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
Survey Confirms Americans Still Shockingly Ill-Informed About Gun Deaths
If a recent survey is any indication, significant numbers of American voters are shockingly ill-informed about the reality of gun violence. The survey—conducted by RMG Research Inc. on behalf of the Napolitan News Service—asked registered voters whether they believed that school shootings or gang violence led to more gun deaths every year. A staggering one-third…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Court Rightly Rejects TikTok’s First Amendment Claims in Divestiture Fight
Courts are increasingly asked to “apply long-standing First Amendment principles to somewhat novel facts” involving digital social media. They have performed this task often—if not well—in recent cases such as NetChoice v. Paxton, Murthy v. Missouri, and Anderson v. TikTok. The mixed lessons from these efforts were on display in the latest installment in this juridical…Jack Fitzhenry -
- Opinion
10 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Show It’s Time to End War on Lawful Gun Owners
Major gun control groups are already lamenting the outcome of the Nov. 5 election, decrying the results as detrimental to public safety. In reality, though, President Joe Biden’s yearslong war on law-abiding gun owners repeatedly and wrongfully placed them at the center of the federal government’s target. But ordinary lawful owners of firearms never have…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
What Does Harris Think About the First Amendment? Her Record Screams: ‘Not Much.’
Americans have grown accustomed to empty sloganeering from candidates during election seasons. But we know that what a candidate says on the campaign trail means little. What they do in office—and with the office—is what matters. Vice President Kamala Harris has built a lengthy record over decades in various elected offices. We don’t have to wonder what she would do. We already know…Kristen Waggoner -
- Opinion
How Artificial Intelligence Is Testing the ‘Bounds of the First Amendment’
Artificial intelligence technology is making its way into more areas of daily life. But there are still many unknowns about AI, including major legal questions about the ways the technology should be governed, and which AI-generated speech is, or is not, protected under the First Amendment. Generative AI, in its most basic form, is “trained on…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
The First Amendment Was ‘the Most Revolutionary Part of the American Revolution,’ Law Professor Turley Says
“Free Speech defines us, and that is the awakening that we all have to try to work towards,” George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley says. Turley made his remarks on this week’s episode of “The Kevin Roberts Show” podcast. In his recent book, published in June, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an…Christina Lewis -
- Opinion
The Left’s Open Declaration of War on Free Speech
Leftists are becoming increasingly totalitarian in their antipathy for freedom of speech. It’s an obstacle to their desire for power, so it must be crushed. An exaggeration, you say? Just listen to what high-profile leftists have been openly saying about denying you your right to information on both sides of the political equation. Former presidential candidate…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
IT CAN HAPPEN HERE: Free Speech Under Siege in Colorado as Well as in Brazil
The legendary rocker Joe Walsh once sang, “The Rocky Mountain way is better than the way we had.” But in Colorado, unfortunately, the Rocky Mountain way now more closely resembles censorship in Brazil than liberty in America. More than 100 international free speech advocates, including five former U.S. attorneys general, joined an open letter to…Lathan Watts -
- Opinion
John Kerry, Hillary Clinton Are So Done With That Pesky First Amendment
Why is it we hear the loudest shrieks for democracy coming from those who most clearly want to remove all limits to their own power and lord it over their fellow citizens? In just the past few weeks, we’ve seen celebrities and even major political figures on the Left openly call for tyranny. They no…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
On the Second Amendment, Harris Shoots Herself in Foot—Again
It’s hard to reconcile Vice President Kamala Harris’ friendly overtures to gun owners with the footage that recently emerged of a 2007 press conference in which the then-district attorney of San Francisco said cops could conduct random home inspections to enforce compliance with the city’s new “safe storage” laws. Yes, really. She told reporters: We’re…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Defensive Gun Use Shows Second Amendment Remains Necessary, Even After Tragedies
A 14-year-old boy with a history of troubling behavior used a semiautomatic rifle to shoot and kill two fellow students and two teachers Sept. 6 at a high school in Georgia, police say. The teen faces criminal charges, as does his father—who police say recklessly gave his son “unfettered access” to the gun despite knowing…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Good Guys With Guns
Do you carry a gun? Bad idea, says Hollywood. Civilians with guns are fools. You are more likely to hurt yourself than the bad guy. “Leave it to a good guy with a gun to really screw things up,” says a cop on ABC’s “The Rookie.” Liberal politicians agree. “A good guy with a gun…John Stossel -
- Opinion
Kamala Harris’ Banana Republic on Free Speech
In 2019, Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN’s Jake Tapper that social media companies “are directly speaking to millions and millions of people without any level of oversight or regulation and it has to stop.” Does it? Every two-bit authoritarian in history has justified censoring its citizens as a way of protecting them from the…David Harsanyi -
- News
Free Speech Victory for New York Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers
A federal district court ruled Thursday that pro-life pregnancy centers in New York may inform women “that the abortion pill reversal (‘APR’) protocol is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use, with her doctor, to reverse the effects of a first chemical abortion pill and thereby, help to save the life of her unborn child.”…Joshua Arnold -
- Opinion
Who’s for the First Amendment—and Who Isn’t
“There’s a lot of opposition to just hearing what President [Donald] Trump has to say,” Elon Musk said at the beginning of his two-hour interview on X with the 45th and would-be 47th president. Musk noted, “I got a letter from the EU Commission, like, saying to not have disinformation during this discussion we’re having….Michael Barone -
- Opinion
What These 11 Examples of Self-Defense With Guns Ought to Teach Liberals
Vice President Kamala Harris just announced her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the Nov. 5 presidential election. As governor, Walz routinely touts his gun ownership and affinity for duck hunting as a reason why people should take his opinions in favor of more gun control seriously. He completely misses…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Family Fights for First Amendment Rights of 6-Year-Old Daughter Severely Punished for ‘Any Life’ Matters Drawing
The Pacific Legal Foundation has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court ruling in California that said elementary school students have no First Amendment rights. A 6-year-old nicknamed “B.B.” in the Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California was introduced to the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in her first-grade…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
SMOKING GUN: Documents Show HHS Focuses on ‘Anti-Racism’ Despite Becerra’s Denial
The Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden has received multiple recommendations to implement “anti-racism” in policy based on the premise that America suffers from “systemic racism,” even though HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra publicly denied having any “anti-racism policies.” “I would challenge you to show me where in our policies we call…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
These Accounts of Defensive Gun Use Speak Volumes
It seems that many gun control activists want to take your guns so badly that they’re willing to take your voice, too. And increasingly, the war for the Second Amendment involves battles waged on a First Amendment front. Just ask the National Rifle Association, which last week needed the Supreme Court to vindicate its right…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Some Comedians Stand Up for Free Speech, the Only Cause Celebre That Matters
We get to live in a disruptive, consequential era—one for the history books. We wonder what they’ll say about today. Political correctness and cancel culture have made a major mark on our lives, but don’t seem to be aging well. The PC police have even gotten in the way of artists expressing themselves freely and…Andrew Olivastro