Category Archives: Freedom of Expression

It’s dirty work (and lawyers get to do it)

Canadian Lawyer‘s Gail Cohen praises the late Doug Christie for representing people many lawyers wouldn’t touch: Christie, often called The Battling Barrister or Counsel for the Damned, became notorious for his defence of some of the most reviled hatemongers in … Continue reading

Posted in Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law (USA), Criminal Law, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Mom of the year

A New York court has ordered a woman to stop posting anything online about her children: There’s not much to “like” about this woman’s Facebook habits. A mean upstate mom who cyber-bullied her emotionally-disturbed 10-year-old son on Facebook by calling … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, Freedom of Expression | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sometimes, there really is a fire

Whenever a free-speech controversy bubbles up, you can always count on apologists for censorship to declare that “there’s no right to shout fire in a crowded theatre.” Ken at Popehat, in an absolutely devastating post, explains where that phrase comes from, … Continue reading

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“On this site in 1989, nothing happened”

China, the colossus that’s on the verge of becoming the most powerful country the world has ever known, the industrial powerhouse star-struck useful idiots like Tom Friedman say we must emulate, is terrified of a few digits: Each year, the … Continue reading

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“How About Defending Speech Because It’s Speech, Not Because You Agree With It?”

I want to print this post from Popehat, frame it and mount it on my wall. …Say that someone sues, or threatens, or abuses someone whose ideas you despise, someone whose good faith you doubt, someone working for political or social ends you … Continue reading

Posted in Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law (USA), Freedom of Expression, Human Rights | Leave a comment

The other “Jesus shirt” case

Nova Scotians who followed the “Life is Wasted Without Jesus” controversy may be interested in this markedly similar case from Ohio, where a student’s T-shirt was banned because of a controversial religious message. The difference? In the Ohio case, the … Continue reading

Posted in Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law (USA), Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Human Rights | 1 Comment

Two related stories

Canada: A Nova Scotia teenager who made international headlines for getting suspended from school after wearing a T-shirt with a Christian message didn’t attend classes on Monday and may be leaving the school for good. William Swinimer, a Grade 12 … Continue reading

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Nova Scotia | 1 Comment

“Life is Wasted Without Jesus”

If you’re a Christian, you probably think that statement is just common sense.  If you aren’t a Christian, you probably rolled your eyes and moved on.  And if you’re an administrator at Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin, you think … Continue reading

Posted in Constitutional Law, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Nova Scotia | 3 Comments

Crystal Cox: free speech for me, but not for thee.

Aside | Posted on by | 1 Comment

Now it’s Arizona’s turn to make a criminal offence out of “annoying” or “offending” people over the internet.  Too bad the American Bill of Rights doesn’t have anything in it about    “abridging the freedom of speech” n’ stuff.

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