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2011

A&A: Where can we legally hold a protest?

FAC December 20, 2011

Q: I have a small group that would like to do a small Black Friday protest that would be focused on expressing gratitude and inviting passers-by to do the same (probably via posters, video messages, and large white boards) as an alternative to consumerism. I would like to know where we can protest. We want to be somewhere near where heavy Black Friday shopping is going on, (like the main street in front of the

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American Civil Liberties Union claims secrecy hurting democracy

donal brown December 19, 2011

The quest for national security after 9/11 has resulted in a number of secret agencies, Congressional committees, courts and even laws argues the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU claims that these practices deprive lawmakers and the public of information needed to check abuses and to make policy. -db From a commentary for the American Civil Liberties Union, December 19, 2011. Full story  

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Lawyer for ‘tough sheriff’ loses round in federal appeals court on charges of muzzling newspaper

donal brown December 19, 2011

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was unimpressed with the lawyer of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, trashing her argument that the sheriff was not liable under the First Amendment for his attacks on The Phoenix New Times. The lawyer failed to recognize that their appeal vacated an earlier opinion setting aside an argument about conspiracy. The lawyer was unprepared to answer the court’s questions concerning that issue. -db From the  Courthouse News Service, December 16, 2011,

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Free speech: School district struggle to regulate student-teacher contact on social media

donal brown December 19, 2011

As the social media becomes a useful tool for teachers to contact students about work or to help reluctant or shy students, abuses have surfaced with teachers making inappropriate contact leading in some cases to sexual abuse. Citing free speech issues, a Missouri judge recently threw out a new law banning contact on the social media between teachers and students, but the need for boundaries remains as school districts struggle to balance free speech and

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Internet free speech: Federal judge dismisses stalker case

donal brown December 17, 2011

A federal judge rejected a claim against a man who relentlessly pursued a religious leader on Twitter in a groundbreaking case on free speech and cyberstalking. The judge said while the speech inflicted “substantial emotional distress,” “nucomfortable speech” was protected under the First Amendment. -db From The New York Times, December 15, 2011, by Somini Sengupta. Full story  

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