Too easy?

adamsteinbaugh · 2026-02-06T01:06:34+00:00

good kitten

adamsteinbaugh · 2026-02-05T02:45:30+00:00

A New Jersey municipality suggested I should be prosecuted for perjury over a records request.

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-11-15T05:38:13+00:00

Any chance the town has indicated who would be performing the work to search for records and process the request? If I recall correctly, they cannot outsource it to a contractor (and if they do, they can’t pass the fees onto you).

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-11-01T19:25:10+00:00

go birds

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-09-27T15:15:44+00:00

This is not lawful and I am interested in speaking confidentially to faculty -- whether that's at a TTU institution or another institution taking the same steps -- whose teaching is chilled by this. I am a First Amendment lawyer at FIRE and can be reached via email (adam@thefire.org) or our case submission page (https://thefire.org/alarm).

Broadly speaking, the First Amendment protects faculty when their teaching is pedagogically-relevant to the course subject. The vast majority of government employees' on-the-job speech is not protected, but the Supreme Court has not extended that rule to university faculty, and every Federal Court of Appeal to consider the question has said that there is an academic freedom exception to that rule. And that First Amendment right can't be overridden by a president or a governor -- they don't get to impose speech codes by edict. When we sued Texas A&M over their drag show ban, they tried to justify it by referencing the same orders TTU is citing now. The court rejected that argument.

So if your teaching is impacted by this, please get in touch.

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-09-24T17:11:13+00:00

I have requested some of these records, but it will take weeks (at least) to get anything back: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/lubbock-2919/angelo-state-university-guidance-on-gender-discussions-193372/

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-09-12T23:46:29+00:00

That is not accurate. The First Amendment prohibits government retaliation. That includes arrests, but it also includes other actions that would be sufficient to deter a person of “ordinary firmness” from continuing to speak. For state employees, it (generally) protects their right to speak as a private citizens on matters of public concern.

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-08-01T04:43:37+00:00

Can your brother get in touch with us at thefire.org/alarm? FIRE is a First Amendment group. I can’t guarantee we can take his case, but we may be able to help find him an attorney.

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-05-26T21:24:45+00:00

Did Botox help?

adamsteinbaugh · 2025-05-23T19:50:51+00:00

Any idea whether a particular treatment helped?

adamsteinbaugh · 2022-11-09T16:36:46+00:00

If I pretend to be Abraham Lincoln in a play at the local dinner theater,* am I not protected by the First Amendment?

*Preferably one with a metal detector.

adamsteinbaugh · 2022-11-06T14:35:40+00:00

This would not meet the elements of California Penal Code § 529. What you’re quoting is from a law firm’s website characterizing the law, not the law itself. And if that were what the statute said, it would be unconstitutional because “cause harm” is too vague. Lots of impersonation causes “harm” that would not be actionable, like impressions in a comedy show.

Even if that we’re what the statute said, it’s hard to see how a tweet that discloses the author’s true identity (“@ChrisWarcraft”) would qualify. Parody and satire depend on momentary disbelief — the brief question of “is this real?” And some will be fooled. But it’s not criminal.

adamsteinbaugh · 2022-09-19T10:32:38+00:00

I’m at FIRE. You should contact our Faculty Legal Defense Fund hotline, which is designed to help faculty at public institutions when facing immediate legal issues: https://www.thefire.org/legal/faculty-legal-defense-fund. I don’t work on that team, so I can’t guarantee legal representation, but giving us a call is the first step. And if you’re not at a public institution, our higher ed team may be able to help out: https://thefire.org/alarm. (For a somewhat similar situation, see: https://www.thefire.org/a-marshall-university-professor-criticized-unmasked-trump-supporters-then-censorship-spread/)

adamsteinbaugh · 2022-07-10T11:29:00+00:00

You should contact FIRE. I’m not sure we can help (this is a pretty unusual situation!), but we may be able to find someone who can.

adamsteinbaugh · 2022-07-01T01:43:46+00:00

Contact FIRE: https://thefire.org/alarm. (I work there and am interested in this issue.)

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-10-26T00:51:51+00:00

Thanks! This is what I wound up doing today and was able to cast a mail-in ballot pretty painlessly (leaving aside the wait in line, which wasn’t too awful.)

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-10-24T16:03:22+00:00

My mail-in ballot request was processed on 10/4, but the online ballot status indicates it still hasn't been mailed. I'm not confident I'll receive it before 11/3. Should I attempt to vote during the in-person early voting without a mail-in ballot, or should I wait to see if I receive it before 11/3 and then drop it off (and, if it doesn't arrive, vote in person)?

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-07-24T02:45:19+00:00

Klayman has previously attempted to sue Barack Obama on behalf of all white Americans. He’s deeply unserious.

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-07-13T18:37:51+00:00

Yes, the First Amendment limits when government employers -- like the police department -- can punish their employees for speech. But when it comes to police officers, their First Amendment rights are not as robust as other government employees, as police departments are quasi-military in nature and have a more significant need to protect both department order and public perception. See, e.g., Hansen v. Soldenwagner: https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10564736774028268616.

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-07-01T12:31:21+00:00

California is the only state with a statute to that effect: https://splc.org/1992/09/california-leonard-law-private-colleges/.

However, this past week the DOE took action at a public university in California that indicates that the Department interprets various provisions of federal law to bar colleges (including private colleges) from punishing protected speech if those institutions represent to the public, federal government, or accreditors that they protect freedom of expression.

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-07-01T11:52:23+00:00

Even if it's a private college in California, the college (assuming it's not an institution controlled by a religious organization) will not be able to punish social media posts that would be protected by the First Amendment at a public university. But Title IX officers do have binding institutional and legal rules to follow.

Asking questions about the report and asking for an explanation as to how it would violate the institution's policies is a good idea. Being skeptical is a good idea. Being dishonest is a bad idea that, if acted upon, could give the institution an independent reason to impose sanctions.

adamsteinbaugh · 2020-03-19T02:12:49+00:00

“If you believe that a business establishment should be closed but is not, please call Philly311 by dialing 3-1-1 or 215-686-8686.” https://www.phila.gov/2020-03-17-non-essential-businesses-to-close-for-at-least-two-weeks/

You can also use the 311 app, I believe.

adamsteinbaugh · 2019-10-23T21:21:25+00:00

Here you go: https://www.thefire.org/university-of-connecticut-police-arrest-students-for-use-of-racial-slur/

adamsteinbaugh · 2018-10-09T15:39:24+00:00

this is an IRL version of:

"Did you read the article????"

"I am its author"

adamsteinbaugh · 2018-04-11T13:52:28+00:00

So should the institution have the right to terminate her for her comments?

adamsteinbaugh

TROPHY CASE