Supreme Court Backs Praying Football Coach in First Amendment Case
In a long awaited and highly anticipated ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and ruled 6-3 in favor of assistant high school football coach Joe Kennedy who took a knee to pray at midfield at the end of games.
University of Florida Can’t Block Professors from Testifying Against the State, Judge Rules
A federal judge ruled on January 21st that the University of Florida cannot bar faculty members from testifying against the state in a voting-rights case. In late October of 2021, the university came under fire when it blocked three political science professors from serving as expert witnesses in the voting-right case, claiming it violated the university’s conflict of interest policies.
University of Florida Prohibits Three Professors From Testifying in Voter Restrictions Lawsuit
The University of Florida has blocked three political science professors from testifying in a lawsuit challenging the state’s new voting law. Florida’s new voting law places restrictions on drop boxes and mail in ballots, and has been roundly criticized by Democrats as a blatant attempt to restrict voting by the eldery, disabled individuals, and minorities.
Former Guest Lecturer at University of Nebraska Sues for Free Speech Violations
A former graduate student and non-track guest lecturer at the University of Nebraska is suing the university’s board of regents for violating her First Amendment rights. Filed on August 26th in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, Courtney Lawton alleges that the university wrongfully terminated her contract in September of 2017 after she expressed her views in a campus “free speech area.”
Nebraska Student Journalists Challenge School’s Prior Review Policy
For almost 50 years, the Westside Wired, Westside High School's student newspaper, has been a leading example in independent, timely hard-hitting student journalism. Now, students say a new prior review policy is threatening that legacy.
Journalistic Solutions to Misinformation and Restoring Public Trust in the News
Join us for a conversation on February 10th with Nora Benavidez on how journalists and readers can help slow the spread of misinformation and restore public trust in news. The Q&A is part of our #FAWPublicForum event series, a monthly conversation with First Amendment experts on contemporary free speech issues.
What You Need to Know About New York’s New Anti-SLAPP Law
The new law broadly protects speech on public matters and ensures that defendants targeted with SLAPP lawsuits recover legal fees.
Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Trump’s WeChat and TikTok Ban
On Sunday, September 20th, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order that banned WeChat and TikTok from operating in the U.S. Trump signed the executive order on August 6th, citing national security concerns that the Chinese-owned messaging app and the video app were collecting data on Americans.