Coalition News

FAC remembers founding member, P-E Publisher Tim Hays.

Howard H. “Tim” Hays, the much honored former editor, publisher and chairman... 

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Obama acts on FAC petition against China’s “Great Firewall”

October 19, 2011—The Obama administration on Wednesday said that, using World... 

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Brown vetoes bill limiting cellphone searches by police

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed SB 914, a bill sponsored by the First Amendment Coalition... 

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Steve Jobs vs. The Beatles, and other thoughts on the passing of a superstar

BY PETER SCHEER–Steve Jobs died at age 56, a young man. But one of the things... 

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Call to action: Sign petition urging Gov. Brown to sign SB 914 and stop warrantless cellphone searches

Petition Update (Thurs, Sept 29, 2011) SB 914 is still sitting on Governor Brown’s... 

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The First Amendment needs your help. NOW.

Join the Challenge! We need to raise exactly $47,209 to meet the overall goal of... 

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Legislature approves FAC-sponsored bill on cell phone privacy. Will Brown sign it?

SB 914, a FAC-sponsored bill to prohibit warrantless searches of cell phones during... 

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Raymond Pryke donates $125,000 to FAC legal initiatives

The First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce that it has received major... 

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Have a legal question on FOI issues? Ask us. FREE!

The First Amendment Coalition offers an incredibly useful and FREE legal consultation... 

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New ruling in FAC case opens door to release of state bar records needed for affirmative action research

In an important decision on freedom of information, a California appeals court today... 

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FAC and Sac Bee, in major court victory, gain access to pension payments, by name, to county retirees

A California appeals court ruled May 11 in favor of FAC and the Sacramento Bee in... 

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FAC leads amicus signed by 90+ publications in Brown Act case begun by the late Rich McKee

A FAC led amicus brief joined by more than 90 newspapers and other publications... 

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FAC files suit for access to report on hazardous toxins found in Calabasas

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) has filed suit against the city of Calabasas... 

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Download Sunshine Week Coast to Coast

Sunshine Week 2011 has arrived and this year FAC has partnered with the NFOIC (National... 

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FAC’s Duffy Carolan honored by journalists’ group

First Amendment lawyer Duffy Carolan–who is also a long-time Board member of... 

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Columbia j-school honors Brugmann for “raising hell and printing the news”

Bruce Brugmann, founding editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and First Amendment... 

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Criminal prosecution of WikiLeaks bodes ill for U.S. media

If the U.S. succeeds in bringing WikiLeaks to heel for publishing classified documents,... 

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FAC, News media urge Supreme Court to limit FOIA exemption in case heard this week

The US Supreme Court yesterday heard arguments in a FOIA personnel exemption case, ... 

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SF Bay Guardian’s $21M award stands after CA Supreme Court refuses rival’s request to review amount

The CA Supreme Court declined to review the $21 million damage award a lower court... 

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FAC posts online confidential CalPERS’ docs ordered released by Court

The First Amendment Coalition has posted on the internet more than 1,700 CalPERS... 

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Proposals for Greater Media Access Released for Public Comment

A California report with a series of proposals to improve media and public access... 

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FAC wins case against CalPERS for records on disastrous real estate investment

The Superior Court in San Francisco ruled Tuesday in FAC’s favor against CalPERS... 

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Announcing FAC’s “Kiss” and “Kiss-Off” awards

In keeping with the new normal of polarized politics, FAC has launched a new feature... 

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CalPERS sued for documents related to failed $100 million investment in Page Mill properties

The First Amendment Coalition has sued CalPERS to obtain records on why the pension... 

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1st Amendment News

Citizen sources base for new reporting unit by Public Insight Network

The Public Insight Network (PIN) is launching its own reporting unit to produce original... 

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Acai diet pill promoters lose millions in settlement with FCC over fake news stories

The Federal Trade Commission won a $4 million settlement against marketers of the... 

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Family sues Hustler for $20 million for publishing nude photos after death

A grieving family is suing Hustler Magazine for $20 million after the magazine published... 

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Auto safety firm sues for records of government investigation of sudden acceleration

Safety Research and Strategies is suing the federal government for details of their... 

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California appeals court rules sexual harassment complaint against teacher public record

A Santa Monica math teacher lost a lawsuit in a California appeals court to keep... 

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U.S. press freedom plummeted in 2011

Press freedom took a hit in the United States in 2011 according to Reporters Without... 

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Federal appeals court rules Albuquerque public library must allow sex offenders

The 10th Circuit Appellate Court upheld a lower court decision that Albuquerque’s... 

