Anti-Riot or Anti-Protest? Florida Governor Signs Contentious New Bill
On April 19th, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law H.B. 1, new legislation that includes a collection of amendments and additions to existing Florida statutes concerning criminal charges for violent protests. The legislation enhances penalties for people who commit crimes during a riot and gives the state the power to approve funding of local budgets, particularly in regards to funding law enforcement.
Kentucky Senate Passes Bill That Would Make it A Crime to “Taunt” a Police Officer
While there may exist some disagreement as to whether raising penalties for crimes associated with rioting violates the First Amendment, there is at least one provision in the Kentucky bill that is explicitly unconstitutional.
Arizona Lawmakers Move Forward on Anti-Protest Bill
Arizona lawmakers are considering a bill, HB 2309, that would heighten the penalties for a number of charges associated with protests, and create a new charge for behavior deemed “violent or disorderly assembly.”
Investigation into NYPD’s Response to George Floyd Protests Found Officers Violated First Amendment
A new report found that NYPD officers deployed during the George Floyd protests this summer "failed to discriminate between lawful, peaceful protesters and unlawful actors,” and frequently resorted to aggressive crowd control tactics that failed to adequately take protesters' expressive rights into consideration.
As Public Waits For Election Results, Protesters Gather Across the Country
On November 5th, two days after election day, and the public is still waiting to find out who their next President will be. Amidst the uncertainty, protests across the U.S. have emerged in response to either the fear that not all votes will be counted or that the current count is inaccurate.
Supreme Court Rejects Fifth Circuit Ruling in Protest Lawsuit
The case against Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson will be sent back to the Fifth Circuit for further review. A Louisiana officer claims Mckesson should be held liable for an injury caused by the actions of an anonymous protester, even though he had no involvement in the crime.
Ninth Circuit Reinstates Injunction Barring Federal Agents from Assaulting Journalists
The ninth circuit reinstated a lower court's injunction exempting journalists and legal observers from general dispersal orders. Many reporters say they have been assaulted by federal agents despite remaining several feet away from protests.
Reporter Tackled and Arrested by LA County Sheriff’s Deputies While Covering a Protest
Josie Huang, a reporter with NPR affiliate KPCC, was tackled and arrested while covering a protest on Saturday, September 12th. Huang had been attending a press conference about the shooting of two Sheriff’s deputies in Compton earlier that day.