Federal appeals court allows challenge to hiring decision allegedly based on politics

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed an applicant for a college teaching job to sue a law school dean for allegedly discriminating against her for her political beliefs. The applicant said the then dean of the University of Iowa College of Law rejected her application for legal-writing positions based on her socially [...]

Citing the state’s campaign laws, judge benches attack ads on governor

A Kentucky judge granted a restraining order to halt attack ads on the governor financed by Restoring America after the organization failed to identify its donors under the state’s campaign finance laws. The judge cited the public right for transparency, but legal experts said they expect to see the ruling overturned on free speech grounds. [...]

D.C: Federal judge reinstates lawsuit over limits placed on posting political messages

A federal judge revived a lawsuit brought by two civil rights groups against a Washington, D.C. law placing a 60-day limit on signs with political messages posted on lampposts. The Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation and the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition filed the original suit in 2007 which was dismissed [...]

Free speech: Retired professor held for distributing pamphlets to prospective jurors

Federal prosecutors have indicted a former chemistry professor for jury tampering in distributing pamphlets to prospective jurors urging them to ignore law if they disagree with it and base their verdicts on conscience. Writing in The New York Times, Benjamin Weiser quotes Christopher T. Dunn, associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, [...]

Parody not funny to conglomerate Koch Industries

The conglomerate Koch Industries is suing Youth for Climate Truth for publishing a fake press release in their name which stated that the company was supporting climate change advocacy. Koch enterprises are minerals, oil and fertilizers. Koch is seeking damages including the cost of correcting the record created by the fake release. Public Citizen, which [...]

Alaskan senator warns TV stations not to run Tea Party ads

Claiming that the ads by the Tea Party Express in support of the Republican candidate, Joe Miller, carry false statements, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski warned TV stations that they will be held liable for running the ads. -db Alaska Dispatch October 4, 2010 By Joshua Saul The same day the Tea Party Express released the [...]

Federal court rules constitutional limits on Republican Nation Committee funding

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal election law preventing the Republican National Committee from funding a radio ad and other expenses for a 2008 congressional candidate. -db Courthouse News Service September 16, 2010 (CN) – The 5th Circuit voted 11-5 to uphold provisions of a federal election law that limited the Republican [...]

Political speech: Federal court rules satirical ads violated copyright law

An Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer finds fault with judges’ downgrading satire as a form of protected speech as in Henley v. DeVore in which a senatorial candidate attacked his opponent by setting his own words to two songs, “The Boys of Summer” (The Hope of November”) and “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” (“All [...]

Trademark case: Chamber of Commerce battles critics over parody

Political activists are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claiming the activists infringed on trademarks with a parody on the Chamber’s stance on climate change. -DB Electronic Frontier Foundation January 6, 2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. – A group of political activists including members of the Yes [...]

A&A: Political speech in the workplace

Q: The company I work for wants me to remove a bumper sticker(“fuck bush”) from my car. I was told that my car will be towed from the employee lot if I do not and may and can lead to job termination. Do they have the right to do so? A: Although the First Amendment [...]