Roselle Park, New Jersey made the right call in abandoning their fight to force a town resident to move signs with words, F— Biden from her mother’s fence, writes the Star Ledger Editorial Board, NJ.com, July 28, 2021. Their editorial cite the U.S. Supreme Court 1971 ruling that supported the use of the F-word in political banners.
An Oxnard citizen Aaron Starr filed a federal lawsuit charging that the state law AB 5 classified campaign workers going door to door as employees but workers selling goods door to door as independent contractors. Starrs says that is a First Amendment violation in discriminating against speech based on its content. (VC Star, July 11, 2021, by Megan Diskin)
A North Carolina judge jailed a small-town newspaper editor after one of his reporters used an audio recorder to take notes at a murder trial. The reporter said he thought cell phones were prohibited and did not remember the ban on other recording devices. (The Free Speech Center, July 7, 2021, by Brian Anderson of The Associated Press)
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is representing the Malheur Enterprise of Oregon in its lawsuit against the Ontario School Board for failure to release documents concerning the censures of school board members. (The Oregonian, June 29, 2021, by Abbey McDonald of Malheur Enterprise)
Two Bakersfield college professors filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court claiming the Kern Community College administration falsely said the two professors alleged colleagues misused grant money in support of social justice causes. (Bakersfield,com, June 16, 2021, by John Cox)
Anti-racism activist Richard Pellegrino claims that the Texas Cobb County School District is violating his First Amendment rights by insisting he remove a flier from his Facebook page that asks local citizens to attend a school board meeting to support diversity and show support for Blacks on the school board. The district claimed that Pellegrino used the school district’s logo in promoting activity not sanctioned by the district. Cobb County Courier, June 9, 2021, by Arielle Robinson)
A federal district judge sided with a now-retired police detective disciplined for talking with a reporter in 2016. James Brady was speaking as the president of the police officers union. The Johnston, Rhode Island police department was ordered to pay Brady’s legal costs of $57,624. (WPRI, June 4, 2021, by Eli Sherman)
A University of Tennessee-Chattanooga football coach forced to resign over a tweet criticizing the state of Georgia and voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams is suing his former bosses at the university for violating his First Amendment rights. (The Free Speech Center, April 29, 2021, by Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press)
A University of Virginia medical student is proceeding with his lawsuit against the administration for suspending him for his probing questions during a faculty-led panel on microaggressions. (The Free Speech Center, April 19, 2021, by The Associated Press)