“While Defendants did, of course, have a constitutional obligation to refrain from restricting Plaintiff’s speech on account of the threat, or possibility, of public hostility to their Alt-Right message, the law is clear that Defendants had no constitutional obligation to prevent that public hostility,” Judge Norman K. Moon wrote.
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.
Knight First Amendment Institute: From the Heckler’s Veto to the Provocateur’s Privilege
Reprinted with Permission From Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University Emerging Threats series invites leading thinkers to identify and grapple with newly arising or intensifying structural threats to the system […]
Controversial Speaker Causes Florida Governor to Declare State of Emergency
In August, Richard Spencer was at the center of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On Thursday, he is set to speak at the University of Florida and Governor […]
From fake Russian ads to anti-Semitic ad targeting, Facebook's ad algorithms have failed the company and its users. This week Facebook's C-suite promised to make changes from working with Congress to prevent future tampering to adding employees to check language. Can Facebook reign in the Wild West of free expression on its platform?
Aggressive Online Response to Hate Speech and Extremists Post-Charlottesville
In the aftermath of the deadly protests in Charlottesville, many are asking when is hate speech protected and when does it cross the line? GoDaddy, Google and Twitter account "Yes, You're Racist" are redefining the reach of extremist views.
Associated Press Bans Alt-Right Terminology In Midst of Usage Debate
What exactly are "alt-right," "alt-left,"antifa," and other groups and what are responsible ways to report on extremist groups?