Justice Department ordered to release case information related to alleged illegal search

A federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice must release case docket information in criminal cases where the government used cellphone location tracking data without a warrant.The American Civil Liberties Union used the Freedom of Information Act starting in 2007 in a bid for the information. The ACLU was concerned that the [...]

Reporters group wants review of Marshals Service’s mug shot policy

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed a friend-of-the-court brief contesting the U.S. marshals Service’s policy of releasing suspect’s mug shot according to a requestor’s home base. “These rules are inane to the point of ridiculous,” said Reporters Committee Executive Director Lucy A. Dalglish. “In addition to creating an inexcusable geographic bias [...]

Rolling Stone Magazine wins ruling in dispute over use of image

A California appeals court dismissed a lawsuit by rock musicians against Rolling Stone over a use of their image that they said implied they sponsored a cigarette brand. The court found that the image was noncommercial speech protected by the First Amendment. -db The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press January 29, 2010 By [...]

High court rules for open criminal trials

The U.S. Supreme Court found that under the First Amendment, the public has the right of access to jury selection under the First and Sixth Amendments. The ruling came in a case in which a trial judge had excluded a criminal defendant’s uncle from viewing jury selection to keep the prospective jurors from mingling with [...]

Bloomberg bid for records of federal bailout gains support of other news organizations

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 12 other media groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the suit to gain access to records of the recent federal bailout of  automobile and financial firms. Bloomberg News sued to obtain records of the $2 trillion emergency lending program. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of [...]