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.

THE 2027 COLLEGE FREE SPEECH RANKINGS ARE OUT. A record 140 schools passed this year, but the national average is still a D-, which is another way of saying higher ed has improved from “terrible” to “still pretty bad.” See where your alma mater ranks.

A STUDENT SENATE VOTES 25–0 TO DENY A REPUBLICAN CLUB FOR BEING REPUBLICAN. At Whitman College, apparently freedom of association is fine, as long as you associate with the approved people. Rights that protect only popular opinions are not really protections at all.

CANADIAN COURT REJECTS A FORCED APOLOGY FOR MEME, THAILAND IMPRISONS ACTIVIST FOR INSULTING MONARCHY, & CHINA CENSORS FOOTAGE FROM TIBET: Different countries, same recurring temptation: punish the speech instead of answering it.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON LEARNS THAT COMPELLED SPEECH CAN BE EXPENSIVE: Professor Stuart Reges challenged the school’s land-acknowledgment requirement, and the case ended with a $600K settlement. Academic freedom includes the right not to mouth the university’s preferred message. More in this weekend’s Free Speech Update.

FREE SPEECH HAS A MUCH LONGER, STRANGER, AND MORE HARD-FOUGHT HISTORY THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE. For history buffs, I put together a reading list tracing the battles over censorship, dissent, toleration, and free expression from the ancient world to the present.

HIGHER ED DOESN’T HAVE A PERCEPTION PROBLEM: Americans picture more ideological diversity on campus than the evidence supports. A closer look lowers confidence. Perhaps universities should spend less time managing perceptions and more time asking what those perceptions are hiding.