**Facial Recognition Comes to a TSA Checkpoint Near You**
The government is refining its ability to track your movements with little discussion.
https://reason.com/2023/02/15/facial-recognition-comes-to-a-tsa-checkpoint-near-you/
**Today in Supreme Court History: February 15, 1790**
2/15/1790: Justice John Rutledge takes oath.
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/15/today-in-supreme-court-history-february-15-1790-4/
**Brickbat: Getting His Numbers Up**
New York State Trooper Edward Longo has been charged with writing 24 fake traffic tickets, including one to a man who died earlier in the day the ticket was written. Longo wrote tickets for speeding, seat belt v…
https://reason.com/2023/02/15/brickbat-getting-his-numbers-up/
**PredictIt Helps Forecast Election Results. Bureaucrats Are Trying To Kill It.**
Election betting markets are often more reliable than pundits. Did the site steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No.
**The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'**
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
https://reason.com/2023/02/15/the-perils-of-trying-to-curtail-hazily-defined-disinformation/
**Court Blocks N.Y. Law Mandating Posting of "Hateful Conduct" Policies by Social Media Platforms (Including Us)**
From Volokh v. James, decided today by Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. (S.D.N.Y.): "Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, …
**No First Amendment Protection for 12 Cypress Trees,**
when plaintiff's "connection to his trees [was] rooted in a vague and indeterminate concept of spirituality, quantum physics, and cosmic mechanics."
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/no-first-amendment-protection-for-12-cypress-trees/
**Nikki Haley's Presidential Bid Is an Unappealing Mix of MAGA and RINO**
Is she an heir to Trump's throne? Is she a second coming for the pre-Trump Republican establishment? She doesn't even seem to know.
https://reason.com/2023/02/14/nikki-haleys-presidential-bid-is-an-unappealing-mix-of-maga-and-rino/
**Happy Trails: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Won't Run for Reelection**
The longest-serving California senator was a hardline drug warrior, a surveillance hawk, and no friend of freedom.
https://reason.com/2023/02/14/happy-trails-sen-dianne-feinstein-wont-run-for-reelection/
**Smartmatic's Libel Lawsuit Against Fox News Can Go Forward**
From today's decision by the New York intermediate appellate court in Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Fox Corp.: The causes of action for defamation were based on significant allegations that d…
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/smartmatics-libel-lawsuit-against-fox-can-go-forward/
**An Alabama Man Was Taken to Jail. Two Weeks Later, He Was Dead From Hypothermia.**
Tony Mitchell's death was a "direct and proximate result" of jail officers' "deliberate indifference or malice, and of their ongoing denial of Tony's constitutiona…
**How a Drafting Error Made It Harder for New Yorkers To Obtain Relief From Marijuana Felony Records**
Because legislators omitted a crucial letter, there is no straightforward way to downgrade convictions for offenses that are no longer felonies.
**Was the Chinese Surveillance Balloon in U.S. "Near Space"?**
The nation's control over the air above our heads is less settled than some may think.
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/was-the-chinese-surveillance-balloon-in-u-s-near-space/
**FTC Chair's Activism Prompts a Commissioner to Resign**
FTC Commissioner Christine WIlson is resigning from the Commission. (Updated)
**The Feds Are Buying Their Way Around the 4th Amendment**
Government agencies have paid to access huge amounts of Americans' data.
https://reason.com/2023/02/14/the-feds-are-buying-their-way-around-the-4th-amendment/
**New York Appeals Court Upholds Contempt Sanction Against Trump**
A trial judge's decision to hold Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a demand for documents is upheld.
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/new-york-appeals-court-upholds-contempt-sanction-against-trump/
**Can The Vice President Invoke The "Speech or Debate" Clause?**
The provision applies to "Senators and Representatives," not to the President of the Senate.
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/can-the-vice-president-invoke-the-speech-or-debate-clause/
**Is Inflation Sneakily Starting To Rise Again?**
January's consumer price data indicates another drop in annual inflation, but the past three months might tell a different story.
https://reason.com/2023/02/14/is-inflation-sneakily-starting-to-rise-again/
**Why Is It So Hard for Congress To End a War?**
Lawmakers are once again trying to reclaim their war powers through AUMF repeal.
https://reason.com/2023/02/14/why-is-it-so-hard-for-congress-to-end-a-war/
**Sex, Lies, and Social Media**
Artist Dave Cicirelli challenges his audience to create meaning.
https://reason.com/video/2023/02/14/sex-lies-and-social-media/