Thanks to ⁦Cato Institute⁩ for having me as the B. Kenneth Simon keynote speech on Constitution Day! And thanks for being a principled organization that I proudly worked at 13 years ago and am now affiliated with again.

For those just learning about jawboning, Federalist Society produced a great documentary about this growing threat to free speech, watch it here: youtu.be/rlbDQWyDONA?si…

Thanks to Peter Baker for including my thoughts in this great piece on Trump and free speech

And I had to cheer at these phenomenal quotes by Thomas Berry.

“This continues a pattern of Trump being his own lawyers’ worst enemy with his public statements,” Mr. Berry said. “Whereas Carr focused on the alleged falsity of the statement, Trump simply admits that he wants the F.C.C. to go after stations that are unfriendly to him.”

Calling someone a fascist is protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has repeatedly drawn a bright, bold line between political speech and incitement, not a thin line. That's so people don't have to worry that their political criticism could be criminalized.

Maybe worth recognizing that federal government can leverage the private sector (inappropriately according to many) because federal government so big and invasive. Universities cave under pressure because federal grants make up large percentage of revenue. ABC, CBS, NBC

Kimmel is coming back on the air tonight. Google is reinstating YouTube channels it took down due to government pressure during the Biden administration. However, government jawboning can impact free expression more generally & should be a serious concern. cato.org/multimedia/med…

"News distortion" is at the center of the Jimmy Kimmel controversy. In 2017 and 2025 I petitioned the FCC to end its news distortion policy, noting that late-night TV—mixing news and comedy—is especially vulnerable to such complaints. (So is conservative talk radio.)

EEUU 🇺🇸 | El presidente y otros miembros de su gobierno pueden oponerse a los discursos con los que no están de acuerdo o consideran falsos, siempre y cuando sus contraargumentos no se conviertan en amenazas del poder estatal. Thomas Berry ✍️ elcato.org/el-gobierno-no…

I read Chris Hayes "Twilight of the Elites" book for an upcoming book project and it's extremely good -- it is a shame it was overlooked. One concept from it hit hard: The idea of fractal success. There may be a few overachievers in my timeline so read on. Hayes idea grows 1/

Eugene Volokh of UCLA School of Law and Genevieve Lakier of The University of Chicago join Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the history and constitutionality of jawboning and questions surrounding the recent suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Listen to #WeThePeoplePodcast: ow.ly/q3y150X2yI4

One of the most striking questions in Middle Eastern history is why Iran remained a cultural and political center long after many of its Arab neighbors declined. One answer lies in the survival and flourishing of the Persian language, which provided a mechanism of continuity

Science girl My social media posts.

EEUU 🇺🇸 | La coerción del gobierno para censurar el discurso es incorrecta, independientemente del partido que esté en el poder: todos deberíamos preocuparnos cuando asume el papel de vigilante de la "verdad". Thomas Berry ✍️ elcato.org/el-gobierno-no…

The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf asked us about some ideas for our legislation Congress can pass to better protect free speech.

I'll be introducing Vice President Mike Pence tonight, and he'll be chatting with my colleague Archon Fung on conservatism and American democracy. While the in-person is only for Harvard affiliates, you can watch online tonight at 6:00 PM eastern. Harvard Ash Center

On behalf of #BravesCountry, thank you Snit 💙

NEW PODCAST: Shutdown deadlines, pocket rescissions, Shadow dockets, court decisions, Russ Vought budgets, Lisa Cook, Humphrey’s case, the law they shook. IEEPA, tariffs rising, ACA subsidies expiring, Sora 2, civil rights, E.J. Antoni pundit fights We didn't start the fire.

The federal government is shut down, but President Trump’s team sees an opening—to fire swaths of the bureaucracy. On our latest podcast, Gene Healy, Ryan Bourne, Thomas Berry, and @JeffreyAMiron unpack the legalities of mass layoffs, the rights and wrongs of current budget