May 16, 2019

FAC Moves to Unseal Search Warrants in Illegal Police Raid on SF Journalist

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today filed a motion to unseal the San Francisco Police Department’s applications for two search warrants in the case of journalist Bryan Carmody, whose home and office police raided last week, sparking national outrage from press advocates, civil libertarians and many others. Why two judges authorized those warrants—which appear to be illegal under both California and federal law—remains a mystery since the police department’s applications for the warrants are under seal

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A&A: My Request for City Contract with Towing Company Was Never Answered

Q: I requested a copy of a contract, between my community and a towing company base in a neighboring city, but never received a response. A: Under California’s Public Records Act, “‘[p]ublic records’ includes any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics,” Gov’t Code section 6252(e) – and must be disclosed upon request unless a specific

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Trump administration sued for failure to keep records of meeting with foreign leaders

Three organizations filed a lawsuit to force the Trump administration to keep and preserve records of the president’s meetings with foreign leaders as mandated by the Presidential Records Act. Barbara Keys of the Society of American Foreign Relations, one of the principals in the lawsuit, remarked of the Trump lapses, “Failing to make or keep records damages not only the capacity of history to render judgment in the future, but also of government to pursue

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Lawsuit brought to stop Tennessee law establishing criminal and civil penalties for voter registration drives

On behalf of five plaintiffs, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee charging their law establishing criminal and civil penalties against groups conducting voter registration violate the Constitution. An earlier lawsuit brought by the NAACP and three other organizations charged that the law would “violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and have a chilling effect on the exercise of fundamental First Amendment rights.” (The First Amendment Encyclopedia, May

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Christchurch Call: U.S. opts out of international effort to fight internet hate speech

The Trump administration is not endorsing the international movement prompted by the massacre of Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand to stem terrorism and extremism on the social media. The administration said although they supported the movement’s goals, they were concerned about preserving freedom of speech. (Variety, May 15, 2019, by Todd Spangler) Internet free speech guardians were skeptical about the efficacy of the Christchurch Call, as the movement is called. Jillian C. York of the Electronic

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