In Statehouses Across U.S., Varied Rules Restrict Public Voices
While acts of protest big and small are common in legislatures, states often have rules in place to limit disruptions to government proceedings, with authorities given wide latitude to remove people who jeer, chant or are otherwise seen to interrupt debates.
Facing Dozens of Criminal Charges, Trump’s Right to Lie Will Be Core to His Legal Defense
Lawyers for the former president, who now is facing criminal charges in courtrooms stretching from Miami to New York, have made clear that Trump’s free speech rights will form the foundation of their defense in the Jan. 6 case.
Judge Blocks Tennessee House GOP Rule Banning Signs From Statehouse Galleries
A judge blocked a new rule banning signs in the galleries of the Tennessee House of Representatives, following a lawsuit filed on behalf of three women who were expelled for protesting during a special legislative session on gun legislation.
Tennessee Republican Lawmaker Orders Removal of Public During Special Session on Gun Legislation
Families close to a Nashville fatal school shooting broke down in tears Tuesday after a Tennessee Republican leader ordered state troopers to remove them and others from a legislative hearing room while they waited to testify in favor of gun control measures.
Kansas Agency Says Initial Online Search That Sparked Newspaper Raid Was Legal
The initial online search of a state website that led a central Kansas police chief to raid a local weekly newspaper was legal, a spokesperson for the agency that maintains the site said Monday, as newly released video showed the publisher’s 98-year-old mother protesting a search of their home.
Kansas Newspaper Raid Likely Broke the Law, Experts Say
A central Kansas police chief was not only on legally shaky ground when he ordered the raid of a weekly newspaper, experts said, but it may have been a criminal violation of civil rights, a former federal prosecutor added, saying: “I’d probably have the FBI starting to look.”
Tennessee School Removes Student Suspension Over Memes Following First Amendment Lawsuit
A public high school in Tennessee agreed to remove a suspension from a student’s record following a lawsuit that claimed the school’s social media policies violated the student’s First Amendment rights and led to an unconstitutional disciplinary action.
Kansas Prosecutor: Police Should Return Material Seized in Newspaper Raid
A Kansas prosecutor said Wednesday that he found insufficient evidence to support the police raid of a weekly newspaper and that all seized material should be returned in a dispute over press freedoms that the White House acknowledged it is watching closely.