Jameel Jaffer
@jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Exec Editor, Just Security; former ACLU. knightcolumbia.org.
The Washington Post's editorial board is a joke.
January 6, 2026 at 2:40 AM
The Washington Post's editorial board is a joke.
Every major free speech org has said the IHRA definition suppresses constitutionally protected speech. Every major human rights group has said it suppresses legitimate advocacy. The scandal is that Adams adopted the definition, not that Mamdani rejected it. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/n...
Inside Mamdani’s Decision to Revoke Executive Orders That Backed Israel
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Every major free speech org has said the IHRA definition suppresses constitutionally protected speech. Every major human rights group has said it suppresses legitimate advocacy. The scandal is that Adams adopted the definition, not that Mamdani rejected it. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/n...
This is excellent and worth reading now--even though it was written about the boat strikes, and not the invasion and proposed occupation.
“The longer Americans indulge this preference for the language of the law over morality, the weaker their moral voice becomes. They lose the ability to say, forthrightly, that what the Trump administration has done is cold-blooded murder for which they and their partisans should be ashamed.”
The Moral Stupefaction of the American Public
Trump’s actions are illegal, yes. Worse than that, they are wrong—precisely what the legality debate is meant to obscure.
www.bostonreview.net
January 4, 2026 at 1:10 AM
This is excellent and worth reading now--even though it was written about the boat strikes, and not the invasion and proposed occupation.
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
Mamdani Called Trump to Criticize Venezuela Strikes
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:01 PM
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
Spineless fear of the ghost of “objectively pro-Saddam” looms over the Democratic responses to this (a phrase for which the vapid totalitarian soul of Andrew Sullivan, apology or no, should burn in Hell forever).
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January 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Spineless fear of the ghost of “objectively pro-Saddam” looms over the Democratic responses to this (a phrase for which the vapid totalitarian soul of Andrew Sullivan, apology or no, should burn in Hell forever).
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Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
Might Unmakes Right
The catastrophic collapse of norms against the use of force.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:44 PM
From Trump's perspective, Venezuelans' rights, interests, and agency are absolutely irrelevant. We--the US--"need to be surrounded by safe countries" and we--the US--"also need the energy out of the ground." This is "when you're a star, they let you do it" but as foreign policy.
January 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
From Trump's perspective, Venezuelans' rights, interests, and agency are absolutely irrelevant. We--the US--"need to be surrounded by safe countries" and we--the US--"also need the energy out of the ground." This is "when you're a star, they let you do it" but as foreign policy.
Explanation for failure to notify Congress is absolutely incoherent. "We were working on this for 15 days" so it's not the kind of situation in which we could provide advance notice? And Congress leaks, so we couldn't tell them--but also Maduro "already knew we were coming"?
January 3, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Explanation for failure to notify Congress is absolutely incoherent. "We were working on this for 15 days" so it's not the kind of situation in which we could provide advance notice? And Congress leaks, so we couldn't tell them--but also Maduro "already knew we were coming"?
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
Free speech and the right to peacefully protest are universal rights. The Iranian government’s crackdown on these protestors is unacceptable — they must allow Iranians to use their voices without fear of violence.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/w...
Iran Protests Turn Deadly as Violence and Anger Spread
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Free speech and the right to peacefully protest are universal rights. The Iranian government’s crackdown on these protestors is unacceptable — they must allow Iranians to use their voices without fear of violence.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/w...
The fact that the accuser is a notorious war criminal and that the now-rescinded executive orders were intended to immunize his actions from criticism is alluded to, very vaguely, in paragraph 16. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/n...
Israeli Government Accuses Mamdani of Antisemitism Over Canceled Orders
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:56 PM
The fact that the accuser is a notorious war criminal and that the now-rescinded executive orders were intended to immunize his actions from criticism is alluded to, very vaguely, in paragraph 16. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/n...
Trump is a big fan of free speech rights so long as they are exercised by protesters in Iran and not in, say, Los Angeles or Portland or Minneapolis. (Also, nothing would delegitimize the protesters in Iran more quickly than Trump "coming to their rescue.") www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/w...
Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ if Iran Kills Protesters
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Trump is a big fan of free speech rights so long as they are exercised by protesters in Iran and not in, say, Los Angeles or Portland or Minneapolis. (Also, nothing would delegitimize the protesters in Iran more quickly than Trump "coming to their rescue.") www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/w...
A federal judge issued an order at 12:30 this morning temporarily enjoining the Departments of State and Homeland Security from arresting or detaining Imran Ahmed.
December 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
A federal judge issued an order at 12:30 this morning temporarily enjoining the Departments of State and Homeland Security from arresting or detaining Imran Ahmed.
Nothing builds trust like nixing stories about human rights abuses because the abusers haven’t agreed to be quoted
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
December 24, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Nothing builds trust like nixing stories about human rights abuses because the abusers haven’t agreed to be quoted
The government has broad authority to control admission but courts have held *repeatedly*, over more than half a century, that the First Amendment bars the government from denying visas to foreign citizens simply because it dislikes what they have to say. 1/
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship.
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The government has broad authority to control admission but courts have held *repeatedly*, over more than half a century, that the First Amendment bars the government from denying visas to foreign citizens simply because it dislikes what they have to say. 1/
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
Judge Aileen Cannon rejects motions from @knightcolumbia.org and @weareoversight.bsky.social asserting statutory, common law, and constitutional rights of access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's hoarding of classified docs at Mar-a-Lago. knightcolumbia.org/documents/r1...
