On November 20th, the City of Delano, California agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by four high school students who alleged that Delano police officers violated their First Amendment right to record police.
First Amendment Coalition Pushes Court to Keep Public Access to Criminal Case
The defense counsel in a high-profile criminal case in California asked a court in August to close the pretrial hearings from the public and media. Now, a First Amendment advocacy group is pushing back, arguing that there are ways to ensure a fair trial without compromising public access.
Nunes Family’s Lawsuit Against Reporter Fails to Meet Defamation Standard, Judge Rules
After analyzing the sixteen allegedly defamatory statements, U.S. District Court Judge C.J. Williams found that the plaintiffs had neither identified what about them was false nor provided any facts that would have shown them to be false.
California Protestors Sue Governor Over Stay-At-Home Order
“By banning protests generally, and denying Givens’ permit specifically, Defendants have deprived Givens of the opportunity for airing his grievances against the government, including the State’s failure to conduct timely background checks for those wishing to purchase a gun and restrictions on speech activities,” the complaint argues.
Student Settles Free Speech Lawsuit with California School District
The former high school student sued after his class president title was striped over an offensive video he posted on his Twitter account.
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.