Students of All Ages Should Not Lose First Amendment Rights at School
Two elementary school students in Ardmore, Oklahoma were pulled from their public school classrooms for wearing “Black Lives Matters” t-shirts,” reports The New York Times. Such action likely violates the First Amendment, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision protecting student-initiated expression in the public schools—Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969).
Three Arguments in Defense of Free Expression
As you begin your college career, you should take time to consider what sort of campus culture you would like to help foster, and whether open discourse and debate are important to you and your educational goals. This module offers students three arguments students can use to convince others to look for solutions to problems that involve more speech, rather than censorship.
FAQ: The First Amendment and Campus Life
These frequently asked questions and answers provide the basic information incoming students need to know about how the First Amendment applies to speech on campus. This FAQ is meant to be used as a reference for students, which administrators can link to or copy for their own sites. FIRE and First Amendment Watch are available to help adapt the language to best suit a particular campus’s needs.
On May 5th, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court — the highest court in Massachusetts — ruled that a virtual suppression hearing conducted via Zoom violated neither the defendant’s Sixth Amendment rights nor the public’s First Amendment right to access court proceedings. Nevertheless, the court reversed the trial judge’s ruling that had rejected the defendant’s motion for a continuance.
Florida Court Upholds Arrest of Mother Who Recorded Son’s Detention by Police
On May 5th, a split three-judge panel on the District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida for the Fourth District upheld the arrest of Sharron Tasha Ford, who sued the city of Boynton Beach for violating her First Amendment right to record police.
Reclaiming the Narrative: Defamation Lawsuits and the 2020 Election
Join us on May 19th for a FAW Public Forum conversation with Lyrissa Lidsky, RonNell Andersen Jones, and Jonathan Peters about Dominion and Smartmatic's defamation lawsuits challenging Fox News' election coverage. Is libel law the best way to tackle disinformation, or could this strategy unintentionally make it easier for bad actors to sue journalists?
Lawyer Who Frequently Represents Devin Nunes is Sanctioned for Filing Frivolous Defamation Suit
On May 4th, a federal judge in Maryland sanctioned Representative Devin Nunes’s longtime attorney, Steve Biss, for filing a “frivolous” defamation lawsuit against CNN.
Florida Governor Draws Criticism After Limiting Media Access to Bill Signing Ceremony
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed new voting legislation on May 6th. The bill signing was broadcasted live on Fox & Friends, a morning news program on Fox News Channel, but all other media outlets were denied access. The decision drew criticism from media organizations and First Amendment scholars.