December 23, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Judge Aileen Cannon rejects motions from @knightcolumbia.org and @weareoversight.bsky.social asserting statutory, common law, and constitutional rights of access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's hoarding of classified docs at Mar-a-Lago. knightcolumbia.org/documents/r1...
What kind of news organization holds news stories because the government officials credibly accused of grotesque human rights abuses refuse to comment on the record? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
What kind of news organization holds news stories because the government officials credibly accused of grotesque human rights abuses refuse to comment on the record? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
Meanwhile in Quebec.
(Summary is via the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which says Quebec is drifting towards authoritarianism. ccla.org)
(Summary is via the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which says Quebec is drifting towards authoritarianism. ccla.org)
December 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Meanwhile in Quebec.
(Summary is via the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which says Quebec is drifting towards authoritarianism. ccla.org)
(Summary is via the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which says Quebec is drifting towards authoritarianism. ccla.org)
“The restrictions on immigration judges’ free speech rights are unconstitutional, and it’s intolerable that this prior restraint is still in place,” said Ramya Krishnan, a lawyer for the group and a senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
December 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
“The restrictions on immigration judges’ free speech rights are unconstitutional, and it’s intolerable that this prior restraint is still in place,” said Ramya Krishnan, a lawyer for the group and a senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Fallout of the TikTok ban, ruling, and divestment:
- US now among the nations that ban media platforms to protect citizens from disfavored content
- First Amendment doctrine significantly weakened
- hugely popular media platform now under the direct control of Trump's ideological allies
- US now among the nations that ban media platforms to protect citizens from disfavored content
- First Amendment doctrine significantly weakened
- hugely popular media platform now under the direct control of Trump's ideological allies
Trump's deal to sell TikTok won't just enrich his billionaire pal Larry Ellison.
It also gives UAE investment firm MGX — a key business partner of the Trump family's crypto company — a major ownership stake in TikTok.
Everything is for sale.
It also gives UAE investment firm MGX — a key business partner of the Trump family's crypto company — a major ownership stake in TikTok.
Everything is for sale.
December 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Fallout of the TikTok ban, ruling, and divestment:
- US now among the nations that ban media platforms to protect citizens from disfavored content
- First Amendment doctrine significantly weakened
- hugely popular media platform now under the direct control of Trump's ideological allies
- US now among the nations that ban media platforms to protect citizens from disfavored content
- First Amendment doctrine significantly weakened
- hugely popular media platform now under the direct control of Trump's ideological allies
SCOTUS has just rejected the government's application for a stay in Margolin v. NAIJ, our challenge to restrictions on the speech of immigration judges. It should reject the government's forthcoming cert petition, too. Full @knightcolumbia.org statement below. knightcolumbia.org/content/supr...
Supreme Court Rejects Government’s Request to Stay Challenge to Policy Silencing Immigration Judges
knightcolumbia.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:53 PM
SCOTUS has just rejected the government's application for a stay in Margolin v. NAIJ, our challenge to restrictions on the speech of immigration judges. It should reject the government's forthcoming cert petition, too. Full @knightcolumbia.org statement below. knightcolumbia.org/content/supr...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
SCOTUS maybe can't be blamed for not predicting exactly this, but the First Amendment was intended to prevent this outcome by heading off its beginning. Its decision upholding the TikTok ban looks worse today than ever -- as @jameeljaffer.bsky.social & I wrote:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
December 19, 2025 at 2:19 PM
SCOTUS maybe can't be blamed for not predicting exactly this, but the First Amendment was intended to prevent this outcome by heading off its beginning. Its decision upholding the TikTok ban looks worse today than ever -- as @jameeljaffer.bsky.social & I wrote:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My colleagues @katiefallow.bsky.social & Jake Carr on the Trump admin's heavyhanded efforts to control the White House and Pentagon press corps. riponsociety.org/article/jame...
December 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
My colleagues @katiefallow.bsky.social & Jake Carr on the Trump admin's heavyhanded efforts to control the White House and Pentagon press corps. riponsociety.org/article/jame...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
TikTok is going to be controlled by a group of right-wing billionaires. Great job, Joe Biden and congressional democrats, who joined (and stoked) the moral panic that initiated and then fed the process that has ended up here.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake.
December 19, 2025 at 1:07 AM
TikTok is going to be controlled by a group of right-wing billionaires. Great job, Joe Biden and congressional democrats, who joined (and stoked) the moral panic that initiated and then fed the process that has ended up here.
Trump consolidating his influence over TikTok, a platform used by 170m Americans. If you doubt that this outcome serves American democracy or security, take it up with SCOTUS. www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
Scoop: TikTok signs deal for sale of U.S. unit after years-long saga
The deal would end a years-long saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company's U.S. operation.
www.axios.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Trump consolidating his influence over TikTok, a platform used by 170m Americans. If you doubt that this outcome serves American democracy or security, take it up with SCOTUS. www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
The New York Times published a few replies to Jeh Johnson's op-ed about Trump's boat strikes, including from the ACLU's Brett Kaufman and CCR's J. Wells Dixon. Worth reading! www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The New York Times published a few replies to Jeh Johnson's op-ed about Trump's boat strikes, including from the ACLU's Brett Kaufman and CCR's J. Wells Dixon. Worth reading! www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...