Twitter Barred from Disclosing ‘National Security’ Information Requests, Ninth Circuit Says

The FBI restricted what Twitter could publish in its biannual “Transparency Report,” but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled March 6 in a 2-1 decision that it was not a violation of the company’s freedom of speech.

A Social Media Censorship Law is Upheld in Texas, Lyrissa Lidsky Weighs In

First Amendment lawyer Lyrissa Lidsky weighs in on a recently upheld social media censorship law in Texas that would bar platforms with more than 50 million users from removing content with political viewpoints. A different circuit court in Florida filed a preliminary injunction against a similar law. Since both federal appeals courts disagreed, only the Supreme Court can decide if the platforms have a First Amendment right to censor, or if they don’t.

Authors Share Excerpts on Free Speech: Robert Corn-Revere and the Censor’s Dilemma

In his new book, "The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder," Robert Corn-Revere asks a simple question: what characterizes the psychology of a censor? For Corn-Revere, the attitudes of moral crusaders have been fairly consistent over the last 200 years: they are marked at once by a rigid certainty that the ideas they target are indisputably harmful and an insecure defensiveness stemming from the awareness that most people will reject their attempts at censorship.

Utah Police Arrest Woman for Stomping on Pro-Police Flag

A Utah Police officer is charging a 19-year-old woman with a hate crime for “stomping on a ‘Back the Blue’ sign” while “smirking in an intimidating manner,” The Salt Lake Tribune reported on July 9th. The woman could face up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $2,500 for allegedly destroying stolen property “in a manner to attempt to intimidate law enforcement.”

First Circuit Defends Hospital Worker’s Speech Rights

During the pandemic, as hospitals struggled to keep up with the surge of COVID patients, managers clamped down on staffers who spoke to the press about their work conditions. Young's case could pave the way for other hospital workers to push back against official policies that prohibit them from speaking to the press.

New Utah Law Blocks Pornographic Content on Phones and Tablets

On March 23rd, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill aimed at limiting minors’ access to pornographic content. The new law is the latest move in an ongoing campaign by conservative lawmakers in the state to combat online pornography.

Justice Department Drops Case Against Former Aide to Melania Trump

Filed in October 2020, the lawsuit claimed that Ms. Wolkoff's tell-all memoir had violated a non-disclosure agreement she signed. The Justice Department abandoned the case on February 8th.

Virginia Lawmaker Files Lawsuit After State Senate Votes to Censure Her

On February 1st, a Virginia state senator filed a federal lawsuit against the Senate of Virginia, the lieutenant governor, and the president of the Senate after lawmakers voted to censure her for speaking at then-President Donald Trump’s rally prior to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th.