Will Obama's Civil-Liberties Failings Cost Democrats in November?
In office, the president has only increased the power of the police state. Segments of the left may struggle to stay with him. More »
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Has the U.S. Passed Peak Car?
Wendy Kaminer is an author, lawyer, and civil libertarian. She is the author of I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional, and a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. More
Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer and social critic who has been a contributing editor of The Atlantic since 1991. She writes about law, liberty, feminism, religion and popular culture and has written eight books, including Worst Instincts; Free for All; Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials; and I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional. Kaminer worked as a staff attorney in the New York Legal Aid Society and in the New York City Mayor's Office and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1993. She is a renowned contrarian who has tackled the issues of censorship and pornography, feminism, pop psychology, gender roles and identities, crime and the criminal-justice system, and gun control. Her articles and reviews have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The American Prospect, Dissent, The Nation, The Wilson Quarterly, Free Inquiry, and spiked-online.com. Her commentaries have aired on National Public Radio. She serves on the board of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the advisory boards of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the Secular Coalition for America, and is a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
In office, the president has only increased the power of the police state. Segments of the left may struggle to stay with him. More »
The misconception that the Supreme Court case enabled independent campaign supporters to indulge in political expenditures is pervasive and probably un-correctable. More »
A declaration for or against gay marriage would have symbolic -- not legal -- value. More »
Scott Brown's attack against Elizabeth Warren's 'elitism' is illogical, but -- alas -- will play well on the campaign trail. More »
Three girls in Indiana were expelled for joking on Facebook about classmates they would like to kill. Should districts have the authority to intervene? More »
Obama issued an order permitting sanctions against those who use new technologies to abuse human rights. But what about our own government's spying programs? More »
The masses don't seem to mind public espionage when it's someone else who is being tracked. More »
If the case does go to court, the trial may have to take place on another planet. More »
A bill that was designed to rectify gender discrimination tips the balance too far, putting accused men at an unfair disadvantage. More »
All students are free not to say them, but plaintiffs in a state case argue that the words "under God" deny non-religious students their "right of inclusion" in a patriotic ceremony. More »
The paper is promoting the misconception that the ruling allowed for unlimited campaign contributions from super-rich individuals. It didn't. More »
A school suspended a teacher for using the racial epithet in an educational context. Now he's suing his district. Why is this considered hate speech? More »
Let's get this clear, mandated birth control coverage is not an outright attack on religious freedom, and it is not unprecedented either. More »
The question of whether employees in church-affiliated organizations should receive contraceptive benefits is not a moral issue. It's a civil rights issue. More »
When it's an expression of a student's free speech, it is protected. When it's endorsed by officials, it's illegal. But a Supreme Court ruling muddies this boundary. More »
The opposing senatorial candidates are asking for no third-party advertisements in the upcoming race. But are they going too far in trying to silence the electorate? More »
Campaign finance reforms have weakened political parties and spurred the growth of independent groups, marginalizing the 99-percent voter. More »
Today's Hosannah Tabor decision illustrates how religious institutions can work the system and win. More »
The paper misstates the decision's meaning; it has long been possible for wealthy individuals "to influence an election." More »
A new piece of Tennessee legislation, promoted by a Christian activist, seems to give a pass to homophobic students. But unrestricted free speech is in everyone's best interests. More »
