Courtroom bans on social media spreading across United States

The U.S. court system is rapidly adopting rules against the use of social media in the courtroom. Jurors are increasingly instructed to stay off Facebook and Twitter and refrain from using the Internet to research cases. -db
Online Media Daily
March 10, 2010
By Laurie Sullivan
No tweeting or status updates in court or deliberation rooms. Judges have been [...]

Facebook threatens to sue British newspaper over false claim about sex and teen-age girls

Facebook is concerned that its reputation was permanently damaged by a claim in the Daily Mail that seconds after 14-year-old girls posted a profile on Facebook that older men could approach them “who wanted to perform a sex act” in front of them. Daily Mail apologized for the error. -db
Guardian
March 11, 2010
By Charles Arthur
Facebook has [...]

State courts find teen-agers’ ‘fighting words’ unprotected

Teen-agers are finding that courts are unsympathetic to their use of “fighting words”, viewing the language as disorderly conduct and affirming lower court decisions in finding the teen-agers delinquent. -db
First Amendment Center
Commentary
March 11, 2010
By David L. Hudson Jr.
Recent court decisions in Arizona and North Dakota demonstrate that kids can face criminal charges and convictions [...]

New access to social media may precipitate change in Iran

After the U.S. Treasury Department decided to exclude social media services from sanctions against Iran, there is hope that these services will help Iranians  effect political change. Iran is a special case in that nearly half of the population uses the internet. -db
Citizen Media Law Project
Commentary
March 11, 2010
By Arthur Bright

Anyone who followed the Green Movement protests [...]

Los Angeles: Employee union accuses district attorney of libel

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys accused the Los Angeles district attorney of committing libel in a newsletter that criticized the association. The accusation is part of an ongoing dispute over the district attorney’s alleged union-busting tactics. -db

Metropolitan News-Enterprise
March 10, 2010
By Sherri M. Okamoto
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys yesterday sent a missive to its [...]

California State Assembly Speaker bans texting in session

The new California Assembly Speaker has banned text messaging on the assembly floor prompting skepticism from First Amendment advocates that the ban is enforceable or efficacious. -db

CivSource
Commentary
March 9, 2010
By Bailey McCann

Last week, when John A. Perez became California’s new Assembly Speaker a point in his opening speech caught our eye — a new rule limiting [...]

Anonymous speech: Federal court protects identities of posters on news website

A Pennsylvania federal court will not allow a man suing in an employment discrimination case to discover the identities of those making posts on a new website. The man wanted the identities to discredit the testimony of those who fired him. -db

Citizen Media Law Project
Commentary
March 8, 2010
By Sam Bayard

Thomas O’Toole at TechLaw points us to [...]

Free speech: Supreme Court reaffirms ban on death row interviews

The Supreme Court will not hear the case of a death row inmate who claimed his First Amendment rights were violated by a federal policy that banned interviews with death row inmates. -db
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
March 8, 2010
By Curry Andrews
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not hear the [...]

First Amendment cases: Supreme Court to hear Kansas case of protesters at military funeral

The Supreme Court will hear the case of a Marine father who sued protesters who picketed his son’s funeral with signs reading “God Hates You” land “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” The picketers were from a Baptist church that believes God hates homosexuality and is punishing the U.S. for tolerating it with the death of [...]

EFF: Federal law on adult photography poses threat to free speech

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is joining with other free expression advocates in a legal challenge to the federal criminal law that requires anyone producing a visual depiction of sexually explicit expression to maintain extensive records including copies of drivers’ licenses, home addresses, etc. -db

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Press Release
March 5th, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO – The Electronic Frontier Foundation [...]

Time has come for a federal anti-SLAPP law

A lawyer who earns considerable income from defending citizens from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) says it is time to back a democratic congressman’s bill for a federal anti-SLAPP law to protect citizens’ free speech rights. -db
Citizen Media Law Project
Opinion
March 4, 2010
By Marc J. Randazza

Congressman Steve Cohen, D-TN is our First Amendment Bad Ass of [...]

Former teacher sues D.C. mayor and the public school chancellor for defamation

After the Washington D.C. public schools chancellor said to the media that she got rid of teachers who hit students and had sex with children in reducing the teaching force, she was sued by a teacher who claimed those statements defamed him. -db

Courthouse News Service
March 8, 2010
By Ryan Abbott
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CN) – A teacher says [...]

California legislators for amending U.S. Constitution to overturn Supreme Courts ruling on campaign finance

Two California legislators have introduced a resolution in the state legislature for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC arguing that the court decision wrongly gives corporations the same First Amendment rights as individuals and will allow them to use advertising to control the outcome of elections. -db

Metropolitan [...]

Supreme Court rejects attempt to void part of bankruptcy law on First Amendment grounds

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld provisions of the federal bankruptcy law that had been challenged under the First Amendment. The court upheld a key provision that states that a debt relef agency could not advise a client to incur more debt in order to file for bankruptcy. -db
First Amendment Center
March 8, 2010
By David L. [...]

