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.
California University System Pays Pro-Life Student $240,000 in Out of Court Settlement
The settlement is part of a 2017 lawsuit filed by a student who a student believes the university discriminated against him and his group when it refused to fund a pro-life event. In addition to paying the student $240,000, the university agreed to amend its policies to ensure future funding is allocated in a viewpoint neutral manner.
Virginia Legislature Looks to Strengthen State’s Anti-SLAPP Law
Current loopholes in the state's law have lured a number of individuals into using Virginia courts to intimidate their critics. For example, of the six defamation complaints Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) filed in the past year, four were filed in Virginia.
California DMV Settles with Owner of “Come on You Whites” License Plate
The license plate, which included a reference to a slogan used by Jonathan Kotler's favorite soccer team, was rejected after officials determined it contained an "offensive connotation."
California Town Looks to Amend Anti-Panhandling Law to Address Free Speech Concerns
A city council in Eureka, California is planning to amend a 2016 ordinance that regulated “aggressive and intrusive” panhandling after concerns that the law likely violated the First Amendment.
Death Sentence of White Supremacist Overturned on First Amendment Grounds
The California Supreme Court unanimously overturned the death sentence of a white supremacist after finding that the prosecution erred by asking the jury to consider his racist beliefs when deciding […]
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.
San Francisco Police Chief Apologizes For Raid On Journalist’s Home and Office
Police raided the home and office of a San Francisco freelance videographer in connection with an investigation over a leaked police report. The freelancer, Bryan Carmody, had received the leaked report which included salacious details of the events surrounding the sudden death of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. First Amendment advocates contend that the search violates California Shield Law.