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Walter Olson Tackles the 'Blueprint'
Last week on The Torch we recommended checking out Cato Institute Senior Fellow Walter Olson’s article in Commentary on the historical context and future repercussions of the Departments of Education and Justice’s May 9 “blueprint” for campus sexual harassment policies. Previously subscription-only, the article is now available for free on Commentary’s website and is still well worth a read.
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To speak or not to speak: Universities face the Kalven question
As political pressure mounts, Dinah Megibow-Taylor explores whether recent institutional statements defend academic freedom — or quietly erode it.

FIREstatement on Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton upholding age verification for adult content
Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold Texas's age-verification law for sites featuring adult content, effectively reversing decades of Supreme Court precedent that protects the free speech rights of adults to access information without jumping over government age-verification hurdles.

Orchestrated silence: How one of America’s most elite music schools expelled a student for reporting harassment
Rebecca Bryant Novak earned her spot at one of the world’s top music schools. But after reporting her advisor for harassment, she says the school turned on her. Now FIREis demanding answers.

FIREto court: AI speech is still speech — and the First Amendment still applies
Is AI-generated speech speech? In a new amicus brief, FIREsays yes — and warns that when it comes to free speech and emerging tech, early missteps can echo for decades.