Authors Share Excerpts on Free Speech: Marjorie Heins on Some of its Ironies and Complications
Ironies and Complications of Free Speech, a collection of the best writing from the Free Expression Policy Project (2001-2017), covers topics that range from loyalty oaths, junk science to the FCC’s censorship of “indecency” on the airwaves, Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl, and other controversies.
Deja Vu: LA Judge Challenged On Unconstitutional Court Order For Second Time This Month
For the second time this month, Superior Court Judge Gustavo N. Sztraicher rescinded a court order after he was challenged by the LA Times on two separate cases. Last week, […]
Gene Policinski Commentary: Corrections Should Be Seen As Good Things, Not Weapons For Critics
The Newseum Institute’s First Amendment expert, Gene Policinski, originally published this commentary on September 21, 2018, on the Newseum blog, and has given First Amendment Watch permission to reprint. To […]
First Amendment Coalition Sues DOJ Over Seizure Of Reporter’s Records
The First Amendment Coalition filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court in San Francisco alleging that the DOJ violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to provide the documents related to the secret collection of a journalist's phone and email records.
Written by two British journalists in the 19th century, Cato's Letters advocated for greater individual liberty and criticized tyrannical systems of government. Cato’s Letters were reprinted widely in the American press to oppose many British measures that the colonists felt violated their rights.
The End of Seditious Libel, 1964
Even after the First Amendment was ratified, the U.S. government found ways to punish dissenters who critcized the government and public officials. Eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that seditious libel, or the crime for criticizing government, was incompatible with the First Amendment.
Roy Moore Sues Sacha Baron Cohen For $95 Million In Defamation Case
Click here to see updated post on the dismissal of the suit Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, CBS, and Showtime for defamation, intentional infliction […]
Reprinted with Permission from Ballard Spahr In an opinion and order issued yesterday, a Nevada state court dismissed with prejudice a defamation claim brought by businessman Steve Wynn against the […]