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Justin Hayes

@thejustncase.net

#freespeech advocate, corporate welfare opponent, YIMBY | Comms director, The Future of Free Speech @futurefreespeech.org | Editor, The JusTN Case: https://www.thejustncase.net/ | Opinions my own.

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11.08.2023
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Latest posts by Justin Hayes @thejustncase.net

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US ICE arrested journalist in Nashville without arrest warrant, her lawyers say A reporter working for local news outlet Nashville Noticias was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Nashville without ​a warrant, an emergency petition filed by her attorneys i...

Arrested without a warrant with potential press freedom implications:

"Rodriguez Flores is from Colombia, has lived in the U.S. for five years, and 'frequently reports on stories critical of ⁠ICE,' her lawyers said in a court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee."

07.03.2026 01:31 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Freedom.gov Champions Online Speech Abroad While DHS Targets Critics The Trump administration’s foreign policy rhetoric collides with its growing use of administrative subpoenas against online critics.

🔗 Such actions, @thejustncase.net argues at The Bedrock Principle, will undermine the U.S.'s efforts to combat online speech restrictions abroad: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/freedomgov...

27.02.2026 01:30 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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The Trump admin’s legitimate concerns around European censorship of online content continue to collide with its anti-free speech policies at home.

Recently, DHS has increased the use of administrative subpoenas to target and unmask online critics.

27.02.2026 01:30 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Freedom.gov Champions Online Speech Abroad While DHS Targets Critics The Trump administration’s foreign policy rhetoric collides with its growing use of administrative subpoenas against online critics.

The right to criticize one’s government is a core American principle. But if we chill dissent here, our case for free speech abroad weakens.

Read my first solo post at The Bedrock Principle: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/freedomgov...

26.02.2026 20:23 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Europe’s worrying online speech raids have recently made headlines.

But as the U.S. launches freedom.gov to promote “digital freedom” abroad, DHS is issuing administrative subpoenas to target and unmask online critics here at home.

26.02.2026 20:23 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Should your favorite influencer have to weigh in on the latest political controversy, even when they don't make political content?

If we demand speech on command, @ashkhen.bsky.social explores what that means for our free speech culture.

25.02.2026 02:53 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0

Fiasco is one of my favorites. It's like a ttrpg meets a Cohen brothers movie.

13.02.2026 01:18 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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The 'Law and Order' Fiction of The Immigration Crackdown Current immigration enforcement ignores constitutional limits. Its supporters cannot demand unquestioned compliance.

I write about all the ways that immigration enforcement currently constitutes an erosion of the rule of law, not “law and order.”

07.02.2026 17:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Defenders of the immigration crackdown claim to be demanding compliance with the law. But in enforcing said laws, the government is ignoring court orders, suppressing constitutionally protected activity, and escalating force in public spaces.

07.02.2026 17:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

When was he supposed to do that? Between the bursts of pepper spray? Between the blows to his head?

25.01.2026 00:19 👍 1452 🔁 216 💬 51 📌 4

Really good, albeit sobering, stuff from my old pal Justin.

12.01.2026 22:40 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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I’m Worried about What Comes Next What happens when the facts cease to matter and any use of lethal force can be justified?

When federal agents believe political leaders will defend their actions regardless of the facts, restraint becomes optional.

Next time, things could be even worse.

12.01.2026 22:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 2
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Roundtable on Generative AI and Freedom of Expression - The Future of Free Speech The roundtable will explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes freedom of expression, both as a driver of creativity and a new regulatory frontier.

"If free speech comprises a total set of human activities, does artificial intelligence merely comprise a subset?" Many thanks to @nataliealkiviadou.bsky.social and @futurefreespeech.org for inviting me to speak on this next Monday, Örebro University, Sweden: futurefreespeech.org/roundtable-o...

26.11.2025 08:42 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Rep. Andy Ogles is spot on. In Nashville, private property has already been abolished, and O'Connell and the Metro Council have seized the means of production.

29.10.2025 21:18 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How did your favorite AI chatbot rank when it comes to its “free speech culture”?

To find out how we evaluated and ranked each chatbot, read the full report here: futurefreespeech.org/that-violate...

17.10.2025 14:05 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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🚨 NEW REPORT

🤖 We asked 8 major AI chatbots to generate content about lawful, but controversial issues.

