Sally Stapleton
Contributor
Demonstrators hold a protest rally the week after an unarmed man was shot dead by police in Phoenix

Press Groups, ACLU Challenge Arizona’s Law Restricting Recording of Police Officers

The motion filed Tuesday morning argues that the law, known as HB2319, is a content-based restriction on speech and would have a chilling effect not only on the First Amendment activities of visual journalists “whose job it is to document the newsworthy activities of public servants in public places” but would also affect the general public who “simply wants to record what law enforcement officers are doing."

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‘We are Salman’ Supporters of Free Speech Rally in New York City

The seriousness of the stabbing attack which cut his neck, liver and severed nerves in his arm, didn’t deter Rushdie from offering some ideas to PEN America about which readings of his the writers, editors and artists might deliver in front of a crowd of hundreds listening on the library steps for the #StandWithSalman event Friday morning.

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Infowars host Alex Jones testifies during his defamation trial in Austin, Texas, Aug. 2, 2022

What Does the Alex Jones Case Mean for the First Amendment and Disinformation? Leading Scholars, Lawyers Provide Analysis

First Amendment Watch asked notable and thoughtful media legal scholars to reveal what this outcome reveals and portends for other Sandy Hook families who filed defamation suits, another in Texas and the third in Connecticut, slated to start next month. Media and legal scholars George Freeman, Lyrissa Lidsky, Lynn Oberlander and Timothy Zick weigh in.

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Attorney Mark Bankston questions Alex Jones on the stand during his trial.

Jury: Alex Jones Owes Sandy Hook Couple $45.2 Million with Massive Punitive Damages Award

In a 10-day trial filled with bellicose theatrics, rebukes and grief, the jury in the Alex Jones defamation case decided Friday that Jones owes Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis $45.2 million in punitive damages. 

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The exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court

Christian Flag in Center of Supreme Court Fight Raised on Boston’s City Hall Plaza

Harold Shurtleff told CBS Boston during Wednesday’s morning ceremony that he and his organization were very excited but “I think what’s more important is the precedent we set."

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California School Board Trustees Lose Suit Over Blocking Users on Social Media

The three-judge panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit argued that annoyance and concern that the couple's posts were distracting others and interfering with others commenting wasn’t corroborated by the facts.

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Demonstrators hold a protest rally the week after an unarmed man was shot dead by police in Phoenix

Next Up: Lawsuit Imminent to Challenge New Arizona Law Restricting the Recording of Police

There's no hesitancy among free press and media legal scholars who are asked whether the law is constitutional. There's consensus: It's not. They base their views on numerous rulings of federal appeals courts on the issue.

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The Byron White Courthouse in Denver

10th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Public Right to Record Police

The court referenced First Amendment principles and the previous six U.S. appeals courts' decisions as relevant precedents to decide in favor of a self-identified journalist YouTube blogger, Abade Irizarry.

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