Newark Warns False Reporting of Coronavirus “Will Be Criminally Prosecuted”
In an attempt to tamp down on misinformation about the coronavirus, Newark’s Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose released a statement on March 11th warning that any false reporting about the virus in Newark could result in criminal prosecution.
White House Orders Federal Health Agency To Put Lid on High-Level Coronavirus Discussions
The officials, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that documented exchanges between health officials about “the scope of infections, quarantines and travel restrictions” have been removed from public record and placed in a “high-security meeting room” at the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
President Trump Files Third Defamation Lawsuit, Targets CNN
“These suits will likely fail in court but in the meantime they’ll gratify Trump’s base, distract the press and public, and deter speech and journalism that are vital to our democracy. That's presumably the point," Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University Jameel Jaffer said on Twitter.
Pending Approval, San Francisco Will Pay $369,000 To Journalist Whose House Was Raided
The San Francisco police raided Bryan Carmody's home and office in May 2019 to find information on an anonymous source. Unsealed documents later revealed that the police did not inform the judges who had approved of the search warrants that Carmody had a valid press pass.
Trump Campaign Sues Washington Post for Defamation, One Week after NY Times Lawsuit
The eight-page complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, claims that two essays falsely accused his campaign of conspiring with foreign governments to interfere with the 2016 election.
Man Who “Trolled” Parkland Shooting Victims’ Families Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Fleury’s lawyers tried to dismiss the case ahead of his trial in October 2019, arguing that his comments, though noxious, were protected under the First Amendment. But U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz rejected their motion, writing that Fleury’s expression fell under a category of unprotected speech called true threats.
Federal Judge Says Philadelphia Municipal Court’s Rules Violate the First Amendment
“Not all documentation is reasonable,” Nicolas Riley, one of the plaintiff's attorneys, said, noting that most people could see why an 18-person camera crew might be disruptive. “The problem here was that the court had made it impossible to get down what happened during bail hearings.”
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Dismisses Censorship Suit Against YouTube
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed against YouTube and its parent company, Google, for alleged First Amendment violations. Prager University (PragerU), a nonprofit educational and media organization that espouses right-wing views, sued YouTube in October 2017 after the company either restricted or removed third-party ads on some of its videos.