10th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Public Right to Record Police

The court referenced First Amendment principles and the previous six U.S. appeals courts' decisions as relevant precedents to decide in favor of a self-identified journalist YouTube blogger, Abade Irizarry.

Arizona Governor Signs Bill to Restrict Recording Police in Public

Arizona Gov. Douglas Ducey signed into law a bill that would make it illegal to photograph or record a police officer in public from a distance of eight feet without the officer’s permission.

Florida Supreme Court to Decide If Law Enforcement Officers Are Victims in Marsy’s Law Case

The Florida Supreme Court will decide an issue that has broad consequences for holding law enforcement officers accountable.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Challenges Order Against Identifying Deputies in Fatal Shooting

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is seeking to overturn an emergency injunction granted by a judge Friday night to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office barring the news organization from publishing the names of two of the deputies involved in a fatal shooting.

Florida Governor Draws Criticism After Limiting Media Access to Bill Signing Ceremony

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed new voting legislation on May 6th. The bill signing was broadcasted live on Fox & Friends, a morning news program on Fox News Channel, but all other media outlets were denied access. The decision drew criticism from media organizations and First Amendment scholars.

Sixth Circuit Moots Memphis Journalist’s First Amendment Case

On April 30th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s determination of mootness concerning a local journalist’s claims against the city of Memphis.

First Amendment Coalition Sues California County for Access to COVID Data

On April 22nd, the First Amendment Coalition (FAC), a nonprofit public interest organization, filed a lawsuit against Ventura County in Southern California. FAC alleges the County violated the California Public Records Act (CPRA) after failing to appropriately respond to two requests for information regarding data on COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths, thus violating the right of access under the First Amendment.

Conservative Think Tank Loses Press Access Lawsuit Against Wisconsin Governor

The MacIver Institute sued Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in 2019 after his office allegedly refused to invite reporters from the think tank’s news arm, MacIver News Service, to press briefings. On April 9th, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit sided with the Governor after finding his office had acted on viewpoint-neutral policies and that MacIver had failed to show evidence that the policy was applied in a discriminatory manner.