Supreme Court Ruling Allows Registration of “Immoral” or “Scandalous” Words

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on registering words or symbols that are "immoral" or "scandalous." The case was brought by designer Eric Brunetti who created a clothing line in 1990 that prominently displayed the “FUCT” logo. Brunetti had been trying to obtain approval for a trademark since 2011, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has consistently denied his application. The agency contends that “FUCT” violates federal law that prohibits words that are “shocking” or “offensive” on trademarked material.

Teacher Sues Indiana School District For Free Speech Violations Over Its Transgender Student Policy

A music teacher filed a suit in federal court in Indiana after disagreeing with a school district policy requiring teachers to call transgender students by their preferred names rather than […]

Supreme Court Rules That NYC Public Access Channel Is Not a Public Forum

The Supreme Court weighed in on a case over whether a public access channel should be considered a private actor or a public forum. In 2012, nonprofit Manhattan Community Access […]

Liberty University’s President Defends Right to Censor Student Newspaper

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. defended his right to censor the university’s student newspaper, arguing that the practice does not violate First Amendment rights to freedom of the press […]

Rhode Island ACLU Representing Blogger in Prior Restraint Case

  The ACLU of Rhode Island has taken on the case of Massachusetts blogger whose content was censored by a Rhode Island Superior Court judge. In February, Aidan Kearney, who […]

“First Amendment Auditors” Sue Boulder Police Department For Violating Their First Amendment Rights

  For an in depth examination of First Amendment Auditors and the right to film in public, click on the link below: Two self-described “First Amendment auditors” are suing the […]

Sandy Hook Victim’s Father Wins Defamation Suit Against Conspiracy Book’s Editors

A Wisconsin judge ruled that the co-editors of a book that claimed that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax were guilty of defamation. Following the December 2012 mass shooting, James Fetzer and Michael Palecek published a book, “Nobody Died At Sandy Hook: It was a FEMA Drill to Promote Gun Control,” claiming that the federal agency had staged the event to promote gun control. The book also claimed the Leonard Pozner, the father of the youngest Sandy Hook victim, was complicit in the conspiracy, and had fabricated his son’s death certificate.

Parkland Shooting Survivor Lost Spot at Harvard Due to Earlier Racist Remarks

Kyle Kashuv, a Parkland School shooting survivor who stood out from his peers due to his gun support stance, was denied admission to Harvard after the university discovered a litany of racist remarks he made when he was 16 years old. In May, a former classmate released video screen shots of a Google Doc Kashuv and other students shared, showing Kashuv using a racial slur for African Americans more than a dozen times. The classmate also released a screen shot of a text message written by Kashuv that shows him using the same racial slur about black student athletes.