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Freedom Watch archives
By Harvey A. Silverglate
Power trip
Civil liberties came under intense assault in 2005, but there was some pushback, too
from December 23, 2005
Cabral's sharp aim
What will you do when the FBI comes calling?
from December 16, 2005
Poetic License
Is The 9/11 Commission Report the first American epic?
from September 9, 2005
Passing judgment
The scramble to pigeonhole Supreme Court nominee John Roberts misses the point
from September 2, 2005
'Animal' crackers
US Attorney Michael Sullivan should have fortified his own glass house before casting stones at Tom Finneran
from June 17, 2005
Warding off attack
Attempts to stifle one professor’s notorious opinions showcase the hypocrisy of American academe
from February 18, 2005
Say it ain't so
Harvard president Lawrence Summers loses at the game of Truth or Consequences
from January 28, 2005
A man for all reasons
David Brudnoy was a real compassionate conservative
from December 17, 2004
Fleecing the shepherd
Will the Church settle the sexual-abuse cases this time around?
from December 10, 2004
Mack, the life
In snubbing professor John Mack’s memorial, ‘official Harvard’ testifies to the power of his brilliant unconventionality
from November 19, 2004
Send out the clowns
The UMass censorship machine strikes again
from October 29, 2004
Killjoy was here
Boston has long relied on onerous regulations to kick street performance to the curb. Now itinerant artists are fighting back in the courts.
from September 3, 2004
The enemy within
In a trio of cases, the Supreme Court shines some light into the Bush administration's gulag. But for 'enemy combatants both here and in Guantánamo, it's not yet time to celebrate.
from July 9, 2004
Ashcroft's big con
False confessions, coerced pleas, show trials — the Justice Department’s reliance on Soviet-style tactics has turned the war on terror into a Potemkin village
from June 25, 2004
Hiding the gulag
Things have gotten so bad, the Bush administration is lying even to its own lawyers
from May 28, 2004
The Brown-ing of America
Decided in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education put the country on the road to true equality for all. As the Bay State prepares to recognize gay marriage, we’ll see how far we’ve truly come.
from May 14, 2004
Scientific uncertainty
Romney’s death-penalty plan leaves much room for doubt. Plus, no due process for 'enemy combatants.'
from May 7, 2004
Covering a multitude of sins
In its unprecedented drive for greater government secrecy, the Bush administration is hiding vital information under the cloak of national security — leaving the nation stumbling in the dark
from April 30, 2004
Let us now praise framed-up men
Innocence commissions are being established all over the country. It’s high time the Bay State followed suit.
from April 9, 2004
Crossing the threshold
While we’re all fretting over the Patriot Act, John Ashcroft’s Justice Department is after much bigger game
from March 5, 2004
Hearing wedding bells
The proof of the strength of the SJC’s ruling lies in the weakness of its dissenting opinions
from November 21, 2003
What have we learned?
In addition to releasing Shawn Drumgold from prison, Suffolk County district attorney Dan Conley should be investigating the shoddy police and prosecutorial work that put him there
from November 14, 2003
Blinded with science
Forensic evidence, the ‘infallible’ death penalty, and the Green Beret murder case
from October 10, 2003
Speech pathology
Campus speech codes sacrifice academic freedom in a misguided effort to prevent hurt feelings
from May 16, 2003
When the 'enemy' is us
The president and the military want to strip US citizens deemed ‘enemy combatants’ of their rights. Will the federal courts stop them?
from February 6, 2003
Still standin'
Although the ground has rumbled beneath the twin pillars of American civil liberties, judicial review and free speech are still intact
from December 27, 2002
Free-speech fire drill
Cross-burning, the First Amendment, and Clarence Thomas
from December 19, 2002
Who's zoomin' who in the Paul Pierce case?
The jury got it right
from October 10, 2002
Like a prayer
Both God and the Constitution will survive the silliness surrounding the latest court challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance
from July 12, 2002
Courting disaster
Big Brother may not be able to stop citizens from speaking, but he’ll be listening to us, watching us, and searching us
from July 4, 2002
Rounding up the thought police
A recent Supreme Court decision marks the end of political correctness
from May 9, 2002
Not ready for crime time
Some say that Cardinal Law and the Church itself should be held criminally liable for sexual abuse committed by priests under their watch. But case law makes that virtually impossible.
from March 21, 2002
Gag order
The First Amendment states that 'no law' can abridge freedom of speech. So what part of 'no' doesn’t John Ashcroft understand?
from December 13, 2001
Torture warrants?
Our legal system already recognizes that, under exceptional circumstances, people may be exonerated for committing otherwise criminal acts. That is why the current debate about authorizing torture through the courts is so unnecessary — and dangerous.
from December 6, 2001
Bureau of intimidation
Memo to Robert Mueller: The FBI is supposed to protect our rights
from August 9, 2001
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