Columbia University Activist Mahmoud Khalil Can Be Deported, Immigration Judge Rules
Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, was the first person arrested under President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza.
Trump Administration Freezes $2.2 Billion in Grants to Harvard Over Campus Activism
Trump has normalized the extraordinary step of withholding federal money to pressure academic institutions to comply with the president’s political agenda and influence campus policy.
Federal Judge Orders January 6 Lawsuits Against Trump to Move Forward
A judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on February 18th that three civil lawsuits aimed at holding former president Donald Trump accountable for the deadly attack on the Capitol can move forward. Trump had sought to dismiss the lawsuits, claiming, in part, that the First Amendment bars the plaintiffs from suing him, and that his conduct was protected because he was a sitting president at the time.
New Jersey School District To Pay Teacher $325,000 in Student Yearbook Case
A New Jersey school district agreed to pay $325,000 to a teacher as part of a settlement after the teacher sued the district for emotional distress and imposing an unconstitutional gag order on her speech. She claims the school spread a false story that she altered students' photographs to remove Trump slogans from their clothing.
ICYMI: First Amendment Stories That Broke Over the 2020 Holidays
A federal judge in Virginia dismissed one of Rep. Devin Nunes' (R-CA) defamation suits against The Washington Post, the Federal Aviation Agency released long-awaited drone guidelines, a British judge rejected the U.S. government's request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and more.
Today, most political and social discussion occurs in the digital sphere, often on peoples' social media platforms. Seeing this, some public officials have opened Facebook and Twitter accounts to share important updates and engage with their constituents. But what happens when the official wants to remove a user who is posting critical feedback? This teacher guide uses the Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump to show how First Amendment principles like public forum and viewpoint discrimination apply online.
Federal Judge Blocks Part of Trump’s Ban on TikTok
According to The Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols questioned whether President Trump had given TikTok enough time to respond before issuing his executive order on August 6th. The ruling blocks the portion of the ban that would have prohibited users from downloading the app online.
Ted Boutrous Challenges Preferential Treatment Given to OANN Reporter
Ted Boutrous sent a letter to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham on April 3rd, demanding that Playboy White House Correspondent Brian Karem be allowed to attend press briefings. The letter also criticized the Trump Administration’s preferential treatment of a reporter for One American News Network (OANN), a conservative cable show.