Punished for Shouting a Racial Epithet, Students Take UConn to Court

Neither Mucaj nor Karal directed the epithet toward anybody in particular, but uttered it out loud as part of a juvenile game that tested the other’s willingness to shout obscenities. Now, they say the university is using a vague policy to punish them for speech that, while offensive, is constitutionally protected.

Missouri Introduces Bill Banning Books Containing “Age-Inappropriate Sexual Materials”

The bill threatens to withhold state aid to public libraries whose bookshelves house materials that contain “any form of nudity, sexuality, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse that: Taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors...”

New Hampshire Bill Seeks To Regulate News Reporting of Criminal Proceedings

The bill has attracted heavy criticism from the state’s media organizations who say similar laws have been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Harvard Law Professor Files Defamation Suit Against The New York Times Over Epstein Donation Story

Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig is suing The New York Times for defamation. In a complaint filed on January 13th in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Lessig alleges that the Times used a “false and defamatory ‘clickbait’ Internet headline and lede to drive readers to their story and web site.”

Hartford Police Lieutenant Sues to Unmask Anonymous Commenters

According to the complaint, some of the site’s commenters include police officers who have used the blog’s comments section to defame the lieutenant.

Judge Says Trump Can’t Dismiss E. Jean Carroll’s Defamation Suit

In her ruling, Justice Doris Ling-Cohan said that the president failed to submit any evidence in support of his request to dismiss Carroll's defamation lawsuit, writing “There is not even a tweet, much less an affidavit by defendant Trump in support of his motion."

Babson College Fires Professor For Joke He Made on Private Facebook Account

Asheen Phansey was fired on Thursday for a satirical Facebook post he made about President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb 52 sites “important to Iran & Iranian culture.”

Appeals Court Considers Massachusetts’ Law Against Secretly Recording Police

The ACLU of Massachusetts says that the law, which was originally written to protect citizens from government surveillance, is now used to punish people for exercising their First Amendment right to gather information about public officials.