2024 election
The PATRIOT Act Turns 23: Constitutional Subversion Begets Political Repression
In the hands of an authoritarian president, the PATRIOT Act could be wielded as an instrument of domestic terror and political repression at scale.
First Amendment
Surveillance
Surveillance News Update: A Conference And a Lawsuit
Cato Surveillance Week 2024 kicks off on October 7. Also, late Friday we filed yet another FOIA lawsuit against the FBI over FISA Section 702 violation records.
2024 election
From "Police State Lite" to an American Gestapo: What a Trump Victory Might Bring
What makes the prospect of a Trump victory even more chilling is the kind of law enforcement and data collection tools that would be at Trump's disposal if he wins - tools he would be eager to use against his political opponents.
2024 election
When Congress Becomes The Oppressor: From The McCarran Act To The "China Initiative"
Earlier this month, the House passed a bill in the spirit of the McCarran Act that would revive the odious and discredited Trump-era "China Initiative.
2024 election
The Threat Response Differential: 9/11 versus January 6
Our failure to roll back 9/11-driven executive power grabs and "coup proof" our government against internal authoritarian political threats may come back to haunt us, and soon.
TSA
The 118th Congress's Unfinished Business: Civil Liberties Protections
The institutional threats to our constitutional rights left unaddressed by the federal legislature are major, long standing, and perfectly exploitable by a would-be authoritarian like Trump.
FBI
COINTELPRO: The Legacy
It was a secret, and unconstitutional, assault on the First Amendment protected activities of the persons and entities involved, a state-sponsored form of "divide and conquer" aimed not at the Soviet Union, but a segment of the far left public in America.
2024 election
Will Democrats Leave The Republic At Risk Of A Future Right Wing Coup Attempt?
The DNC party platform reflects a pre-Trump era mindset, ignoring the need to eliminate legal and institutional vulnerabilities that leave us at risk of another "MAGA movement" coup attempt. Kamala Harris must act to "coup proof" the institutions of the Republic.
2024 election
Book Review: "Before the Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence," by Samantha J. Simon
A University of Arizona sociologist provides a provocative but selective and ideologically tinged look at how police in four Texas law enforcement agencies are trained and fielded and what it tells us about the viability of police reform efforts.
political repression
American Big Brother: A Century of Surveillance
Sometimes, it's helpful to look at a phenomenon over time to understand how pervasive it is in reality. That's especially true of surveillance-enabled political repression.
Arab Americans
Raw, Unchecked Executive Power Would Fuel Trump's Anti-migrant Terror Campaign
Under GOP and Democrat administrations, America has a long, dark history of using "enemies lists," due process free detention, and political sabotage against the enemies of those in power. If elected, Trump may add more such hideous episodes to that history. The week of June 10, the House
Joe Biden
Political Establishment to College Kids: Protest is Fine, Unless It Challenges the Establishment
In the decades-long battle between Palestinians and Israelis, America's political elites long ago picked a side. That choice isn't sitting well with young people, and police using violence against the protesters only discredits the Establishment further in their eyes.