ACLU Sues University of Michigan Over Campus Bans for Pro-Palestinian Protesters
The lawsuit accuses the university of violating protesters' right to free speech, and also argues that the university “abused its authority to ban people from public property.”
Trump Pardons Upend Massive Jan. 6 Prosecution by Freeing Rioters
With the stroke of a pen on his first day back in the White House, Trump’s order upended the largest prosecution in Justice Department history.
Voting Tech Firm, Conservative Outlet Reach Settlement in Election Defamation Case
The confidential settlement was announced just a few hours after jury selection began in the lawsuit filed by Florida-based Smartmatic against Newsmax.
Ohio Sheriff Deletes Online Post About Harris Yard Signs After Public Outcry
The sheriff's supporters called that reaction overblown, arguing he was making a political point about unrestrained immigration and exercising his right to free speech.
Trial Begins Over Texas ‘Trump Train’ Highway Confrontation
One defendant argued his group had a First Amendment right to demonstrate support for their candidate, but the judge wrote that threats of violence are not protected expression.
First Amendment Scholar Timothy Zick Dismantles Trump v. CNN Lawsuit
Former President Donald Trump filed a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN arguing the network has maligned him with “fake news” for the purposes of damaging his political future heading into 2024. First Amendment Watch asked First Amendment scholar Timothy Zick to annotate the 29-page lawsuit for the legal claims it made and the precedents it cited.
DOJ Under President Trump Acquired Phone Records of NYT Reporters
On June 2nd, the Department of Justice revealed that during the administration of former President Donald Trump, the DOJ acquired the phone records of four reporters from The New York Times. The phone records date from the first several months of 2017.
John Quincy Adams: Defeating the Gag Rule and Protecting the Right of Petition
Which president in American history did the most for First Amendment freedoms either in or out of office? This is a deliciously difficult question because the vast majority of the occupants of the Oval Office were, at times, hostile to the First Freedom. Recent presidents simply do not make the grade for their in-office activities.