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South Carolina prison newsletter wins censorship suit

A South Carolina county will have to pony up nearly $600,000 to settle a censorship... 

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Sikh leader sues comedian Jay Leno for defamation in Mitt Romney joke

As Jay Leno was joking on “The Tonight Show”about Republican presidential... 

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California: Ventura County school district leads the county in open meeting complaints

The Rio School District has over half of the 36 complaints about violations of the... 

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California: Newspaper seeks information on robbery in Alameda

After tipsters told the Action Alameda News that the Alameda Police Department was... 

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Europe considers tough online privacy law

Europe is considering a new law that would require Internet companies like Amazon... 

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Chicago Sun-Times abandons political endorsements

In a recognition of its waning influence, the Chicago Sun-Times has decided to stop... 

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WiliLeaks founder getting TV show

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will have his own TV interview show this spring... 

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Supreme Court police arrest man for ‘Occupy Everything’ words on jacket

In an incident reminiscent of  Cohen v. California, the Supreme Court police arrested... 

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Federal judge rejects San Diego election campaign donation cap

A federal judge ruled that San Diego could not enforce its $1000 cap on donations... 

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Whistleblower sues over firing during BP gulf oil spill cleanup

BP allegedly fired a worker for refusing to change data so that the company could... 

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Government indicts former CIA officer for leaks of classfied information to journalists

The Justice Department  is charging a former intelligence officer with leaking classified... 

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Muhammad Ali a central figure in unfolding of First Amendment rights

Muhammad Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, “embodies the essence... 

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Opinion: Supreme Court decision on copyright of foreign works a blow to free speech

The U.S. Supreme Court extended copyright protection to foreign works created from... 

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FBI investigating News Corp. for allegedly hacking into actor’s e-mail

FBI said it was checking into the possibility that News Corp’s News of the... 

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Justice Department shuts down popular file-sharing site in criminal copyright case

In a criminal copyright case, the Justice Department shut down Megaupload, executed... 

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Gap claims Kardashians too tarnished to suffer defamation

In defending themselves from a Kardashian lawsuitover the use of a double in an ad... 

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Senate majority leader stalls Internet piracy legislation

In a victory for the technology industry, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid postponed... 

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Appeal in the works in Twitter/WikiLeaks case

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are set... 

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Sony/ATV sues karaoke distributor for copyright infringement

In retaliation for being sued by a major karaoke distributor in California federal... 

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A&A: Accessing a school district’s settlement agreements

Q: To what extent are school district settlement agreements public when they contain... 

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California: Federal judge to decide fate of documents concerning origins of 2007 wildfire

A U.S. district judge will hear arguments on a challenge by the Sacramento Bee to... 

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U.S. Supreme Court backs 1994 law granting copyright protection to foreign works

Rejecting arguments that a 1994 law complying with an international treaty violated... 

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Citizen Media Law Project offers resources on online piracy laws

The Citizen Media Law Project is providing access to information on the SOPA and... 

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Website blackouts to protest online piracy laws called success

The blackout of websites, including BoingBoing, Reddit and Wikipedia, to protest... 

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Questions arise over blackout protests of online piracy laws

Sites such as Wikipedia, Craigslist and Reddit, who blacked out their websites in... 

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Federal appeals court to consider suit over identity of informants

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will get another chance to protect... 

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Video of drug agent shooting himself ruled matter of public interest

An agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration lost a ruling in federal appeals... 

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D.C. appellate court rules for whistelblower’s anonymity

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled that a software trade association... 

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California: Los Alamitos councilman in trouble for violating confidentiality of closed meetings

The Los Alamitos City Council voted 3-1 to prosecute Councilman Warren Kusumoto for... 

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A&A: How long does the agency have to reply to my records request?

Q: I requested documents regarding disciplinary action taken against me by my employer,... 

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A&A: Can I access emails sent between county “task group” and “oversight committee”?

Q: A recent CPRA to obtain correspondence from the individual elected members of... 

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Balance sought in fight over bills to stop Internet piracy

With copyright protection established in the U.S. Constitution and free speech in... 

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Federal appeals court rejects lawsuit claiming police violated rights of protestors during 2008 Republican Convention

The 8th U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals found that police had not violated protestors... 

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Law blog suggests ways to avoid libel suits for online postings

A Los Angeles media lawyer provides eight strategies for avoiding libel and concludes... 

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New journalism licensing group plans moderate aproach to protecting copyrights

Formed by 29 media companies, NewRight plans to act as a clearing house for content... 

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