Minnesota Appeals Courts Finds Substantial Truth Doctrine Protects Online Reviewer
A former customer’s online review of a person and business who worked on her home was not defamatory because the challenged statements in the review were substantially true, a Minnesota appeals court has ruled.
SCOTUS Ruling in Van Buren A Win for Data Journalists and Security Researchers
On June 3rd, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling that could have set a dangerous precedent for data journalists and security researchers. The case focused on the interpretation of a federal hacking law, and whether it could apply to an individual who is given access to a computer or online information, but uses it in an unauthorized manner.
Senator Cruz Prevails in Campaign Finance Lawsuit
On June 3rd, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz prevailed in a lawsuit he filed against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) following his 2018 reelection campaign. Cruz claimed that a $250,000 limit on repaying personal loans with post-election campaign contributions constituted a violation of free speech rights.
One would think that those running Stanford Law School—an elite law school within an elite university—would know well what students’ First Amendment rights are, and what speech is protected by those rights. That’s why it was so jarring to see administrators there recently threaten a student’s graduation over a satirical email he sent to the law school community.
DOJ Under President Trump Acquired Phone Records of NYT Reporters
On June 2nd, the Department of Justice revealed that during the administration of former President Donald Trump, the DOJ acquired the phone records of four reporters from The New York Times. The phone records date from the first several months of 2017.
Street Artist Files Lawsuit Against the NYPD Following Mural Removal
On June 1st, a street artist filed a lawsuit against the NYPD and the city of New York after one of his murals was covered up during a graffiti clean up campaign. The artist claims his free speech rights were violated.
Pennsylvania Police Chief Resigns After Threatening Facebook Critic with Arrest
A police chief in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation for threatening to arrest a private citizen unless he removed Facebook posts that criticized the chief. According to a document obtained by The New York Times, Buglio pled guilty on May 25th to “one count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and agreed to resign from his position within 10 days of his plea agreement."
Confederate heritage supporters who sued the city of Lakeland, Florida for removing a Confederate monument, lost their free-speech challenge because a federal appeals court ruled that the monuments are a form of government speech, and as such, are immune from First Amendment review.