ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Overturn a Ruling Against DeRay Mckesson
Earlier this year, the Fifth Circuit ruled that Mckesson could be held liable for injuries he did not immediately cause or encourage. Now, the ACLU is asking the Supreme Court in a petition to overturn the ruling or else risk a widespread chilling effect on protest.
How an Email to Students about a College Football Game Turned into a Free Speech Controversy
“The issue wasn’t that the SGA email said ‘Protest Trump and you’ll be kicked out'," a student at the University of Alabama said. "The issue was that the timing was suspect, and seemed intended to have a chilling effect on students who may have been planning on booing or protesting."
Black Lives Matter Leader May Face Trial for Actions of Anonymous Protester
A prominent Black Lives Matter activist, DeRay Mckesson, might go on trial for injuries sustained by a police officer during a protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana even though he wasn’t […]
Federal Judge Throws Out Charges Against White Supremacist Citing Free Speech Violations
A federal judge in Los Angeles threw out charges against three alleged white supremacists, saying that the First Amendment protected their speech. Robert Rundo, Robert Boman, and Aaron Eason, members of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), had been charged with conspiracy to commit rioting under the Anti Riot Act of 1968. The trio allegedly used the Internet to coordinate combat training, travel to protests, and attacks on protestors at three gatherings in California. District Court Judge Carmac J. Carney ruled that the federal Anti Riot Act, which was enacted during the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, was too broad in regulating free speech.
Survey Reveals Substantial Support For First Amendment, But People Misunderstand Its Protections
According to a newly released American Bar Association civics literacy survey, the American public displays strong support for the First Amendment, but knowledge of the specifics of its protections are lacking.
Book Talk Interrupted by White Nationalist Group At Popular D.C. Bookstore
A group of white nationalists disrupted an author’s book talk at a Washington, D.C. bookstore, chanting “this land is our land,” before exiting a few moments later. About a dozen […]
Student Protesters at Harvard Disrupt Discussion And Cause Venue Change
In early April, a group of student protesters at Harvard disrupted a discussion between two administrators who were going to discuss how universities could promote economic opportunity. The event, which […]
Gene Policinski Commentary: You Think Bombs Will Deter, Discourage And Destroy Freedom? Think Again.
The Newseum Institute’s First Amendment expert, Gene Policinski, originally published this commentary on October 26, 2018, on the Newseum blog, and has given First Amendment Watch permission to reprint. […]