Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by John Ellis
“Many, many boards for school districts, community colleges, and public universities, and at least one state, have formal policies that limit board members from publicly criticizing actions taken by the boards, speaking to the press, or communicating on social media. These policies, often called ‘One Voice,’ have resulted in punishments of board members and lawsuits challenging those actions. The policies are propagated by dozens of consultants and education attorneys, state and national board associations, at least one accreditor, and the New Jersey Department of Education. The policies are surely unconstitutional for elected boards (school districts and community colleges), though that may not be as clear-cut for boards appointed by state government (most public universities). Regardless, they are horrid governance policies for educational institutions, set bad examples for the students they’re educating, and contribute to the deterioration of civic culture.” (06/30/26)
“Delivering a major blow to President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked his contentious attempt to limit citizenship at birth for those born on U.S. soil. The court, divided 6-3, ruled that the executive order Trump issued Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, was unlawful. Five justices said the order fell foul of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to bestow birthright citizenship on almost anyone born in the United States. One justice, conservative Brett Kavanaugh, [pretended] the order violated federal law but not the Constitution.” [editor’ note: I wish I could say I was surprised to see supposed “originalists” Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch drop trou, squat, and defecate all over the plain text, clear meaning, and indisputable history of the US Constitution. But that stopped surprising me long ago – TLK] (06/30/26)
“In 1991, an ATF informant entrapped Randy Weaver into selling him two sawed-off shotguns. After ATF officials lied to a federal prosecutor, Weaver was indicted and sent the wrong court date. On August 21, 1992, after numerous illegal incursions onto Weaver’s Ruby Ridge mountaintop property near the Canadian border, three U.S. marshals dressed in Ninja outfits and carrying submachine guns ambushed Weaver’s 14-year old son and family friend Kevin Harris. One marshal shot the boy’s dog and a firefight erupted in which another marshal was killed. As Sammy Weaver ran from the scene towards the family’s ramshackle cabin, a marshal shot him in the back and killed him. The next day, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team arrived. Within an hour of its snipers taking position, every adult in the cabin was either dead or severely wounded—even though they had not fired a shot at the FBI.” (06/30/26)
“Hillsdale’s Bradley J. Birzer joins James Patterson to talk about the Declaration of Independence. They discuss the American colonies’ devout Protestantism, their love of the classics, and their identification with the Anglo-Saxon constitutional tradition. Birzer concludes with a stirring assessment of why the Constitution matters.” (06/30/26)
“The democratic socialist Melat Kiros unseated long-serving US representative Diana DeGette in Colorado’s primary elections held on Tuesday, the latest in a string of high-profile victories for the party’s insurgent left. The Associated Press reported that Kiros had defeated DeGette for the Democratic nomination in the deep-blue first congressional district centered on Denver. … Kiros made concerns about US support for Israel prominent in her campaign. In an interview with Colorado Public Radio (CPR), Kiros accused the country of carrying out a genocide in Gaza and called for the United States to impose an arms embargo.” (07/01/26)
“The UN is often viewed as an ineffectual bureaucracy that occasionally does some good. It is nothing so benevolent. Its origins may have been well-meaning, but the current UN has become what it claims to oppose. The US should leave the UN altogether and immediately, especially since its unjust policies are likely to get worse … and soon.” (06/30/26)
“Ukraine said on Tuesday it hit one of Russia’s largest satellite communication centers for the second time in just over a week, as Kyiv ramps up long-range drone attacks to pressure the Kremlin to end its four-year-old war. The Dubna Satellite Communications Centre to the north of Moscow, some 500 km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is used for intelligence gathering and the coordination of Russia’s armed forces fighting in Ukraine, President Volodymr Zelensky said. Russia hasn’t confirmed the Dubna communication center was struck, but the governor of the Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov said a drone had hit an ‘administrative building’ in the town with no reported casualties. Vorobyov also said a six-month-old baby died on Tuesday after a drone crashed into a home in Yegoryevsk, southeast of Moscow, trapping people under rubble.” (06/30/26)
“Bastiat’s Petition of the Candlemakers lays bare the absurdity of protectionism. Offering preferential treatment to less efficient domestic producers artificially raises prices, restricts consumer choice, and decreases exports. Tariffs harm consumers, workers, and exporters while failing to accomplish their stated goals: they fail to meaningfully shift the balance of trade or promote domestic industry and employment, and more generally harm everyone involved, including protected industries. Given these realities, it is no surprise that a negative opinion of tariffs has been a virtual consensus among economists for centuries — just ask Adam Smith …” (06/30/26)
“A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Virginia from enforcing a new law that would prohibit federal [gang members] — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — from wearing masks while carrying out [harassment and abduction] operations, siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over federal authority. Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne granted the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect Wednesday while the legal challenge proceeds. The injunction will remain in place while the case is litigated.” (06/30/26)
“Why would anyone invest large sums of capital into creating something new of uncertain income? This question captures the core of the argument for intellectual property, or the legal protection of inventors’ ideas from being copied and put to broader use. The simple logic appears intuitive and therefore persuasive, but does not stand up to scrutiny. Why? Because it applies to all entrepreneurship, which is always an investment in something of uncertain value. Yet this does not seem to stop entrepreneurs. Or, rather, it moderates which entrepreneurial projects are undertaken so that the craziest ideas are not pursued unless they are potentially very profitable.” (06/30/26)
