John Whitehead
Penalizing Dissent: Civil Rights Groups Challenge Trump Administration’s Attempts to Muzzle Free Speech and Target Peaceful Protesters
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A group of civil liberties organizations is continuing to push back against the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional efforts to target student activists for engaging in peaceful protests over the rising death toll in Gaza. The legal…
Would Orwell Be Branded a Terrorist? The Government’s War on Thought Crimes
“Those who created this country chose freedom. With all of its dangers. And do you know the riskiest part of that choice they made? They actually believed that we could be trusted to make up our own minds…
From Courtroom To Canvas: Constitutional Attorney John Whitehead Explores Freedom & Technology Through Art In New Exhibit
PORT ST JOE, Fla. — John W. Whitehead, constitutional attorney, author, and founder of The Rutherford Institute, is sharing his lifelong engagement with freedom, technology, and human dignity with the arts community in a new gallery exhibit featuring his…
Political Gaslighting: The Government’s Latest Playbook for Dismantling the Constitution
“That was when they suspended the Constitution… There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.”—Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale What we are witnessing is not a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; it is a government over the people.…
How Tyranny Becomes Entrenched: 9/11 and the Police State’s Endless Power Grabs
“The greatest tyrannies are always perpetuated in the name of the noblest causes.”—Thomas Paine They said it was for safety. They said it was for order. They said it was for the good of the nation. They always…
In a Decisive First Amendment Victory, Court Rules: Government Can’t Freeze Funding to Impose State-Sanctioned Ideology on Harvard
BOSTON, Mass. — In a major victory for the First Amendment and academic freedom, a federal court has ruled that the Trump administration’s blatant attempt to force Harvard University to conform to the government’s ideological viewpoint is unconstitutional.…
Constitutional Attorney Warns Communities Against Adopting Draconian Measures That Criminalize Homelessness & Violate Civil Liberties
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Amid a growing national wave of punitive measures targeting the homeless—including President Trump’s July 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to clear encampments—The Rutherford Institute is cautioning communities against adopting policies that risk criminalizing poverty…
A Police State Presidency: When ‘Rule of Law’ Becomes ‘Rule By Gunpoint’
“The world will soon understand nothing can stop what is coming.”—President Trump Donald Trump has always been a master of imagery. From his red MAGA hats to his choreographed rallies, he understands the language of spectacle. Now he has…
In a Blow to Transparency, Supreme Court Lets Baltimore Police Stonewall Public Records Requests About Police Misconduct
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a setback to government transparency by refusing to hear a case challenging how the Baltimore Police Department stonewalled requests for public records from journalists and watchdogs critical of police…
Burning The Flag Or Torching The Constitution: Only One Destroys Freedom
“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”—Ray Bradbury Cancel culture—political correctness amped up on steroids, the self-righteousness of a narcissistic age, and a mass-marketed…
The U.S. Government Is Waging Psychological War on Its Citizens: Inside the Deep State’s PsyOps Machine
“Have you ever wondered who’s pulling the strings? … Anything we touch is a weapon. We can deceive, persuade, change, influence, inspire. We come in many forms. We are everywhere.”— U.S. Army Psychological Operations recruitment video From viral memes…
Constitutional Attorneys Warn Against Ordinance That Could Bar Churches From Offering Cold-Weather Shelters To The Homeless
LOUISA, Va. — The Rutherford Institute is urging Louisa County officials to amend a proposed ordinance that could place roadblocks in the way of churches providing life-saving shelter to the homeless on cold nights. In a letter to…
The Police State Has A New Playbook: Martial Law, One City At A Time
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”—H.L. Mencken Let’s not mince words: every American should be…
Constitutional Attorney Warns of Growing Threats to Religious Freedom, Challenges Ruling Denying Equal Treatment to Faith-Based Study Center
RICHMOND, Va. — The Rutherford Institute is once again warning that if the government is allowed to deny freedom to one segment of the citizenry, it will eventually extend that tyranny to all citizens. The Institute’s warning comes…
Theft Of A Nation: How The Deep State Swamp Is Stealing The People’s Power
“Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called, and whether it professes to be enforcing the will of God or the injunctions of men.”—John Stuart Mill, On Liberty “Power to the people.”—John Lennon What on…
The New Gulag: Mental Health Detentions & The Criminalization Of Dissent
“There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is a dangerous activity.”—Hannah Arendt The government’s war on homelessness—much like its war on terrorism, its war on drugs, its war on illegal immigration, and its war on COVID-19—is yet another Trojan…
Supreme Court Leaves Door Open for Government to Censor Speech Through Collusion With Social Media Companies
WASHINGTON, DC — In a blow to First Amendment freedoms, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hold Facebook/Meta accountable for colluding with the government to silence constitutionally protected speech. Without a clear ruling holding Meta accountable as…
