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.
CNN Settles Defamation Suit With Family of Covington Catholic Teen
The family of Nicholas Sandman sued CNN back in March 2019 for $275 million over their reporting of a viral encounter between the Covington teen and an indigenous activist. Among other things, the lawsuit claimed CNN targeted Sandmann because he was a supporter of President Donald Trump.
Iowa State University Faces Lawsuit After Banning Chalk Messages
“Through the use of three policies –a ban on chalking, a prohibition on student emails related to campaigns and elections, and a Campus Climate Reporting System–Iowa State University has created an elaborate investigative and enforcement regime designed to chill speech concerning political and social issues of public concern,” Speech First said in a statement on its site.
While requests to remove threatening comments in defamation cases are not unheard of, this order stood out because it required the defendants to delete not only their own posts but also the comments made by third parties.
Media Law Expert George Freeman Talks About the Internet, Political Polarization, and Defamation Law
The libel of laws haven't changed and Trump is not going to change them, but he has created an environment where attacking the press has become commonplace, not only by him, but by many of his followers and supporters.
Trump Asks Judge to Dismiss E. Jean Carroll’s Defamation Lawsuit
The lawyers argued in a motion on Friday that the suit cannot go forward because the statements were made in Washington and the case was filed in New York.
Columbia University Student Files Complaint with Department of Education, Alleging Anti-Semitism
Invoking President Donald Trump’s recent executive order targeting anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses, the complaint accuses the Columbia administration of failing to address discrimination against Jewish students on its campus.
California Town Looks to Amend Anti-Panhandling Law to Address Free Speech Concerns
A city council in Eureka, California is planning to amend a 2016 ordinance that regulated “aggressive and intrusive” panhandling after concerns that the law likely violated the First Amendment.