Campus Speech Module: FAQ: The First Amendment and Campus Life
Does the First Amendment apply to private schools? Can universities create policies that regulate student speech? Is hate speech a form of harassment? We created this module to answer basic and frequently asked questions students have about free speech on campus.
New Case Tests Bounds of Professor’s Classroom Speech Rights
Nicholas Meriwether, a political philosophy professor at Shawnee State University, sued the institution after he was investigated for refusing to refer to a student by her preferred gender pronouns. The professor claims that doing so would go against his religious beliefs, and sued the school on First Amendment grounds.
New Utah Law Blocks Pornographic Content on Phones and Tablets
On March 23rd, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill aimed at limiting minors’ access to pornographic content. The new law is the latest move in an ongoing campaign by conservative lawmakers in the state to combat online pornography.
Dominion Voting Systems Sues Fox for Defamation
The voting technology company is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion in damages for spreading false information that their technology was used to rig the 2020 presidential election.
Sidney Powell Asks Court To Toss Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.3 Billion Defamation Lawsuit
In a motion submitted on Monday, Powell’s lawyers argue that her statements are not actionable under defamation law because she made them as an advocate-attorney of Donald Trump. Dean of Missouri Law School Lyrissa Lidsky called this argument absurd: "Attorneys have ethical obligations not to lie, and she made the false statements in her capacity as an attorney."
New Jersey School District To Pay Teacher $325,000 in Student Yearbook Case
A New Jersey school district agreed to pay $325,000 to a teacher as part of a settlement after the teacher sued the district for emotional distress and imposing an unconstitutional gag order on her speech. She claims the school spread a false story that she altered students' photographs to remove Trump slogans from their clothing.
New Mexico Judge Says Official Can’t Block Critical User from Facebook
In a ruling filed on March 11th, a New Mexico district judge dismissed a local official’s attempt to toss a lawsuit filed against him for blocking a constituent on his Facebook page.
Kentucky Senate Passes Bill That Would Make it A Crime to “Taunt” a Police Officer
While there may exist some disagreement as to whether raising penalties for crimes associated with rioting violates the First Amendment, there is at least one provision in the Kentucky bill that is explicitly unconstitutional.