Your tax-deductible donations ([link removed]) support The Rutherford Institute's ongoing efforts to make the government play by the rules of the Constitution.
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"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Homing in on the gravest threats to our civil liberties and human rights, Freedom Watch sounds the alarm over the most serious threats to the Constitution and civil liberties.
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The Rutherford Institute is working tirelessly to reshape the government from the bottom up into one that respects freedom, recognizes our worth as human beings, resists corruption, and abides by the rule of law.

None of this is possible without your support.

To make a tax-deductible donation, visit us at www.rutherford.org ([link removed]) , call in your donation to 800-225-1791, or mail your donation to our headquarters at PO Box 7482, Charlottesville, VA 22906.
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** TRI GIFT SHOP ([link removed])
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Speak truth to power while you shop ([link removed]) with collector's edition books, mugs and wardrobe staples that support The Rutherford Institute's critical work!

BOOKS BY JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
* Battlefield America: The War on the American People (Autographed) ([link removed])
* A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State (Autographed) ([link removed])
* The Second American Revolution ([link removed])
* The Erik Blair Diaries ([link removed])

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T-SHIRTS
* Defund the Thought Police ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again ([link removed])
* Wake Up, America ([link removed])
* What the Bill of Rights Means Today ([link removed])
* America: A Constitution-Free Zone? ([link removed])
* The Rutherford Institute Classic Resistance ([link removed])

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HATS
* Make America Free Again – Foam trucker hat ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again – Beanie ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again – Baseball Cap ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again – Golf cap ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again - Visor ([link removed])

ACCESSORIES / MISC.
* Make America Free Again - Columbia Fleece Vest ([link removed])
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* Make America Free Again - Apron ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again - Baby Onesie (dark color options) ([link removed])
* Make America Free Again - Baby Onesie (light color options) ([link removed])

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MUG
* Make America Free Again - Travel Mug ([link removed])
* “Time to Wake Up!” ([link removed])
* “Make American Free Again” ([link removed])
* "Defend Your Rights" ([link removed])
* “Play by the Rules of the Constitution” ([link removed])


** APRIL 25, 2025
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LEGAL FEATURE:
Freedom at Risk: Deporting Political Protesters Threatens Us All

At a time when non-citizens are being targeted and deported for engaging in lawful, nonviolent political speech protected under the First Amendment, The Rutherford Institute is warning that American citizens who criticize the government could be next in line for punishment and retaliation.

At stake is nothing less than the principle that the First Amendment protects everyone—regardless of citizenship status—to think, act, and speak freely without fear of government reprisal.

In a joint amicus brief filed in Khalil v. Trump, The Rutherford Institute, FIRE, and a coalition of leading civil liberties groups are opposing the deportation of a non-citizen whose only alleged offense was participating in political protests. If the courts allow this kind of retaliation against protected speech—whether by deportation, arrest, or intimidation—to proceed, it would embolden future administrations to silence dissent through expulsion, surveillance, or harassment.

“The government’s position is not only at odds with the First Amendment, but it also weaponizes immigration law in a way that punishes dissent and deters others—citizens and non-citizens alike—from engaging in protected speech. Such retaliation chills public discourse and undermines the very foundation of our democratic society.”

Protecting freedom of speech requires standing against all forms of government retaliation—no matter who the speaker is.

👉 Read the Full Brief ([link removed])
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
* Know Your Rights: American Community Survey, Executive Overreach and more
* On the Front Lines: Major court cases impacting free speech, parents rights, privacy, and more.
* Support the Cause: Help us defend freedom in the courts and in the streets. [Donate Now ➔ ([link removed]) ]


** WHITEHEAD: ON THE ISSUES
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How a President Becomes a Dictator: By Executive Order ([link removed])

Refugee. Dissident. Enemy of the State. Would ICE Have Crucified Jesus? ([link removed])

A Financial Coup: How the Deep State Is Using Manufactured Crises to Seize Power ([link removed])

The United States of Tyranny: America Is Becoming a Constitution-Free Zone ([link removed])

Making Our Rights Disappear: The Authoritarian War on Due Process ([link removed])


