Texas Community College Sued for Violating Former Professor’s First Amendment Rights

Collin College, a community college in McKinney, Texas is being sued by a former professor for violating her free speech and assembly rights. In a lawsuit filed on September 22nd in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas Sherman Division, Suzanne Jones alleges that Collin College administrators pushed her out for criticizing the school’s COVID-19 response, and in retaliation for two previous incidents in 2017 and 2020.

Two Internet Trade Groups Sue Texas Over a Recent Law Regulating Social Media Companies

Two Internet trade associations are suing Texas and its Attorney General Ken Paxton over a recent law that regulates social media companies’ ability to remove users from their platforms. Filed on September 22nd in the U.S. District Court for the District of Texas Austin Division, NetChoice and Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represent Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others, contend that  House Bill 20 violates the First Amendment. 

Female Chess Legend Sues Netflix for Defamation Over “The Queen’s Gambit”

Nona Gaprindashvili, the first-ever female chess grandmaster, is suing Netflix for defamation over a statement made about her in its series, “The Queen’s Gambit.” The suit, filed on September 16th in the U.S. District Court Central District of California, Western Division, alleges that a scene in the series derided Gaprindashvili’s career and damaged her reputation.

Trump Sues His Niece and The New York Times for $100 Million

Former president Donald Trump is suing his niece, The New York Times, and three of its reporters over the publication of his tax records. The lawsuit, filed on September 21st in Dutchess County, New York, accuses Mary Trump, The Times, and reporters David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner of being “engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive records” about Trump’s finances. 

Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Devin Nunes’ Defamation by Implication Claim

Congressman Devin Nunes’ (R-CA) defamation lawsuit over an Esquire article about his family’s dairy farm was reinstated in part on September 15th by a three-judge panel of the Eighth  U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel reasoned that Nunes’ complaint stated a plausible defamation by implication claim that should survive a motion to dismiss.  

PETA Sues Two Federal Agencies for Blocking Their Employees’ Comments on Social Media

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is suing two federal agencies for violating its free speech rights on social media. Filed on September 9th in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, PETA alleges that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “blocked comments posted to the agencies’ social media accounts based on the viewpoint and/or content of that speech.”

Updated: Resident Sues Minnesota City For Prohibitions On Filming In Public Parks

On September 2nd, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota ruled that a Bloomington, MN city ordinance banning photography and video recording in a public park violates the First Amendment.

New Report Shows Uptick in Professors Punished for Controversial Speech

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education released a report on August 31st highlighting a growing pattern of university students and outside groups calling for schools to punish professors for statements they made on sensitive political issues. The study showed that the number of targeting incidents against professors has risen precipitously since 2015.