Reuters
Why Didn't New Jersey Mayors Stand Up to Chris Christie?
The best way to stop a bully is to speak out—but disappointingly, Garden State officials waited until the governor was vulnerable to air their complaints. More »
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.
Reuters
The best way to stop a bully is to speak out—but disappointingly, Garden State officials waited until the governor was vulnerable to air their complaints. More »
In a free society, everyone has to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort and fear—even vulnerable people seeking abortions. More »
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Many liberals who cheered when the civil-rights organization filed a suit against the NSA hate the decision in Citizens United. But the suit would be impossible without it. More »
Susan Walsh/AP Images
The feminist movement should continue to have a robust pro-free-speech wing. More »
AP / Matt Gouras
What's wrong with the Obama administration's definition of sexual harassment More »
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
The candidate's disclosure that she has struggled with bulimia and alcoholism may make her more "relatable," but it doesn't change her record on First Amendment protections. More »
Adrees Latif/Reuters
What does it say if Americans further cut back on basic freedoms in response to last week's bombings? And do any of us seriously think we won't? More »
Gallery Books; Portfolio Penguin
"Why imagine that writers and TV personalities who have no idea that you even exist can advise you on your personal, professional, or ethical quandaries?" More »
Andrew Winning/Reuters
The phone hacking scandal shouldn't necessitate a new regulatory system. More »
Mariana Bazo/Reuters
The problem isn't that there isn't enough regulation -- it's that the laws already on the books aren't adequately enforced. More »
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Under scrutiny for their stop-and-frisk policy, the boys in blue decide to go after the mouthy actor -- violating his First Amendment rights. More »
Reuters
Sure, he took away New Yorkers' right to massive sodas. But when it comes to our most important civil right, Bloomberg does better than most politicians. More »
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The Obama Administration has considered establishing a special court to rubber-stamp targeted killings. But that won't do a thing to take care of civil libertarians' objections. More »
Wikimedia Commons
The same logic could be used to get businesses out of hiring gay employees or paying minimum wage. More »
David Manning/Reuters
The youth organization is finally reconsidering its ban on gay members. But it looks like another taboo will remain for a long time. More »
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
As the president's speech Monday made clear, the authoritarian right and egalitarian left meet in the middle on at least one issue: Neither side values the rights of the individual. More »
Noah Berger/Reuters
The Justice Department's pursuit of the 26-year-old internet activist for a victimless crime points to an ugly truth about prosecutorial abuse. More »
Jason Reed/Reuters
He doesn't want to run for the seat and could help win the debt limit fight. So why do some Massachusetts Democrats want a less experienced appointee instead? More »
Larry Downing/Reuters
It may be wrong to use current events to curtail a Constitutional right. But it's certainly wrong to let it stand untouched because of events that took place hundreds of years ago. More »
