Local Oregon Newspaper Wins Major Public Records Battle

The Malheur Enterprise, a local newspaper, requested documents last October as part of its ongoing investigation into whether a state legislator was using his official position to help his private business. On February 5th, the county's district attorney ordered the government agency to disclose the unredacted documents.

DHS Reassigns Official Who Collected Intelligence Reports on Journalists and Protesters

While leading I & A, Brian Murphy compiled intelligence reports on two journalists–a New York Times reporter and Lawfare’s editor-in-chief– who had published leaked department documents. Murphy also compiled reports analyzing protesters' electronic messages that discussed tactics such as which routes to follow and how to avoid the police. 

Supreme Court Strikes Down Debt Exception Provision, Upholds General Ban on Robocalls

The case was brought by an association of political consultants who argued that a 2015 exception for calls to collect government debt violated the First Amendment. While the majority of justices agreed with the consultants that the 2015 exception was unconstitutional (6-3), an even greater majority disagreed with their argument for striking down the law in its entirety (7-2).

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments In Case Involving Government Ban on Robocalls

The U.S. Supreme Court considers a challenge to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a law passed in 1991 that prohibits the use of automated calls to cell phones. The plaintiffs, a group of political consultants, argue that the law and its exceptions discriminate based on the content of the caller's message.

Pending Approval, San Francisco Will Pay $369,000 To Journalist Whose House Was Raided

The San Francisco police raided Bryan Carmody's home and office in May 2019 to find information on an anonymous source. Unsealed documents later revealed that the police did not inform the judges who had approved of the search warrants that Carmody had a valid press pass.

Are Political Robocalls Protected Under the First Amendment?

Regulating robocalls based on the content of their messaging presents a more severe threat to First Amendment freedoms than regulating their time, place, and manner," the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in a case involving Montana's robocall laws.

Advocacy Group Sues New Jersey Officials Over New Law They Allege Violates The First Amendment

The New Jersey Attorney General and three state election enforcement officials are being sued by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), over […]

South Carolina Supreme Court Overturns Order That Barred Disclosure of Police Body-Camera Footage

Breaking News Update South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty vacated the order that would have prohibited lawyers from […]