A Small Newspaper in Iowa Wins a Libel Suit, but Legal Costs May Force It to Close

On July 17, 2017, the Carroll Times Herald was sued for libel after it published the first of a series of investigative pieces about a local cop who was having inappropriate relationships with teenage girls. The day after the Times Herald published its first article about the police officer, he filed a libel suit contending that his reputation had been destroyed, along with his employability as a law enforcement officer.

California Becomes the Second State to Restrict Political “Deepfakes”

California passed a bill that would prohibit the use of “deepfake” technology to spread false information about a candidate within 60 days of an election. While some have touted the bill as a necessary step towards addressing the spread of disinformation, others, including many free speech advocates, argue that the law conflicts with First Amendment law.

Alex Jones Sues Massachusetts Congressional Candidate For Defamation

Alex Jones is suing Massachusetts Congressional candidate Brianna Wu over a tweet he alleges defamed him. In a June 17 tweet, Wu suggests that Jones emailed child pornography to the parents of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting.

Upcoming Panel Discussion on Hate Speech in Washington, D.C

First Amendment Watch, ConSource, and the John Brademas Center at New York University will co-host a panel discussion entitled, “Hate Speech on Social Media: Is There a Way to a More Civil Discussion?”

Mattis Aide’s Book Released by the Pentagon Following Prior Restraint Suit

Less than two weeks after a former Navy pilot sued the Department of Defense (DoD) for delaying the review of his book, “Holding the Line: Inside Trump’s Pentagon with Secretary Mattis,” the DoD cleared the book for publication.

First Amendment Lawyer Ted Boutrous Honored with Leadership Award from PEN America

"We need PEN America more than ever to achieve this objective and I am so honored to be part of its mission,” Boutrous said in a statement.

Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Sarah Palin’s Defamation Suit Against NY Times

A federal appeals court reinstated Sarah Palin’s 2017 defamation suit against The New York Times. Palin had sued the paper for an editorial that she alleges incorrectly linked her and her PAC to the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona. “This case is ultimately about the First Amendment, but the subject matter implicated in this appeal is far less dramatic: rules of procedure and pleading standards,” reads the unanimous decision by the federal appeal court judges.

Conservative Think Tank Sues Wisconsin Governor For Denying Access To Press Briefings

Democratic Governor Tony Evers is being sued in federal court by MacIver Institute of Public Policy, a conservative think tank, over allegations that Evers denied its staffers access to press […]