Attorney for army major who allegedly killed 13 starts blog on the case

After a military judge issued a gag order in the trial of a man accused of killed 13 people at Fort Hood last year, the civilian lawyer for the man started a blog to make his case for the suspect. -db

CNN
March 2 2010
By Larry Shaughnessy
Washington (CNN) — In response to a partial gag order, the attorney [...]

Google would welcome government support in challenging Chinese censorhip

Google wants the Obama administration to take China’s censorship of Google to the World Trade Organization as an unfair barrier to trade. -db

Bloomberg News
March 3, 2010
By Mark Drajem

(Bloomberg) — The Obama administration is weighing the merits of taking China’s censorship of Google Inc. to the World Trade Organization as an unfair barrier to trade, a [...]

Legislation needed to block corporation money in elections

A columnist for the Buffalo News says that now that the Supreme Court has unleashed the monster of corporate money in the political arena, it is left to Congress to enact a law to block the anticipated flood of special interest money in federal, local and state elections. -db
The Buffalo News
Opinion
March 1, 2010
By Douglas Turner

WASHINGTON, [...]

Bandwidth problems threaten to curtail military’s social networking

The Pentagon is allowing the troops to use such sites as Facebook and Twitter, but it may be difficult for them to actually sign on since, especially in places like Afghanistan, bandwidth is limited. -db
The Hill
March 1, 2010
By Tony Romm
Trouble with the Pentagon’s strapped Web network could threaten its new decision to permit service [...]

Intimidation succeeds far too often in stifling free speech

There are all too many recent instances of authorities canceling talks by controversial speakers because they fear violence or disruption. This results in a systemic compromising of free speech rights and significant weakening of the foundations of democracy. -db
Townhall.com
Opinion
March 1, 2010
By Herb London

Jake Witzenfeld, president of Cambridge University’s Israel Society cancelled a talk by Benny [...]

California court throws out conviction in child molestation case after juror discusses case outside of court

A man convicted of child molestation won a new trial after a judge found that a juror’s discussion of the proceedings with a friend has been prejudicial and deprived the defendant of a fair trial. -db
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
March 1, 2010
By Kenneth Ofgang

A juror’s repeated conversations with a friend about the child molestation case he was hearing [...]

Supreme Court decision on dogfight video may create new First Amendment exception

Free speech advocates are anticipating the Supreme Court decision on animal-cruelty videos that may place the videos with obscenity and child pornography as beyond the protection of the First Amendment. A First Amendment Center scholar argues against making a new unprotected category. -db

First Amendment Center
Opinion
February 26, 2010
By David L. Hudson Jr.
Will animal-cruelty videos face the same [...]

Obama should back up Google with more than rhetoric: The US should challenge China’s “firewall” before the WTO.

PETER SCHEER—The US government is not powerless to influence China’s policies for censoring the internet. As Google has taken extraordinary steps–bordering on corporate civil disobedience–to challenge China’s stranglehold on the flow of information to and among its people, the Obama administration has acted as though its hands were tied. In fact, however, the administration does [...]

British lawmakers urge laws curtailing libel tourism

A British parliament committee said it is time to change the country’s liberal libel laws to discourage citizens of other countries from bringing libel suits in British courts. The committee said changes are needed to eliminate the chilling effect of libel cases on free speech. -db

Telegraph.co.uk
February 24, 2010
By Gordon Rayner
Britain’s defamation laws must be urgently [...]

Scholastic free press: Parents object to student sex poll

A California institute is challenging the administration of Ventura High School for allowing students to complete the questions of a campus sex survey without parent permission. Reporters from the student newspaper had conducted the survey on campus but outside the classroom. -db
Ventura County Star
February 23, 2010
By Marjorie Hernandez
Pacific Justice Institute officials said Tuesday that [...]

Vague standards challenge Supreme Court in decisions on cases involving “material support” to terrorists

In deciding cases challenging the law forbidding support for terrorist organizations, the Supreme Court must consider that laws should provide clarity about which acts are illegal. -db

The New York Times
Commentary
February 23, 2010
By John Farmer Jr.
Notwithstanding the finger-pointing (and judicial head-shaking) since the Supreme Court’s decision last month on corporate speech, that ruling may not [...]

Federal judge scraps provisions of San Diego’s campaign-finance laws

In accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Citizens United case, a federal judge struck down several provisions of San Diego’s campaign-finance law and particularly a ban on contributions from political parties and a $500 cap on donations to independent expenditure committees. -db
Courthouse News Service
February 23, 2010
By Annie Youderian
(CN) – A federal [...]

Supreme Court hears First Amendment case over right to talk with terrorist groups

The Supreme Court heard arguments over a challenge to laws fobidding “training,” “service” or “expert advice or assistance” to terrorist groups. A retired lawyer is seeking the right to provide support for the nonviolent activities of a Kurdish party and a Tamil group both classified as terrorist organizations. -db

The New York Times
February 23, 2010
By Adam Liptak [...]

