Federal Judge Rules Utah City Violated First Amendment by Denying Drag Show Permit
A Utah-based drag show group will be permitted to host an all-ages drag show at a public park in the city of St. George, a federal judge ruled June 16, stating the city discriminated against the group and its protected speech.
Tennessee’s Anti-Drag Law is ‘Unconstitutionally Vague,’ Federal Judge Rules
A federal judge found Tennessee’s anti-drag law unconstitutional June 2, ruling it violates the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
PEN America Sues Florida School District Over Book Bans
PEN America, along with Penguin Random House publishing, select authors and parents of children enrolled in Florida’s Escambia County School District filed a federal lawsuit against the district and its board May 17 requesting banned books and those under review be returned to library shelves.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit March 13 filed by a member of the Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board, (CPRB), who was voted off the board for bringing a cup with an “abolish police” sticker to board meetings.
Student Can Wear ‘Jesus Loves Me’ Face Mask; Mississippi School District Settles Lawsuit
A Mississippi public school district agreed to retract a policy in a settlement Jan. 25 after it violated a third grader’s First Amendment right to wear a face mask to school with “Jesus Loves Me” written on it.
The City of Tallahassee filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit on Jan. 5 filed by a former Citizens Police Review Board member who was voted off the board because of an “abolish police” sticker on her cup.
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.