Revisiting New York Times v. Sullivan in the Age of Disinformation

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch are urging the court to revise New York Times v. Sullivan to curtail the spread of false information. Utah University Law Professor RonNell Andersen Jones thinks they are both barking up the wrong tree.

Doctor Who Promoted Hydroxychloroquine Sues CNN’s Anderson Cooper For Defamation

A doctor who former president Donald Trump once promoted on his Twitter account filed a $100 million libel suit against CNN and anchor Anderson Cooper for allegedly tarnishing her medical reputation. 

Courthouse News Sues Idaho Court, Pushes for Same-day Access to Court Documents

Courthouse News Service, a national news publication that reports on state and federal level legal proceedings, is suing an Idaho court administrator for refusing to provide reporters with same-day access to legal proceedings. 

Florida Lawmaker Proposes Law that Could Interfere With Right to Record Police

Florida Rep. Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)  introduced a bill to the Florida legislature that would make it a second-degree misdemeanor for someone to “disrupt, hinder, impede, or interfere" with law enforcement officers while they are performing official duties. While the bill does not explicitly mention the act of cellphone recording, its langauge would give police wide discretion to arrest individuals who they perceive are impeding their activities. 

NJ Court Vacates Obscenity Charge over Profane Anti-Biden Signs

A resident of Roselle Park, New Jersey was charged with violating the town's anti-obscenity ordinance for displaying signs that said "F--ck Biden." On July 27th, a Superior Court vacated those charges on First Amendment grounds.

Recently Unsealed Court Records Shed Light on Why DoJ Targeted Washington Post Journalists

For months, the three reporters were left in the dark as to why the Justice Department had targeted them and who might have authorized the seizures. Now, thanks to newly unsealed court documents related to the investigation, they finally have some answers.

Federal Judge Dismisses $95 Million Defamation Suit Against Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen

A federal judge dismissed a long-running defamation suit brought by former Alabama Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. The suit was filed in September 2018, after Cohen’s satirical Showtime series, “Who Is America?” aired a spot featuring Moore.

Lawsuit Against Texas Attorney General Who Blocked Critics on Twitter is Dismissed

On July 9th, nine constituents dismissed their lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after he agreed to unblock them from his Twitter account. The nine plaintiffs, who were represented by the Knight First Amendment Institute, sued Paxton in April after he blocked them for criticizing some of his policies.