Jameel Jaffer
@jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Exec Editor, Just Security; former ACLU. knightcolumbia.org.
An anti-discrimination rule that forecloses magazines that write about James Baldwin and Prince but not magazines that write about William F Buckley and Taylor Swift. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
U. of Alabama Suspends Black and Female Student Magazines, Citing D.E.I. Guidance
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:39 PM
An anti-discrimination rule that forecloses magazines that write about James Baldwin and Prince but not magazines that write about William F Buckley and Taylor Swift. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...
Grateful to @ilhanmn.bsky.social for her leadership and courage and public service. Wish there were more like her.
December 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Grateful to @ilhanmn.bsky.social for her leadership and courage and public service. Wish there were more like her.
We @knightcolumbia.org filed a motion for access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's absconding with classified docs to Mar-a-Lago. Trump wants to urge Judge Cannon to continue to keep the report from the public. Here's the motion he filed this morning. ecf.flsd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
December 2, 2025 at 6:30 PM
We @knightcolumbia.org filed a motion for access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's absconding with classified docs to Mar-a-Lago. Trump wants to urge Judge Cannon to continue to keep the report from the public. Here's the motion he filed this morning. ecf.flsd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
Imagine how much contempt you must have—for the rule of law, for human life, for your fellow citizens—to respond in this way
FOX: You said the follow up strike was lawful. What law is it that allows no survivors?
LEAVITT: The strike was conducted in self defense to protect Americans
LEAVITT: The strike was conducted in self defense to protect Americans
December 1, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Imagine how much contempt you must have—for the rule of law, for human life, for your fellow citizens—to respond in this way
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
This morning is oral argument at the Supreme Court in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment.
Cox unfortunately isn't pressing this point but it is an enormously important First Amendment case involving online free speech.
Here's the amicus brief I wrote:
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/05/s...
Cox unfortunately isn't pressing this point but it is an enormously important First Amendment case involving online free speech.
Here's the amicus brief I wrote:
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/05/s...
Something Good The Supreme Court Could Do: Finally Fix The First Amendment Problems With Platform Liability For Copyright Infringement
Below is the brief, in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment, I have been waiting my career to write, to finally tell the Supreme Court that when it comes to platform liability for their u…
www.techdirt.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:45 PM
This morning is oral argument at the Supreme Court in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment.
Cox unfortunately isn't pressing this point but it is an enormously important First Amendment case involving online free speech.
Here's the amicus brief I wrote:
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/05/s...
Cox unfortunately isn't pressing this point but it is an enormously important First Amendment case involving online free speech.
Here's the amicus brief I wrote:
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/05/s...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
Something important to remember re. Northwestern's capitulation. The feds never gave a formal explanation for freezing over $790M in funds. They just ... froze them. The assumption was the freezing was due to alleged Title VI violations & the shakedown agreement suggests as much. But . . . 1/x
November 29, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Something important to remember re. Northwestern's capitulation. The feds never gave a formal explanation for freezing over $790M in funds. They just ... froze them. The assumption was the freezing was due to alleged Title VI violations & the shakedown agreement suggests as much. But . . . 1/x
What conceivable legitimate interest could the federal government have in forcing Northwestern to abandon its commitment to being transparent about its investments? Here’s a summary of the Deering Park Agreement, which Northwestern has now agreed to abandon. dailynorthwestern.com/2025/04/30/c...
Where progress on the encampment agreement stands, one year later
About this time last year, Northwestern administrators and student demonstrators reached an agreement to end the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow under several conditions. This agreement i...
dailynorthwestern.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
What conceivable legitimate interest could the federal government have in forcing Northwestern to abandon its commitment to being transparent about its investments? Here’s a summary of the Deering Park Agreement, which Northwestern has now agreed to abandon. dailynorthwestern.com/2025/04/30/c...
Jack Goldsmith was head of the Office of Legal Counsel under George W Bush.
November 29, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Jack Goldsmith was head of the Office of Legal Counsel under George W Bush.
A university called Northwestern should have a compass.
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university
Full statement from NU below:
Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 1:27 AM
A university called Northwestern should have a compass.
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
This is a lot of words to say, “Yikes! That Washington Post story about us illegally killing survivors on the open seas was 100% correct!”
November 29, 2025 at 12:46 AM
This is a lot of words to say, “Yikes! That Washington Post story about us illegally killing survivors on the open seas was 100% correct!”
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
"Those who would twist this moment to attack Afghan families aren’t seeking safety or justice — they’re exploiting division and endangering all of us."
Statement from the @afghanevac.bsky.social veterans on the DC shooting.
Statement from the @afghanevac.bsky.social veterans on the DC shooting.
