U.S. Constitution News
The Daily Signal provides reporting and analysis on the U.S. Constitution, including court rulings, separation of powers, and the defense of individual rights.
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- Opinion
ACLU Goes Soft on First Amendment Rights of Gun Carriers
On the heels of deadly protests and counterprotests in Charlottesville, Virginia, the American Civil Liberties Union has stated it will no longer defend the First Amendment rights of “hate groups” seeking to lawfully exercise their right to openly carry firearms. This announcement followed a highly circulated article published by Slate, which accused open carry militias…Amy Swearer -
- News
Yale Covers Up Gun in Stone Carving of Puritan, Indian
Yale University has covered up a musket on a stone carving depicting a hostile interaction between a Puritan settler and an American Indian, leaving the latter's bow and arrow uncovered. Yale’s head librarian, Susan Gibbons, and the school’s Committee on Art in Public Spaces decided the carving’s presence at a reopened entrance to the school’s library was…Rob Shimshock -
- Opinion
In NAFTA Negotiations, Trump Must Ensure Protection of US Property Rights
The Trump administration has called for an “America first” trade policy. An important aspect of such a policy should be to protect Americans’ property from being stolen by foreign governments. Most U.S. trade agreements include a version of the Constitution’s “takings clause,” which requires governments to compensate Americans if they expropriate (i.e. steal) their property….Bryan Riley -
- Opinion
North Carolina Acts to Protect Free Speech on Campus
On Monday, North Carolina lawmakers took a bold stand in favor of free speech on public college campuses. The time is ripe for such reforms, as free speech is under attack on campuses around the country. North Carolina lawmakers refused to retreat and became the first to enact a law based on a proposal developed…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
We Must Protect Free Speech on College Campuses
“The history of intellectual growth and discovery clearly demonstrates the need for unfettered freedom, the right to think the unthinkable, discuss the unmentionable, and challenge the unchallengeable.” This quote, taken from the 1974 Woodward Report at Yale, summarizes the policy that was, for years, the gold standard of what free speech on campus should look…Rep. Jim Jordan -
- Opinion
5 Ways to Convince College Students That Free Speech Matters
In recent days, college students have shouted down, pepper-sprayed, punched, and otherwise shut down the campus guests whose ideas they considered offensive. The most prominent recent cases have included Milo Yiannopoulos (University of California, Berkeley), Charles Murray (Middlebury College), and Heather Mac Donald (Claremont McKenna College), but a number of institutions have disinvited scheduled speakers…Bruce Ashford -
- News
Meet the Colorado Woman Training Teachers to Use Guns to Stop School Violence
This fall, some Colorado teachers will return to school armed with knowledge—and guns. Laura Carno, author of “Government Ruins Nearly Everything: Reclaiming Social Issues from Uncivil Servants,” is bringing advanced firearms training to school teachers. “Can government stop school shooting[s]? The answer is no … How do we as a community keep our kids safer…Katrina Willis -
- News
UC Berkeley Tries to Dismiss Free Speech Lawsuit
The University of California, Berkeley is trying to dismiss a free speech lawsuit filed following the cancellation of Ann Coulter’s speech at the school in April. UC Berkeley attorneys insist the claims made by Young America’s Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans are “moot,” according to a court document obtained by Campus Reform Friday. “The alleged restrictions…Rob Shimshock -
- Opinion
How the Supreme Court Trampled on Private Property Rights in a Recent Decision
In last week’s decision in Murr v. Wisconsin, the Supreme Court upheld the Wisconsin State Court of Appeals’ ruling that two waterfront lots should be treated as a single unit in a “regulatory takings” case. In a blow to constitutionally guaranteed property rights, the decision denied a family just compensation for having the value of…Alden Abbott -
- News
Justice Thomas Calls Out the Supreme Court for Not Believing in the Second Amendment
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had stern words for his colleagues when the court declined to hear a case challenging California’s handgun laws, saying that the jurists do not understand the importance of self-defense. The case, supported by the National Rifle Association, involves San Diego resident Edward Peruta, who challenged his county’s refusal to grant…Thomas Phippen -
- Opinion
A Liberal Democrat Student Explains Why He Advocates Free Speech at Colleges
Free speech on campuses—and the lack thereof—was the topic of a hearing on Tuesday of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among the panelists was Zachary Wood, a 21-year-old student at Williams College and president of a group called Uncomfortable Learning, which attempts to expose students to a diversity of opinion by hosting speakers on campus. Opposition…Madison Laton -
- Opinion
Free Speech Is Dying on the College Campus. How We Can Revive It.
Higher education rests on the free flow of ideas. Education requires that positions be held tentatively, tested by opposing arguments that are rationally considered, and evaluated. All colleges therefore must protect free speech. Public institutions must adhere to the various guarantees of the First Amendment. Too often, all of these fundamental principles have been under assault….Sen. Chuck Grassley -
- Opinion
How Some State Politicians Are Using Government to Threaten Free Speech
When it comes to threatening the free speech rights of American citizens, progressives have largely been the culprits at the federal level. Yet increasingly, Republican state legislators have taken up this crusade. Last month, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez rightly vetoed a Republican-supported bill that would have forced nonprofits to disclose their supporters’ personal information, saying…Jeremy Cady -
- Opinion
Portland Mayor’s Push to Curb Free Speech Wrong Response to Murders
In response to the terrible violence on Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wants to make the city a safe space, urging the federal government to block two controversial events slated to be held in the liberal enclave in early June. But curbing free speech isn’t the right response—and Wheeler’s decision to do so now suggests…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Conservatives Fight for Free Speech at a Far-Left College
There seems to be a serious disconnect nowadays between what conservatives are, and what they are accused of being. Campus leftists thoughtlessly dub conservatives “racists” and “homophobes,” and regularly fling those epithets on both conservative students and right-leaning speakers who come to campus. This misunderstanding of conservative values is deeply unfortunate, and it comes amid…Mary Clare Amselem -
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- Opinion
The Insane Punishment a School Gave a Teen Over a Water Gun
What is the appropriate punishment for a high school student found on campus in possession of a water gun? The Autauga County Board of Education, which covers communities near Montgomery, Alabama, decided that a 16-year-old girl with a water gun was in violation of the board’s firearms policy. So Sara Allena “Laney” Nichols received a…David Rosenthal -
- News
The University of Virginia’s Fight to Protect Free Speech
According to some observers, college campuses are facing a “free speech crisis.” From author Charles Murray, who faced violent protests at Middlebury College, to Manhattan Institute scholar Heather Mac Donald, who was shouted down by students at Claremont McKenna College, controversial free speech cases arise on college campuses almost weekly. But amid the chaos, some college and university…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Gun Sales Have Fallen Since Obama Left Office
The gun industry may be headed for a slump after eight years of explosive growth under former President Barack Obama. From December through February, the number of federal background checks conducted each month declined from the same month a year ago, according to the Associated Press. While not an exact measure of total firearm sales,…Will Racke -
- News
Student Rights Group Begins Litigating ‘Free Speech Zones’
An organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of college students has helped file the first lawsuit as part of a new campaign to end “free speech zones” on college campuses. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, helped Los Angeles Pierce College student Kevin Shaw file a lawsuit after he was told…Ashe Schow