University of California, San Diego Reaches Settlement with Satirical Student Publication
The newspaper sued the university after the student government passed a bill excluding media student groups from accessing activity funds. The legislation was passed just days after the paper published a controversial article satirizing safe spaces.
DOJ Looks to Take Over Trump’s Defense in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Lawsuit
The substitution would not only help Trump financially–his defense, including any settlement or damages payout, would be funded using taxpayer money–but would also likely spell the end of the lawsuit. Federal officials are typically given broad protections from lawsuits.
Military Newspaper “Stars and Stripes” Threatened With Closure is Safe for Now
Hours after the story broke that the Pentagon was planning to close Stars and Stripes, Donald Trump tweeted that he would not allow the newspaper to get shut down. The tweet took some by surprise, not only because the President is not known for defending the press, but because it was his administration's 2021 budget that had cut the newspaper’s funding in half.
A New Lawsuit Claims Kenosha Police Officers Are Selectively Enforcing Curfew
A new lawsuit filed on behalf of five Wisconsin residents claims that law enforcement officers in Kenosha County, Wisconsin are selectively enforcing an emergency curfew order on critics of the police. According to the complaint, of the over 150 peaceful protesters arrested in violation of curfew, not one was a pro-police demonstrator.
Q&A with Attorney Meenakshi Krishnan on the Future of Knight Institute v. Trump
Two weeks ago, the Trump administration petitioned SCOTUS to review a ruling preventing him from blocking critics from his Twitter account. Knight Attorney Meenakshi Krishnan talks about why his arguments are likely to fail should the Supreme Court decide to take the case.
Federal Judge Rules that Palin’s Defamation Suit Against New York Times Can Proceed to Trial
On August 28th, a federal judge ruled that a defamation suit brought by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin against The New York Times can proceed to trial.
Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction Exempting Journalists and Legal Observers from Dispersal Orders
In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth Circuit wrote that the lower court’s restraining order was too broad because it failed to specify who qualified as a journalist or legal observer. In previous hearings, the federal government had argued that differentiating between journalists and protesters was especially difficult given that some protesters wear press insignia to avoid the police’s crowd control tactics.
Fourth Circuit Rules Parts of Federal Anti-Riot Act Violate First Amendment
The Fourth Circuit is the first federal appellate court to find parts of the law unconstitutionally overbroad under the First Amendment. The ruling could impact Attorney General William P. Barr’s plan to use the law to prosecute individuals accused of inciting riots during the demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd.