IVY LEAGUE PRESTIGE DOESN’T BUY MUCH FREE SPEECH: Dartmouth ranks #6 in FIRE’s 2027 College Free Speech Rankings, while four Ivies earn an F and Columbia limps in at #246.

TOUGH JOB, BEING A BUREAUCRAT. SOMEONE MIGHT MOCK YOU. Australia’s top public servants want Parliament to rein in social media clips that subject officials to ridicule. But making fun of powerful government officials isn’t a bug in democratic debate. It’s one of the features.

IDEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY APPARENTLY HAS ITS LIMITS AT WHITMAN. The student senate voted 25–0 against recognizing the Republican Club after scrutinizing its politics, and FIRE is calling on the college to give the group a fair, viewpoint-neutral shot.

COMING SOON TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU: MORE AGE GATES, MORE ID CHECKS, LESS ANONYMITY. Europe is considering sweeping new limits on minors’ access to social media and AI. See what that means for your rights in this week’s update.

CAMPUS VIOLENCE IS LOOKING LESS LEFT VS. RIGHT AND MORE MEN VS. WOMEN. FIRE’s latest data shows ideology is becoming a weaker predictor of support for violence against speakers. See the stats in this week’s update.

MY BIRTHDAY GIFT WAS MACKLEMORE, ED SHEERAN, AND THE STREISAND EFFECT. I WOULD’VE PREFERRED SOCKS. I joined Jake Tapper to explain why the controversy isn’t simply “free speech” versus “censorship” and why trying to suppress political speech so often makes it louder. See my full interview with Jake Tapper in this week’s update.

RIKKI SCHLOTT’S NOTHING SERIOUS ASKS WHETHER THROWING OUT COURTSHIP, COMMITMENT, AND OLD-FASHIONED STANDARDS ACTUALLY MADE ANYONE HAPPIER. Judging by modern dating, the results are not encouraging. Pre-order Nothing Serious now.

HAPPY CONSTITUTION DAY TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE. If you’re spending Constitution Day thinking about the Declaration, freedom of conscience, and 200+ years of Americans debating what it all means, check out Jeffrey Rosen’s conversation with David Rubenstein.

CRITICIZING THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT A FEDERAL OFFENSE. After agents pursued David Streever over a harsh political email, a federal court ordered DHS and ICE to back off, a major First Amendment win and a reminder that government power still has limits..

THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T GET TO SEND AGENTS AFTER YOU FOR HURTING ITS FEELINGS. FIRE proved that point after a federal court ordered DHS and ICE to stop threatening David Streever over protected criticism of an ICE official.

I KNOW YOU’VE ALL BEEN ASKING YOURSELVES, “What should I get Greg for his birthday today? Exotic cheeses? Fancy bourbon? A second season of Wonder Man? Or Spider-Noir?”: Well, that’s all very thoughtful of you. But all I really want for my birthday is for you to support the great work of the extraordinary folks at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)! Seriously. They’re the best birthday present I could ask for.

“THERE’S ONE SIDE WHOSE OPINION IS ASSUMED TO BE THE ‘WRONG’ ONE”: That’s how one conservative Utah Valley University student described the campus climate, adding that they had heard threats of violence toward people who share views with figures like Charlie Kirk. FIRE’s 2027 College Free Speech Rankings show that the chilling effect at UVU is still very real. 

AUSTRALIA’S TOP BUREAUCRATS WANT PROTECTION FROM BEING MOCKED ONLINE: Their idea of “harm” includes social media clips that invite ridicule, hostility, or criticism of public officials. As FIRE’s Sarah McLaughlin writes, bureaucrats shouldn’t get to decide where scrutiny ends and censorship begins.

THE PR OFFICE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY EDWARDSVILLE WANTED CONTROL OVER STUDENT JOURNALISTS’ INTERVIEWS, AND THEN THE POLICE GOT INVOLVED: After a student journalist criticized the university’s interference as “dangerous and detrimental” to free speech, he was reported to campus police. Join us and tell SIUE to respect the student press.

HIGHER ED DISCOVERS THAT PRINCIPLES REQUIRE PRACTICE: UC Davis jumped from #252 to #24 while Texas State fell to #259. Apparently having a free-speech policy is not quite the same thing as having a free-speech culture.

AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW RIGHT: THE RIGHT NOT TO BE MOCKED. GET A GRIP. Australia’s top bureaucrats want Parliament to make it harder to share clips of their public testimony because people might ridicule them. Full story in this week’s update.

CANADA DISCOVERS THAT OFFENSIVE SPEECH IS STILL SPEECH. Saskatoon officials are considering restrictions on graphic anti-abortion flyers because residents find them disturbing. The full story in this week’s update!

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, I LANDED IN PHILADELPHIA ON ONE OF THE LAST FLIGHTS BEFORE AMERICA’S SKIES WENT SILENT ON 9/11. Weeks later, I started at FIRE and learned how quickly fear can turn into pressure to abandon free speech principles. This is what 9/11 taught me about defending free speech.

THE ROLE’S ARE REVERSED — WE’RE GIVING HIGHER ED A REPORT CARD TODAY! FIRE’s 2027 College Free Speech Rankings are out. Some schools should celebrate, some should close the blinds and pretend nobody’s home, and everyone else can check whether they earned bragging rights, a warning label, or something in between.

BATTLE OF THE ALMA MATERS! Stanford, my law school, ranks #55 in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings. American University, my undergrad alma mater, ranks #155… so for today I’m leaning heavily into the Stanford part of my résumé. Where does your school land?

I’M FINE WITH GOVERNMENT WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER AI CAN DRAIN MY BANK ACCOUNT, I’M LESS EXCITED ABOUT IT DECIDING WHAT THE AI IS ALLOWED TO TELL ME. Our new piece argues for a simple rule. Regulate genuine real-world powers without turning the regulator into the head librarian.

THE LAST THING AI NEEDS IS A FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS. Government can police real-world harms without turning legitimate safety rules into a permission slip to control what Americans can ask, learn, and discover.

WHEN CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS COME TO CAMPUS, TOO MANY STUDENTS STILL THINK SILENCING THEM IS A LEGITIMATE RESPONSE. The latest FIRE data show widespread opposition to controversial speakers and persistent support for shout-downs, blockades, and, among some students, violence.

ONE YEAR AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER, CAMPUS FREE SPEECH STILL HAS A VIOLENCE PROBLEM. FIRE’s latest data show real progress, but 30% of students still say violence can sometimes be acceptable to stop a campus speaker, Sean Stevens and Robert Shibley write in the WSJ.

TURNS OUT TRADITIONAL NORMS AROUND SEX AND COMMITMENT MAY HAVE CONTAINED SOME WISDOM AFTER ALL. My Canceling of the American Mind co-author Rikki Schlott’s new book Nothing Serious takes a hard look at what happened when modern dating decided otherwise.