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.
‘We are Salman’ Supporters of Free Speech Rally in New York City
The seriousness of the stabbing attack which cut his neck, liver and severed nerves in his arm, didn’t deter Rushdie from offering some ideas to PEN America about which readings of his the writers, editors and artists might deliver in front of a crowd of hundreds listening on the library steps for the #StandWithSalman event Friday morning.
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.