.
Blog
Appeals Court Revives Fair Housing Act ‘Blog Post Harassment’ Lawsuit
A recent ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals menaces free speech in condominiums, apartment buildings, and the Internet.
Blog
For Virgin Islands Climate Subpoena, A Not-So-Happy Birthday
One year ago, on April 7, 2016, CEI received a memorable, hand-delivered envelope from U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker.
Daily Signal
First Amendment Rights Still in Peril Following Climate Change Probes
The Daily Signal discusses with Sam Kazman what has happened in one year since a coalition of Attorneys General tried to silence those who disagreed…
Watchdog.org
First Amendment rights still in peril following climate-change probes
Watchdog.org speaks with Sam Kazman on what has happened in one year since a coalition of Attornerys General attacked the free speech of groups that…
News Release
One Year Later AGs United for Clean Power has Fallen Apart
CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman commented on the one year anniversary of “AGs United for Clean Power,” a coalition of Attorneys General lead by New…
Blog
White House Should Expand Budget Cuts to Additional Agencies
President Trump’s proposed budget blueprint rightly eliminates funding for many agencies, but there are additional candidates for cuts.
Blog
Congress Should Rein in Free Speech Violations with Budget Cuts
Congress should trim the budget of rogue agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Litigation
Michael E. Mann v. National Review and CEI, et al.
In July 2012, a CEI adjunct analyst posted a column on CEI’s blog, criticizing climate scientist Michael Mann and the 2010 investigation of his…
Blog
Dept. of Education Should End ‘Double Jeopardy’ Complaint Provision
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights should end complaint procedures that violate an accused individual's right against double jeopardy.
Blog
Unite for Privacy and the First Amendment
Join the fight for free speech by visiting People United for Privacy on their website or on Facebook.
Blog
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Tries to Silence Fiduciary Rule Critics
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has frequently resorted to intimidation to effectively silence those with views which she disagrees. This is particularly true for critics of the…
The Wall Street Journal
A Libel Suit Threatens Catastrophe for the Climate of Public Debate
Michael Mann sues to silence critics, and errant courts ignore the First Amendment to help him.
Blog
False Claim about Nominee Gorsuch Highlights Need for Rigorous Fact-Checking
People will believe silly things when it fits their ideological preconceptions, as in the case this week of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
Blog
Public Interest Groups Urge Update of Email Privacy Protections
This week, CEI joined dozens of public interest groups, trade associations, and companies in sending a letter to Congress in support of the…
Blog
Climate Scientist Judith Curry Files Legal Brief Supporting CEI’s Free Speech Rights
Climate scientist Judith Curry today filed an amicus brief with the D.C. Court of Appeals supporting the petitions for full-court review of a three-judge panel’s…
Blog
DeVos Hearing Generates Misleading Attacks on Civil Liberties Group FIRE
Betsy DeVos, who was recently nominated to be the next Secretary of Education, has been attacked because she and her husband reportedly made donations to a civil-liberties…
Newsweek
Bullying Backpage Contradicts the First Amendment
Newsweek discusses the supboena CEI recieved for their work on climate research from the Virgin Islands attorney general. PSI’s overreach is emblematic of…
Blog
Best of the Blog 2016
Certain topics were especially popular with readers in 2016.
National Review
The D.C. Court of Appeals Undermines the First Amendment
National Review covers the D.C Court of Appeals decision in Michael Mann’s defamation case against the Competitive Enterprise Institute and National Review. The court…
News Release
CEI Responds to Court Ruling in Mann Case
This morning the District of Columbia Court of Appeals issued a ruling in the Michael Mann defamation case that includes the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Statements from CEI’s…
The Washington Post
Making Defamation Law Great Again: Michael Mann’s Suit May Continue
Jonathan Adler of The Volokh Conspiracy blog covers the D.C. Court of Appeals ruling in Michael Mann’s defamation suit against Rand Simberg, Mark Steyn, National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. …
Blog
5 Great Books on Politics and Public Policy from 2016
A lot of interesting books on politics, economics, and public policy were published over the last twelve months. It can be difficult, though, finding the gems…
Bloomberg
On Climate Change, Who Will Censure the Censors?
Bloomberg discusses the subpoena CEI received from an attorney general as an attempt to silence our free speech on climate change. Eight months…