November 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM
"Those who would twist this moment to attack Afghan families aren’t seeking safety or justice — they’re exploiting division and endangering all of us."
Statement from the @afghanevac.bsky.social veterans on the DC shooting.
Statement from the @afghanevac.bsky.social veterans on the DC shooting.
Two good free speech op-eds in the NYT today, one from FIRE's Greg Lukianoff and another from former ACLU legal director David Cole, both referencing (among other precedents) the prosecution of socialist Eugene Debs.
Cole: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Lukianoff: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Cole: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Lukianoff: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
November 26, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Two good free speech op-eds in the NYT today, one from FIRE's Greg Lukianoff and another from former ACLU legal director David Cole, both referencing (among other precedents) the prosecution of socialist Eugene Debs.
Cole: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Lukianoff: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Cole: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Lukianoff: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
The Trump admin will tear down the entire human rights system--and treat the most respected jurists like terrorists--to protect Israel's leaders from accountability for what essentially the whole world recognizes to be terrible crimes. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
The Trump admin will tear down the entire human rights system--and treat the most respected jurists like terrorists--to protect Israel's leaders from accountability for what essentially the whole world recognizes to be terrible crimes. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What a terrifying time that must have been. At least we learned our lesson from it.
November 25, 2025 at 7:48 PM
What a terrifying time that must have been. At least we learned our lesson from it.
This DC Circuit argument in the AP case isn't promising. Judge Wilkins is sympathetic to AP but for the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, Judge Rao wants to expand the "rule" barring injunctions against the president into a rule barring injunctions against anyone whom the president might ask to do things.
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
November 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
This DC Circuit argument in the AP case isn't promising. Judge Wilkins is sympathetic to AP but for the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, Judge Rao wants to expand the "rule" barring injunctions against the president into a rule barring injunctions against anyone whom the president might ask to do things.
DC Circuit argument starting now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=svW7...
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
November 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
DC Circuit argument starting now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=svW7...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
November 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
November 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Tomorrow morning, the DC Circuit will consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by ejecting @apnews.com from the White House press pool after it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Very glad that the AP is fighting this. knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-fig...
This is a very good essay from the @ACLU’s Brett Kaufman making the case that Trump’s boat strikes should be viewed as the logical end point of legal arguments normalized by OLC lawyers during the war on terror. Highly recommend. www.justsecurity.org/124776/secre...
November 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This is a very good essay from the @ACLU’s Brett Kaufman making the case that Trump’s boat strikes should be viewed as the logical end point of legal arguments normalized by OLC lawyers during the war on terror. Highly recommend. www.justsecurity.org/124776/secre...
The Fourth Circuit has denied the government’s petition for rehearing en banc in @knightcolumbia.org’s lawsuit challenging overbroad restrictions on immigration judges’ speech rights. /1 knightcolumbia.org/documents/sn...
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The Fourth Circuit has denied the government’s petition for rehearing en banc in @knightcolumbia.org’s lawsuit challenging overbroad restrictions on immigration judges’ speech rights. /1 knightcolumbia.org/documents/sn...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
“Lawyering Without Law” — @knightcolumbia.org call for proposals. knightcolumbia.org/blog/call-fo...
November 12, 2025 at 1:19 PM
“Lawyering Without Law” — @knightcolumbia.org call for proposals. knightcolumbia.org/blog/call-fo...
Perhaps there's a version of the news distortion doctrine that's consistent with the First Amendment, but the version of it that Carr is wielding here is not going to survive constitutional scrutiny.
Trump's censor in chief at the FCC, Brendan Carr, just sent a letter to the heads of BBC, NPR and PBS informing them he's launching a "news distortion" probe into the BBC's editing of a documentary on Trump's Jan. 6 activities.
Here it is:
Here it is:
November 19, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Perhaps there's a version of the news distortion doctrine that's consistent with the First Amendment, but the version of it that Carr is wielding here is not going to survive constitutional scrutiny.
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
God this is so utterly despicable. Trump is “he was no angel”- ing a journalist who was murdered and dismembered with a bone saw by agents of an authoritarian regime.
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 19, 2025 at 1:24 AM
God this is so utterly despicable. Trump is “he was no angel”- ing a journalist who was murdered and dismembered with a bone saw by agents of an authoritarian regime.
Thank you to this ABC journalist for doing her job. Trump's response is absolutely grotesque.
Reporter: Is it appropriate for your family to do business with Saudi Arabia while you’re president? The us intelligence concluded you orchestrated the murder of a journalist…
Trump: Who are you with?
Reporter: ABC News
Trump: Who are you with?
Reporter: ABC News
November 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Thank you to this ABC journalist for doing her job. Trump's response is absolutely grotesque.