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While standing in a private parking lot in Sussex, Wisconsin, on May 4, 2025, Napoleon Jones witnessed a traffic stop made by an out-of-county police officer. "It just didn't sit right with me," Jones told TMJ4 News, a local NBC News affiliate. "So I did what I legally could do, and I walked over and recorded it."  Jones, a United States Navy veteran, was well within his rights to record the police stop. But even though he recorded from a safe distance without interfering, that didn't stop the W

Reason Senior Editor Stephanie Slade joins Nick Gillespie to discuss the future of the American right after Donald Trump, and whether libertarians will have a place in it. In Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right, Slade argues that the political philosophy espoused by National Review co-founder Frank Meyer remains a vibrant synthesis of the liberty prized by libertarians and the virtue that is central to conservatives and traditionalists. Slade and Gillespie discuss th

This December, selective service registration for eligible young men becomes automatic nationwide. This might not seem like a big deal, as it merely automates an already mandatory process that many states had in place. Rather than requiring men to register online or by mail, the government will use existing databases, such as Social Security records, to add men ages 18 to 26 to a pool of candidates if conscription becomes necessary. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D–Pa.) said the move will save "taxpayer

Some excerpts from U.S. v. Aleman-Lozano, decided yesterday by Third Circuit Judge Patty Shwartz, joined by Judges Theodore McKee: Aleman-Lozano is a native and citizen of El Salvador. He entered the United States unlawfully but, in 2017, was granted a nonimmigrant temporary visa with work authorization. Since entering the United States, he has resided with his family, attended school, and worked in Washington, D.C. In September 2021, a Pennsylvania state trooper pulled Aleman-Lozano over for a

The U.S. and Iran are back at it: Both countries have resumed trading airstrikes this week after mostly pausing for the month of August, when they were attempting to agree to a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Then, on August 30, "US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on its Larak Island" claiming "that the attack on Larak was launched to prevent Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz," per Breakthrough News.  Last night, U.S. C

From Townsend v. The Gardens at Aldersgate LLC, decided Monday by Magistrate Judge Rachel Schwartz (D. Kan.): This is a skilled-nursing-home negligence case proceeding in federal court based on diversity jurisdiction …. In diversity cases proceeding under § 1332(a), Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 7.1(a)(2) requires every "party or intervenor [to]…file a disclosure statement[ ] [that] must name—and identify the citizenship of—every individual or entity whose citizenship is attribut

From Morake v. Mwanyenyeka, decided Friday by Judge Josephine Staton (C.D. Cal.): Plaintiff Lebohang Morake is the creator and original performer of "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba," the opening chant from Disney's The Lion King. Defendant Learnmore Mwanyenyeka is a comedian and content creator. Defendant appeared on a podcast, where he asserted that "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba" means "Look, there's a lion. Oh my god" in the Zulu language. The podcast was posted on YouTube and went viral. Defend

From Third Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, joined by Judges Felipe Restrepo and Cindy Chung, in yesterday's U.S. v. Berger: Gun bans are strong medicine. But occasionally, they are just what the doctor ordered. History teaches that governments may ban weapons when they are commonly used principally for crime. Machine guns fit that mold…. The Second Amendment is not boundless…. he Second Amendment protects weapons commonly used for self-defense and other legal purposes. Conversely, "

Watch this debate live on YouTube on September 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. This debate was organized by Logosive. How the COVID-19 pandemic began remains one of the most consequential unanswered questions of the 21st century. The answer has direct implications for biosecurity policy, international relations with China, the credibility of scientific institutions, and how the world prepares for the next pandemic. Years after the initial outbreak, the debate between a laboratory accident at the Wuhan

A mom of five was convicted last week of delinquency of a minor. Her offense: allowing her 5-year-old son to walk about a half-mile by himself in their gated community. Until very recently, Karyann Parkinson lived in leafy Williamsburg, Virginia. She and her husband, Dallin, moved there from Utah so Parkinson could attend William and Mary Law School. In June, when Parkinson was preparing for the bar—and also happened to be eight months pregnant with her fifth child—she and her then-youngest, Sam

It's both common and accurate to point out that many people who go into government are control freaks motivated by the desire to exercise power over others, or else driven by self-interest to profit from control of the reins of government. But a new study points out that even when government officials are sincere and intend to make the world a better place, they often cause more harm than good. Regulations Designed To Protect the Public Can End Up Restricting Opportunity The Protection Paradox

9/2/1819: James Madison writes letter to Judge Spencer Roane criticizing McCulloch v. Maryland. The post Today in Supreme Court History: September 2, 1819 appeared first on Reason.com.

Authorities in China are investigating comedian Guo Degang for changing the lyrics of a famous revolutionary song during a performance in Wuhan. Guo sang "Playing My Beloved Pipa," a song connected to China's revolutionary history, but changed the lyrics to mention Buddha, the Forbidden City, and his "mummy." An audience member complained that Guo had disrespected an important "red" song, and the city's Culture and Tourism Bureau launched an investigation, saying the alterations were not include

The post Open Thread appeared first on Reason.com.

At the same time that Chief Justice Roberts voted to halt the construction of the East Ballroom because Congress did not authorize it, the Chief Justice's other institution voted to bypass Congress to build a new museum. I'm not sure anyone else saw the connection between these two items, but that's why you read this blog. For decades, there has been a movement to build new Smithsonian museums on the National Mall dedicated to African Americans, Latino Americans, and Women. The African American

After President Theodore Roosevelt began building the East Wing of the White House in 1902, he thanked Congress for approving the project and appropriating the necessary funds. When President Donald Trump demolished the East Wing last fall, by contrast, he acted without permission from Congress, which the Constitution empowers to control federal property. That difference is unlikely to matter in practice, thanks to a stay the Supreme Court issued on Monday, which allows Trump to continue work on

One of the greatest challenges with judicial selection is knowing what a lawyer actually believes. How do you know what a lawyer really believes when he is always representing a client? For sure, lawyers at firms are largely hired guns. They'll take whatever paying client comes through the door. Indeed, whenever a lawyer takes a case, he has plausible deniability: I zealously represented my client, without regard to whether I agreed with the cause. How, then, do you know what a lawyer really bel

In this segment of Free Media, Reason Senior Editor Robby Soave and Daily Caller Editor in Chief Amber Duke break down the drama inside the Pentagon before turning to the latest developments in Iran. If you enjoy this kind of content and want more, subscribe to Soave's newsletter, Free Media. The post The Iran War's Defenders Are Losing the Plot appeared first on Reason.com.

In this segment of Free Media, Reason Senior Editor Robby Soave and Daily Caller Editor in Chief Amber Duke discuss President Donald Trump's comments on data centers and how Vice President J.D. Vance seemed to defend Trump's stance, even though it is in direct conflict with their Republican base of support. If you enjoy this kind of content and want more, subscribe to Soave's newsletter, Free Media. The post Trump Loves Data Centers: 'Let Data Reign' appeared first on Reason.com.

By now, many Americans are familiar with stories of people in the United Kingdom being arrested for social media posts. They may not know that overly zealous foreign regulators, such as the U.K.'s Office of Communications (Ofcom), have attempted to regulate and fine U.S. companies. These demands violate the First Amendment, and lawmakers may now take federal action to shield Americans from this overreach. On Thursday, Rep. Michael Rulli (R–Ohio) introduced the Guaranteeing Rights Against Novel I