John Whitehead
The Politics of Fear: Laying the Groundwork for Fascism, American-Style
“No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.”—Edward R. Murrow, broadcast journalist America is in the midst of an epidemic of historic proportions. The contagion being spread like wildfire is turning communities into…
Constitutional Q&A on the First Amendment and Your Right to Vote: From Political Apparel and Ballot Selfies to Elon Musk and Taylor Swift
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — With election day approaching, The Rutherford Institute has released a Constitutional Q&A on the First Amendment and the right to vote, especially as it relates to the right to wear political apparel and take ballot selfies…
The Danger Is Real: The Deep State’s Plot to Destabilize the Nation Is Working
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out … without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives…
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case on Whether Police Can Be Held Accountable for Reckless Behavior Leading to Use of Deadly Force
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that challenges the “moment-of-threat doctrine,” which has contributed to a climate in which police unnecessarily escalate situations over relatively minor crimes and then respond to…
Brace Yourselves: A Tsunami Approaches
“What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act…
Supreme Court Allows Police to Rely on Red Tape and Technicalities to Keep Thousands of Dollars in Seized Cash From Innocent Owners
WASHINGTON, DC — The Supreme Court is allowing police to use red tape and technicalities as a means of keeping thousands of dollars in cash seized under asset forfeiture schemes from innocent property owners. Although the Supreme Court…
Delaware Government Sued for Violating Constitutional Rights Through ‘Evict First, Ask Questions Later’ Practice
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. —The Rutherford Institute is calling on the courts to hold Delaware officers accountable for violating a blind tenant’s rights through their “evict first, ask questions later” practice. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have asked the Third Circuit Court…
Disinformation Isn’t The Problem – Government Coverups & Censorship Are The Problem
“What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed; how can you have an opinion if you are not informed? If everybody always lies to you, the consequence…
America Is Falling Apart: Our National Priorities Are in Dire Need of Restructuring
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”—Bob Dylan A water main breaks every two minutes somewhere in the U.S., resulting in contaminated drinking supplies and boil water notices. One out of three bridges in the…
Make the Government Pay for Its Misconduct: Rutherford Institute Calls on Court to Hold Government Liable for Reckless Civil Asset Seizures
NEW YORK, NY — The Rutherford Institute is calling on the courts to hold the government accountable for its misconduct, especially as it relates to reckless civil asset seizures. In a joint amicus brief before the Second Circuit Court of…
Don’t Trust the Government. Not with Your Privacy, Property or Your Freedoms
“In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”—Thomas Jefferson Public trust in the government to “do what is right” understandably remains…
Rutherford Institute Calls on SCOTUS to Discourage Unconstitutional Mischief, Attempts by the Government to Sidestep Accountability
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether the government should be able to sidestep accountability and avoid paying plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees when it has violated the Constitution. In Lackey v. Stinnie,…
Overthrowing the Constitution: All Sides Are Waging War on Our Freedoms
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” — Abraham Lincoln It is both apt and ironic that the…
Rutherford Institute Takes Government to Trial Over Discrimination of a Christian Study Center and Favoritism of Other Religious Practices
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of a Christian ministry’s right to receive the same benefits as other religious and charitable organizations which provide similar services. Through the Bradley Study Center, the nonprofit…
Children of Big Brother: What It Means to Go Back-to-School in the American Police State
“Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that have increasingly come to resemble places of detention more than places of learning.”—Investigative journalist Annette Fuentes It’s not easy…
Rutherford Institute Defends Right of Political Speech & Right of Citizens to Criticize Candidates and Keep Voters Informed
TALLAHASSEE, Fl. — Pointing out that free debate about public affairs is the essence of self-government and at the heart of the First Amendment’s protections, The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of an attorney who was…
Ninth Circuit Refuses to Hold Facebook Accountable for Working With the Government to Censor, Suppress Disfavored Ideas and Speech
PASADENA, Calif. — In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit brought by Children’s Health Defense (“CHD”) against Meta Platforms for restricting CHD’s posts, fundraising, and advertising on Facebook following communications between Meta and…
