South Dakota Vanity Plate Restrictions Were Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Settlement Says

Federal courts have ruled that license plates are a legitimate place for personal and political expression, and courts throughout the country have struck down similar laws.

Hate Crime Conviction of Iowa Man Who Left Notes at Homes With Rainbow Flags Affirmed

The man taped handwritten notes saying "burn that gay flag" to the front doors of five renters and homeowners who displayed rainbow flags or decals.

Conservative Book Ban Push Sparks Some State Withdrawals From American Library Association

After parents in a rural and staunchly conservative Wyoming county joined nationwide pressure on librarians to pull books they considered harmful to youngsters, the local library board obliged with new policies making such books a higher priority for removal — and keeping out of collections.

Ninth Circuit: First Amendment Protects Beauty Pageant that Barred Oregon Transgender Woman

A federal appellate court ruled in favor of a beauty pageant that barred an Oregon transgender woman from competing, citing the pageant’s First Amendment right to freely express its desired message of “womanhood.”

First Amendment Watch, Free Speech Center Unite in Educational Video Project

The first release from First Amendment Watch at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University focuses on the rights of those who wish to photograph or record video of police officers in public places.

An Unprecedented Uptick in Book Bans Brings First Amendment Scrutiny

Virginia is among the top 10 states in book banning conflicts, according to a PEN America study. There, the ongoing battle has led most recently to a state judge throwing out a decades-old state obscenity law that had the effect of imposing a prior restraint on book distributors. And it stirred widespread opposition including one of the largest booksellers in the nation, Barnes & Noble. 

Ruling Against Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE’ Law is Latest in First Amendment Encroachments

Chief Judge Mark Walker concluded that this law restricted speech and suppressed expression of Florida employers, employees and diversity consultants. He described the provision as “a naked viewpoint-based regulation on speech” that violated the First Amendment.

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."