FIRE Releases Annual Report On The State Of Free Speech On College Campuses
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) released its annual report on the state of free speech on college and university campuses. In this year’s analysis, the majority of the schools (64%), scored a yellow light rating, and just 11% earned a green light designation. However, it’s important to note that in the past decade, that number has increased from just eight institutions in 2009 to 52 in 2019.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Cleared of Defamation In Suit Brought By British Cave Explorer
On December 6th, a jury in Los Angeles found that Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk had not defamed a British cave explorer when Musk called him a “pedo guy” on Twitter. Vernon Unsworth sued Musk in July 2018 after the two publicly disagreed about the rescue attempts for a soccer team who was trapped in a cave system in Thailand.
Monroe County’s Police Chief Says His Officers Will Not Enforce New “Annoyance” Law
On December 4th, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter condemned the county’s new “annoyance” law, calling it a “solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.” One month earlier, the Monroe County legislature passed a measure that would allow police officers to arrest anyone that “annoys, alarms, or threatens the personal safety of an officer.”
Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Defamation Suit Brought by Prominent Climate Scientist
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a defamation suit filed by a climate scientist against the National Review and Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank. Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State, sued the magazine and the think tank in 2012 after they accused him of manipulating his climate data.
Google Announces New Policy on Political Advertisements
On November 20th, Google announced that the company will restrict how precisely political ads can target users on its search engine and on YouTube. Political ads can still be delivered according to gender, age, and location, as well according to the content of the website users visit. However, the new policy states that ads can’t be directed to users based on the public voter record or their political affiliations.
Broome County Legislators Want to Criminalize “Annoying” First Responders
Broome County legislators have introduced a bill that would criminalize any behavior that “annoy, alarm, or threaten the safety of any emergency first responder.” According to Scott Baker, a Republican legislator who introduced the bill, it was in response to recent events around the country, including a protest at a Columbus Day parade in the town of Binghamton, NY.
On Tuesday, November 12, the Monroe County legislature passed a measure that would allow police officers to arrest anyone that “annoys, alarms, or threatens the personal safety of an officer.” The bill, which was sponsored by Republican legislator Karla Boyce, passed by a 17-10 vote.
Dallas Transit Agency to Pay $345,000 to Settle Police Recording Lawsuit
On November 11, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and freelance journalist Avi Adelman reached a settlement after a DART police officer illegally arrested Adelman and then lied about the circumstances of the arrest.