Commentary: The Biden-Big Tech Collusion Case

July 05, 2023 1 min read

By The Editorial Board
Wall Street Journal

Excerpt: Big news on big tech and free speech. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that government officials can’t coerce social-media platforms to do what the Constitution forbids the government from doing.

Missouri and Louisiana, joined by scientists and conservatives whose posts were censored, sued to protect their First Amendment rights. The issue in Missouri v. Biden isn’t whether social-media platforms are government actors, but whether government officials can be held responsible for their censorship. Judge Terry Doughty ruled they can and his 155-page opinion describes disturbing coordination between the government and tech firms to suppress unpopular views, especially on Covid-19.

Click here for link to full article


Leave a comment


Also in National Free Speech News & Commentary

Fulbright Board Resigns Over Political Interference

June 11, 2025 1 min read

Liam Knox
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: All 12 members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have resigned over what they say is political interference in the selection process for recipients of the prestigious international grant, according to sources familiar with the program and a letter announcing their resignation Wednesday morning.

The FFSB normally has final say in the selection process, after initial application reviews by the Institute for International Education and host countries’ Fulbright commissions. This year was different. Inside Higher Ed broke the story last month that Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed State Department officials to intervene in the final stages of the selection process, adding a new step to cull proposals they felt did not comply with President Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.

Read More
University of Michigan has ended private surveillance contracts but the chill on free speech remains

June 11, 2025 1 min read

FIRE Intern
FIRE

Excerpt: After a news story last week that the University of Michigan was paying private investigators to spy on pro-Palestinian student protesters, the school quickly ended its contracts with the surveillance firm.

Now the university says this Orwellian practice has ended, but the chill on student speech will likely remain for some time.

Read More
Commentary: Are Liberals to Blame for the New McCarthyism?

June 11, 2025 1 min read

Jonathan Chait 
The Atlantic 

Excerpt: The Trump administration is carrying out a brazen crackdown on academic freedom: deporting students for writing op-eds, withholding funds from colleges that defy his control, and justifying it all as a response to anti-Semitism. Who is to blame for this? 

According to one popular theory on the left, the answer is liberals who have consistently supported free speech and opposed Donald Trump.

Read More