Judge Says Free Speech Trumps Online Harassment
Threatening and harassing anonymous texts against a student-run feminist group via the now defunct phone app Yik Yak are protected under the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled.
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Minnesota High Court Nixes Disorderly-Conduct Law
A Minnesota woman who displayed photos of dead babies during a city council meeting is not guilty of disorderly conduct, the state’s highest court ruled, striking down a disorderly-conduct statute barring disturbances at public meetings.
Read moreTenth Circuit Won’t Give Wyoming’s Ag-Gag Law a Free Pass
Wyoming’s “ag gag” law, enacted to criminalize collection of research data on public and private land, may be unconstitutional, the 10th Circuit ruled, reversing and remanding a 2016 ruling.
Read moreTwin Cases on Press Access at Crossroads in 9th Circuit
Twin cases on First Amendment press access will either proceed separately through the Ninth Circuit or come together before the same panel of judges, depending on the outcome of a motion filed Wednesday.
Read moreStage Set for 9th Circuit to Clear First Amendment Conflict on Press Access
A tale of two rulings with similar facts but opposite outcomes is now headed to the Ninth Circuit in search of clarity on the traditional First Amendment right of access to new civil complaints.
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Humanists Say Warden Wrongly Censored Magazine With Rubens Nude
The American Humanist Association claims in court that a Virginia jail warden wrongly denied prisoners copies of its magazine because its latest issue contains images of Peter Paul Rubens’ 16th century painting, “Adam and Eve.”
Read moreThat First Amendment Lesson Didn’t Go So Well
A North Carolina high school teacher who lost his job for stepping on an American flag in his social studies class to teach a lesson about the Bill of Rights has sued the school board a second time, this time for racial discrimination.
Read moreJudge Rejects Cartoonist’s Defamation Claim Against Tribune
Cartoonist Ted Rall faced another setback in his defamation and wrongful termination lawsuit against the LA Times, when a Superior Court judge granted Tribune Media’s motion to strike his complaint under the First Amendment.
Read moreOhio City Council Hopeful Fights Political Sign Rules
An independent candidate for city council in Perrysburg, Ohio claims in court that a municipal ordinance limiting the amount of time political signs can be displayed on private property violates his rights under the First Amendment.
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Judge Allows Trump’s Appeal Over Violence at Rally
Sending a First Amendment question to the Sixth Circuit, a federal judge decided to allow an appeal by President Donald Trump’s legal team in a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a Kentucky campaign rally last year.
Read moreFlorida School On Hook in Vaginal Ultrasound Case
A federal judge ruled that a Florida college must face claims that it violated female students’ right to free speech and discriminated against them on the basis of sex by forcing them to undergo in-class vaginal ultrasounds for a sonography program.
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Order Trump to Unblock Us, Tweeters Tell Judge
Demanding a federal injunction Tuesday, a press-freedom group says there is “no legitimate interest in protecting the president from criticism” — in this case, hecklers on Twitter.
Read more9th Circuit Revives Bison Observer’s Civil Rights Claims
Anthony Patrick Reed may one day get his day in court on behalf of Yellowstone National Park’s wild bison, after the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday that a jury should have determined whether the volunteer for the Buffalo Field Campaign had his First and Fourth Amendment rights violated during a 2012 federal government hazing of bison back into Yellowstone National Park.
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Appeals Court Lets Hunt for Anonymous Online Critics Proceed
A California appeals handed free speech advocates a tepid victory Wednesday, reversing dismissal of a tech company’s libel lawsuit against anonymous employees and a job-hunting website where they posted critical comments.
Read moreCouple Says District Tried to Muzzle Them After Dispute
A husband and wife claim in court that after years of involvement with the booster club and other organizations at their local high school they suddenly found themselves ostracized and were further punished for Facebook posts about the situation.
Read moreFilmmaker Blasts Wisconsin Hunting Protections as Unconstitutional
Broadening a Wisconsin statute which provides greater protection to hunters on public land has a chilling effect on the First Amendment, a filmmaker and two animal-rights activists say.
Read moreWoman Falsely Accused of Stalking Sues Accusers
A woman exonerated after being falsely accused of posting “rape fantasy” posts on Craigslist has sued the city of Anaheim and her accusers on claims of false imprisonment.
Read moreNew Trial Ordered for Protester at Sessions’ Confirmation Hearing
A Washington judge on Friday ordered a new trial for a woman convicted of two misdemeanors after she laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Read moreNational Media Join First Amendment Fight Over Access to Court Records
In an ongoing legal war over access to California court records, the nation’s top newspapers have closed ranks with Courthouse News in fighting for traditional and timely review of new complaints under the First Amendment.
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Missouri Attorney General Calls Backpage.com’s Lawsuit Frivolous
Backpage.com has sued Missouri’s attorney general, claiming his demand for information about human trafficking on its website is unconstitutional — a lawsuit the attorney general quickly denounced as frivolous, saying, “there is no First Amendment right to engage in human trafficking.”
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