Civil Rights

Voting rights advocates call the ID requirements “a solution in search of a problem." Lawmakers say they are protecting voting rights while adhering to photo ID requirements in the state constitution.

SAN DIEGO — A federal court in California dismissed the First Amendment lawsuit brought against the Palomar Health District, whose board member sued after she was reprimanded for criticizing the new website’s terms of use agreements, and for talking about it with a local reporter. The court says her speech was not chilled and that she did in fact speak out, in spite of her claims of self-censorship.

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Supreme Court affirmed the denial of relief to protesters who challenged the constitutionality of a 200-foot buffer area around a courthouse where protest is not allowed to occur. The zone protects the right to a fair trial and keeps jurors, witnesses and others from being obstructed while arriving at or leaving the courthouse. Protesters may still protest outside the buffer, so it does not violate their First Amendment rights.