** RUTHERFORD: ON THE FRONT LINES
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Legal Coalition Challenges Trump’s Use of Executive Orders to Retaliate Against More Law Firms & Erode Checks and Balances ([link removed])

Wrong Address, Wrong Target, Real Terror: U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear FBI Raid Case ([link removed])

Warning: Deporting Non-Citizen Protesters Sets a Dangerous Precedent of Punishment and Retaliation for All Americans ([link removed])

Can Schools Force LGBTQ Lessons on Young Kids? Parents Take a Stand, Ask Supreme Court to Protect Right to Opt Out ([link removed])

SCOTUS Inaction on Botched SWAT Raid Coupled with Trump’s Push for Greater Police Immunity Could Usher In a New Era of Lawless Policing & Brutality ([link removed])


** LEGAL FEATURES
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Deporting Political Protesters Threatens Us All ([link removed])

Executive Overreach and the Erosion of Constitutional Safeguards ([link removed])

Constitutional Q&A: American Community Survey ([link removed])
MAKE THE GOVERNMENT PLAY BY THE RULES OF THE CONSTITUTION: DONATE TODAY ([link removed])


** IN THE COURTS
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Judge Blocks Trump Administration Plans to Dismantle Voice of America ([link removed])

A Battle Looms Over Rule of Law as Some Courts Start to Flex Their Muscles Against Trump ([link removed])

Supreme Court Reminds Trump to Follow the Law, Signaling Concern That He Won’t ([link removed])

FBI Arrests Milwaukee Judge Accused of Aiding Escape From ICE ([link removed])

Judge Blocks Trump From Cutting Funds to Schools With DEI Programs ([link removed])

Professors Sue Trump Over DEI Ultimatum ([link removed])

Appeals Judge Warns Police Against Overly Broad Cell Phone Search Warrants ([link removed])

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Lift Block on Transgender Military Ban ([link removed])


** AMERICAN POLICE STATE
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Trump Deletes Database Containing Over 5,000 Police Misconduct Incidents ([link removed])


** NATIONAL SECURITY?
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FBI and Police Raid Homes of Pro-Palestine Student Activists in Michigan ([link removed])

Homeland Security Tells L.A. Immigration Attorney to Leave the U.S. ([link removed])

U.S. Citizen DHS Detained for 10 Days Has Intellectual Disabilities, Family Claims ([link removed])

After Shuttering CBP One App, Trump DHS Tells Migrants—and Some Citizens—to Leave U.S. ([link removed])


** SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY
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More Than 5,000 People Are on a NY State Police Gang Database That’s Talking to ICE ([link removed])

As Real Id Rollout Approaches, Congressional Privacy Hawks Largely Silent on Concerns ([link removed])


** FREE SPEECH / CENSORSHIP
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Here Is Why Harvard Argues That Trump's Funding Freeze Violates the First Amendment ([link removed])


** POLITICS
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Will Trump’s School Discipline Order Drive Wider Disparities or ‘Restore Common Sense’? ([link removed])

Trump Admin Ramps Up Bid To Eliminate 'Anti-Christian Bias' (http://)


** PODCAST: FREEDOM UNDER FIRE
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Freedom Under Fire is a free weekly podcast available on SoundCloud and iTunes.

We’ve Already Got a Dictator-in-Chief: How Absolute Power Corrupted the President ([link removed])

Digital Kill Switches: How Tyrannical Governments Stifle Political Dissent ([link removed])

Raging Bulls in Blue: The Deadly Toll of Warrior Policing on Steroids ([link removed])

Podcast Archive ([link removed])


** ON TARGET VODCAST, INTERVIEWS
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Threats to the Constitution (Interview with Dave Krieger) ([link removed])

Executive Orders, AI Tyranny, and 42 National Emergencies: Is the Constitution Dead? (Interview with Collapse Life) ([link removed])
YOUR SUPPORT HELPS THE RUTHERFORD INSTITUTE SOUND THE ALARM OVER THREATS TO OUR FREEDOMS: DONATE TODAY ([link removed])
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