Three States Pass Laws That Enhance Punishments for Fossil Fuel Protests
This month, legislators in Kentucky, South Dakota, West Virginia have worked to pass new laws that target individuals protesting fossil fuel companies. Some environmentalists believe legislators took advantage of the fact that national attention was focused on the coronavirus, to pass controversial legislation.
Miami Herald Reporter Excluded From COVID-19 Press Briefing
Mary Ellen Klas, the bureau chief for the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau, was instead told she could watch the press conference from a live stream video feed, effectively preventing her from asking officials any questions.
Texas Appeals Court Rejects Alex Jones’ Motion to Dismiss Heslin Defamation Suit
The judge has ordered Jones to pay Heslin $22,250 in attorney fees, making the total amount Jones now owes Neil Heslin just under $150,000.
Federal Court Rules That First Amendment Suit Against Trump Can Proceed
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit that claims that the President retaliated against media companies and reporters who were critical of his actions.
Campus Speech Module: Talking Across Differences
When students enter college, they will meet others from all walks of life with different opinions, experiences, and backgrounds. This can be a difficult environment to adapt to, so it is important to help students develop the ability to talk across their differences. This skill will help students become more inquisitive and confident in their own knowledge.
Campus Speech Module: Offensive Speech on Campus
Offensive speech is nearly unavoidable in diverse environments such as college campuses. With the help of video from Nadine Strossen, former president of the ACLU, this module teaches students how to cope with and respond to offensive speech. Additionally, it teaches why the First Amendment protects “hate speech” and when offensive speech loses First Amendment protection.
Campus Speech Module: Student Protest Then and Now
Introduce students to the history of student protest on campus and how activists throughout history laid the groundwork for today’s robust protections for student speech. By highlighting the role of university students in the Civil Rights Movement and in fighting McCarthy era censorship, this module is meant to empower students to be active participants in their university community.
Campus Speech Module: Limits to Free Speech
Teach incoming students about when speech crosses the line and loses First Amendment protection. This module focuses primarily on defining and providing examples of harassment, true threats, intimidation, and other unlawful conduct. With this knowledge, students can more accurately gauge when their speech, or their peers’ speech, may be impermissible or may result in violations of others’ rights.