First Amendment Watch

New Ground Rules: Judge Strikes Down Wyoming Data Trespass Laws

  October 30, 2018: The Laws Violate Free Speech Protections  A federal judge struck down two of Wyoming’s “ag-gag” laws that barred the collection of environmental research data on public and private land. The judge ruled that the recently passed “data trespass” statutes are unconstitutional and violate free speech protections, siding with two environmental groups and a photography association. The[Read More…]

Authors Share Excerpts on Free Speech: Marjorie Heins on Some of its Ironies and Complications

Ironies and Complications of Free Speech, a collection of the best writing from the Free Expression Policy Project (2001-2017), covers topics that range from loyalty oaths, the Mohammed cartoons, and junk science to the FCC’s censorship of “indecency” on the airwaves, Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl, and copyright battles involving James Joyce, Tennessee Williams, and Google’s attempt to ban the use of its name as a verb. Through its stories of events and controversies, the book provides a primer on a range of tricky First Amendment issues.

First Amendment Watch Teacher Guide: Why is James Madison’s Defense of Freedom of the Press Critical Today?

The press is under attack from many public officials as well as private citizens writing on their blogs and Twitter accounts. President Donald Trump, for one, has accused some news organizations of publishing “fake news” about his administration. Although he may be unusually vociferous in attacking journalists, public officials of all political stripes throughout American history have complained about the press when they are targets of criticism.

This is an opportune time for educators to reach back to James Madison for what may be the most powerful defense of freedom of the press written by any American.