David G. Savage reports: Among some libertarians and conservatives, the most troubling aspect of the pending healthcare reform bills is the prospect of a federal requirement that Americans buy insurance. “What next? Can Congress order you to buy spinach?” asked Roger Pilon, director of constitutional studies at the Cato Institute. He and other defenders of…
Student Blogger Case Shows That Online Anonymity Isn’t Guaranteed
Butler University has dropped its libel lawsuit against a student that criticized university administration in an anonymous blog, but not before it was able to obtain the identity of the student. It will continue to pursue its own disciplinary proceedings against the student, junior Jess Zimmerman. Dan Altman, Zimmerman’s lawyer, said that the university filed…
Case dropped in cop snooping
The Associated Press reports that a prosecutor has dropped a case against Bruce Callarik. Callarik’s case was connected to two Ohio police chiefs who were accused of snooping on the woman who bore twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The prosecutor reportedly hopes to get Callarik to testify in the other men’s upcoming…
EU proposes black boxes for cars
David Millward reports: Cars could be fitted with aircraft-style black boxes to help police allocate blame following a crash, under plans being considered in Brussels. The European Commission has spent £2.4 million on Project Veronica, a study on how the boxes would work. These boxes could be used to reconstruct what happened in the event…