We then scored and ranked each chatbot, factoring in company policies, model behavior, transparency, and openness to debate.

17.10.2025 14:05 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
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Jimmy Kimmel's Cancellation Was About Far More Than What He Said It has much more dangerous implications for a free society.

Some pundits are willfully ignoring the role the FCC played in this and are acting as if what happened to Kimmel is just a normal business decision, where an entertainer faces consequences from their employer for saying something beyond the pale on TV. www.thejustncase.net/p/jimmy-kimm...

19.09.2025 01:46 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
18.09.2025 22:28 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Rezoning plan in Nashville sparks opposition, residents say the proposal threatens single-family homes Longtime homeowners in Nashville’s Nations face pressure to sell as residents oppose rezoning that could replace single-family homes with apartments.

I’m sure everyone wishes they had a house that was purchased in 1980 for $11k and passed down to a next generation. www.newschannel5.com/news/rezonin...

14.08.2025 21:13 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

Hello from Pride in NYC❤️If you have a minute pls read why 1A is so important!!

29.06.2025 16:59 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Are EU digital laws being used to justify censorship in Latin America?

A new guest post from @celeup.bsky.social’s Juan Martin Marinangeli and Matias Gonzalez Mama dives into Latin America’s race to implement European-style digital regulations — often without vital safeguards.

03.06.2025 18:25 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1
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The U.S. continues to weaponize free speech in its immigration crackdown — but we’re keeping close watch🕵️‍♀️. Meanwhile, disinformation and hate speech laws are rapidly evolving across the Atlantic.

30.05.2025 18:42 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 2 📌 0
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What Tennessee’s PEACE Act means for free speech • Tennessee Lookout Tennessee's Protecting Everyone Against Crime and Extremism Act (PEACE Act) law is a threat to First Amendment freedoms.

A new Tennessee law — the Protecting Everyone Against Crime and Extremism Act (PEACE Act) — appears mundane but raise serious First Amendment concerns, writes @ashkhen.bsky.social with The Future of Free Speech, a nonpartisan think tank at Vanderbilt University. @futurefreespeech.org.

15.05.2025 20:18 👍 59 🔁 30 💬 3 📌 2
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Cato has published my comprehensive review of the ~240 Venezuelans the US government renditioned 2 months ago to Salvador’s notorious prison. We identified FIFTY who came legally, never violated any immigration law, but are imprisoned at the US government’s request and at US taxpayer expense.

19.05.2025 16:05 👍 11181 🔁 5410 💬 254 📌 515
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Germany Banning The AfD Would Be A Dangerous Mistake Can democracy safeguard itself by banning extremist parties, or does prohibition plant deeper seeds of grievance that erode its own foundations?

Read the full piece at The Bedrock Principle: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/germany-ba...

19.05.2025 20:41 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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We should all be worried about the rise of extremist and anti-democratic movements in liberal democracies. But it would be even more dangerous if we adopted illiberal means to address them.

I enjoyed contributing to this thought-provoking essay with
@nataliealkiviadou.bsky.social

19.05.2025 20:41 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Germany Banning The AfD Would Be A Dangerous Mistake Can democracy safeguard itself by banning extremist parties, or does prohibition plant deeper seeds of grievance that erode its own foundations?

"Democracies cannot be defended by imitating the tactics of their enemies. They must show confidence in their values, be that openness, pluralism, and the power of persuasion over prohibition." @nataliealkiviadou.bsky.social & @thejustncase.net
www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/germany-ba...

19.05.2025 17:10 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Would a ban on Germany's AfD Party strengthen its democracy — or jeopardize it?

Using history and human rights law, @nataliealkiviadou.bsky.social and @thejustncase.net explain how this approach can backfire.

19.05.2025 18:14 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
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Can social media be transformed from a divisive echo chamber into a vibrant marketplace of ideas? Imagine a platform where free speech isn’t stifled by top‐down speech restrictions but is empowered by community-driven context.

01.05.2025 19:13 👍 9 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0
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The Deportation of Dissent Parrhesia or paranoia? From Aristotle to Hitchens, history sides with openness. Will America?

In this essay, Hirad Marami and I explore how open societies thrive when they embrace bold and challenging ideas, even from outsiders — including foreigners unafraid to dissent or criticize the government. www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/the-deport...

14.04.2025 23:51 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0