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Want a Stun Gun in New Orleans? Contact us

Constitutional Scholar Eugene Volokh and CIR agree: Stun gun bans violate the Second Amendment. After successfully working together in a challenge to Massachusetts’ stun gun ban, we are looking to expand our efforts to strike down laws that restrict Second Amendment rights.

One of the jurisdictions that still bans the possession

Interview on Friedrichs and the Future of Teacher’s Rights

CIR Attorney Brian Miller spoke with Watchdog.org on why Friedrichs was such an important case and what the future holds:

“There are several cases that raise some of the same constitutional claims, along with other more factually complex claims involving state law or the 14th Amendment,” said Miller. “Most are

After Friedrichs, Teachers Remain at Mercy of their Union

CIR Attorney Brian Miller points to the plight of a teacher in Chicago as an example of the First Amendment violations that will continue now that the Supreme Court has failed to resolve Friedrichs: The teacher plaintiffs in Friedrichs contend that mandatory union dues violate their First Amendment rights. That claim

CIR President Terry Pell in USA Today

CIR President Terry Pell wrote about this week’s decision in Fisher v. Texas for USA Today’s Opposing Views:

“Today the Supreme Court gave a new license to colleges and universities to engineer the racial mix of students. Backing away from the court’s decision three years ago to strictly scrutinize

The NYT Double Standard on Unions and Education Reform

In June of 2014, the New York Times Editorial Board endorsed the efforts in Vergara v. California of California students to have California’s teacher tenure laws declared unconstitutional. The students contended that the laws created an environment that disproportionally disadvantaged minority children by making it virtually impossible for underprivileged schools

Editorial Confusion About Friedrichs

An article at In These Times expresses frustration that the media keeps referring to Friedrichs v. CTA as the Supreme Court case on “union dues.” Nonmembers, the author rightly points out, can opt out of paying union dues. What is at issue in Friedrichs is the agency fee, which public employees

Compelled Union Dues and Divisive Campaigns

Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that 50% of public school teachers oppose compelled union dues. No doubt, many of these thousands of teachers have diverse reasons for opposing dues. For instance, not all teachers take principled objections to the specific policies promoted through collective bargaining like the plaintiffs

Justice Alito and CIR’s Brief in Caetano

Together with Eugene Volokh, the Center for Individual Rights filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court on behalf of Arming Women Against Rape in Caetano v. Massachusetts. In his concurring opinion, which we highlighted here, Justice Alito cited our brief.

Here is the passage he found persuasive:

“The ability

Judge Garland, the First Amendment, and Friedrichs

On Wednesday, March 16th, President Obama nominated Judge Garland of the D.C. Court of Appeals to replace Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Any nominee’s record on the First Amendment would always be of crucial concern. However, with Friedrichs v. CTA and multiple other important First Amendment cases pending before the

Supreme Court History on Reargued Cases

In light of Justice Scalia’s death, CIR has announced we intend to ensure that a full panel of the Supreme Court can hear and issue an authoritative decision in Friedrichs v. CTA. The Supreme Court will often hold cases over in light of a Justice’s absence, or one of the