California court throws out attorney’s case as SLAPP

The First District Court of Appeal has dismissed a San Francisco attorney’s suit saying the claims against an opposing lawyer of fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress was in conflict with the lawyer’s protected free speech rights. -db
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
February 16, 2010
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The First District Court of Appeal has thrown out [...]

Federal judge refuses to dismiss defamation claim against Dallas radio host

A U.S. district judge refused to dismiss an airport security guard’s defamation suit filed after radio personality Rickey Smiley called him “gay” on his radio show. -db

Courthouse News Service
February 22, 2010
By Leigh Sanders

DALLAS (CN) – Comedian and radio host Rickey Smiley may have defamed an airport security guard by calling him gay on “The Rickey [...]

Student protests at speech of Israeli ambassador at California campus raise free speech issues

After eleven students at UC Irvine were arrested Feb. 8 for repeatedly interrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, debate centered on the question of whose free speech rights should prevail, those of the hecklers or that of the invited speaker. -db

Inside Higher Ed
February 17, 2010
By Scott Jaschik
Every few minutes [...]

Judge allows suit to go forward on student Facebook posting

A Florida student is suing her principal for suspending her after she posted a Facebook page calling her Advanced Placement teacher “the worst teacher I’ve ever met.” -db

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
February 17, 2010
By Amanda Becker
A federal magistrate said this week that a former Florida high school student who was suspended for [...]

Poll: 80% of Americans oppose SCOTUS campaign finance ruling

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that nearly 80% of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are  united in their opposition to the recent Supreme Court ruling that opens the door for corporations, labor unions, and other organizations to spend money directly from their general funds to influence campaigns.
Left and right united in opposition to controversial [...]

Hurricane expert claims he was fired for criticizing Corps of Engineer’s work on New Orleans levees

A hurricane expert says he was fired by Lousiana State University because the university feared losing federal funding for the expert’s criticism of the Army Corps of Engineers mistakes that caused breaks during Hurricane Katrina in the levees protecting New Orleans. -db

Courthouse News Service
February 12, 2010
By Sabrina Canfield

BATON ROUGE (CN) – A hurricane expert claims [...]

Democrats propose plan in response to Supreme Court ruling on campaign spending

To, in their words, close “the floodgates of big corporate money that would otherwise drown out the voices of American citizens,” Democrats in the Congress have proposed new restrictions on campaign spending through enacting a series of small steps starting with banning spending by foreign corporations. -db

The Fresno Bee
February 11, 2010
By William Douglas and David [...]

Special-ed teacher fired for objecting to paddling of autistic student

A federal district court ruled that because her speech was work-related, a special-ed teacher could be fired for opposing the paddling of one of her autustic students for disruptive behavior. -db
First Amendment Center
February 12, 2010
By David L. Hudson Jr.
A special-education teacher in Booneville, Miss., who complained about corporal punishment of an autistic student by [...]

Iranians bloggers and journalists face death sentence

In anticipation of the Islamic Revolution’s 31st anniversary on February 11, Iranian authorities are blocking the internet and prosecuting bloggers and journalists. -db
MediaShift
February 9, 2010
By Clothilde Le Coz

Iranian authorities are once agan cracking down on the Internet.
Internet connection speeds were degraded in several cities in advance of the Islamic Revolution’s 31st anniversary on February 2. This [...]

Free speech: Patriot Act prevents civil rights lawyer from helping Kurdish group abandon terrorism

A civil rights lawyer is challenging a provision in the Patriot Act over his First Amendment rights to engage a Kurdish group he wants to advise about ways to resolve issues peacefully. The provision forbids him from engaing the group including offering “expert advice or assistance.” -db

The New York Times
February 11, 2010
By Adam Liptak
WASHINGTON, [...]

Stolen Valor Act challenged on First Amendment grounds

An attorney for a Denver man who lied that he earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star when serving in the  military in Iraq claims the lies are protected speech under the First Amendment. -db
The Denver Post
January 20. 2010
By Felisa Cardona
Rick Strandlof may have lied about being a decorated Iraq War veteran, but those [...]

Appeals panels in Pennsylvania rule in contradictory ways on student on-line speech

Free speech advocates are mulling over the decisions of two three-judge panel in appeals courts for the Third Circuit as the panels ruled separately that a student had the right to speak freely off-campus and that the school had a right to punish students for off-campus speech they deemed disruptive to the school. -db
Student Press Law [...]

California: San Jose State State University revises repressive speech code for dorm students

The San Jose State University administration altered the wording in their harassment policy to remove unconstitutional limits on the free speech of dormitory students. -db
FIRE
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Opinion
February 8, 2010
By Samantha Harris

There is good news today for students living in the residence halls at San Jose State University (SJSU). The housing department has [...]

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