California Town Looks to Amend Anti-Panhandling Law to Address Free Speech Concerns

A city council in Eureka, California is planning to amend a 2016 ordinance that regulated “aggressive and intrusive” panhandling after concerns that the law likely violated the First Amendment. 

Two Free Press Groups Try To Block Attempt to Reveal Confidential Source

Two free expression groups, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and the Media Legal Defence Initiative, filed a friend-of-the-court brief on December 9th asking a federal court […]

Facebook Will Remove Misleading Posts About the U.S. Census, Including Political Ads

The new policy will ban “misleading information about when and how to participate in the census and the consequences of participating." Despite previous resistance to regulate them, the new policy will apply to advertisements bought by politicians.

Snowden Will Hand Over Royalties, Federal Judge Rules

The Department of Justice sued Snowden in September for publishing his memoir without submitting it first for government review. Snowden's lawyers have argued that the government does not apply rules consistently and that much of the information in the book had already been made public.

Judge Revises Opinion in Lawsuit Against Black Lives Matter Activist

While Judge Willet had originally agreed with the majority opinion—that Mckesson could be held liable for injuries caused by a rogue protester—his new opinion reveals a rare judicial change of mind.

A County Commissioner’s Wife Attacked A Reporter, Poured Soda Over Her Head

According to multiple witnesses, Abbey Winters poured her drink on AllOnGeorgia reporter Casie Bryant’s head and then told her that she “deserved” it. Winters told the police that the episode was an accident.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Overturn a Ruling Against DeRay Mckesson

Earlier this year, the Fifth Circuit ruled that Mckesson could be held liable for injuries he did not immediately cause or encourage. Now, the ACLU is asking the Supreme Court in a petition to overturn the ruling or else risk a widespread chilling effect on protest.

Devin Nunes Tries to Unmask Cow Account, Raising Concerns over Anonymous Speech

In a new amicus brief, Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union argue that Nunes cannot legally pursue the identity of the anonymous speaker without first proving he has a valid defamation claim. Without meeting this legal standard, they write, the court could threaten people's First Amendment right to anonymous speech.