A bipartisan effort in Congress seeks to reinforce First Amendment protections by preventing federal officials from pressuring private companies to censor lawful speech. In a new RealClearMarkets column, Market Institute Senior Fellow Norm Singleton examines the Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression (JAWBONE) Act and explains why it Read more…
An article by Market Institute President Charles Sauer in RealClearMarkets warns that government officials in both parties are increasingly tempted to use federal power to pressure, punish, or silence speech they disagree with — a trend that threatens the First Amendment regardless of who controls Washington. Sauer points to President Read more…
In a recent column for RealClearMarkets, Market Institute Senior Fellow Norm Singleton warns that Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson is stretching consumer protection law into dangerous territory—one that risks colliding directly with the First Amendment. In a February 12 letter to Tim Cook, Ferguson suggested that Apple Inc. Read more…
In a new RealClearMarkets op-ed, Market Institute Senior Fellow Norm Singleton explains why the Trump Administration’s clash with the European Union over the Digital Services Act (DSA) is really a fight over free speech—especially for American users and companies. Singleton writes that critics, including progressive advocacy groups, have framed the Read more…
California Governor Gavin Newsom, often floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, recently vetoed SB-771 — a bill that would have made social media platforms legally liable for “recklessly” allowing so-called hate speech to appear on their sites. As Charles Sauer writes, the measure “would hold social media companies liable Read more…
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) recently called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether the Biden Administration’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention worked with anti-Second Amendment groups to pressure the FTC into cracking down on firearm advertising. As Market Institute President Charles Sauer explains in RealClearMarkets, the Read more…
In a recent column at RealClearMarkets, Market Institute President Charles Sauer highlights an important tension within the Trump Administration’s approach to regulation. While the administration has wisely pulled back from the overly aggressive antitrust enforcement of the Biden years, troubling moves at the FCC and FTC risk undermining the First Read more…
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. famously said: “hard cases make bad law.” As Market Institute President Charles Sauer writes in a recent article at RealClear Markets, few cases are harder than one where a grieving parent seeks to hold someone accountable for the death of their child. Sauer highlights the Read more…
New York’s Stop Hiding Hate Act — signed into law last year and taking effect this year — is a prime example of how government dresses up an assault on liberty with a feel-good title. In a recent RealClear Markets article, Market Institute Senior Fellow Norm Singleton warns that while Read more…
Minnesota is following in New York’s footsteps with a new law that requires mental health warning labels on social media platforms. Before accessing their favorite apps, Minnesotans will soon be forced to “acknowledge the potential for harm and choose to proceed to the social media platform despite the risk.” As Read more…