Virginia protesters of the George Floyd murder by a Minneapolis police officer settled their lawsuit against Fredericksburg and Stafford County for violating their right to free speech and assembly. Police used tear gas and sting-ball grenades against protesters. (The Free Lance-Star, November 26, 2021, by Taft Coghill)
A federal court ruled against a Texas high school football player for his off-campus Snapchat video using racist and profane words. The school suspended him for two games and demoted him from captain of the team. The court ruled the school had qualified immunity and cited the Supreme Court decision in Mahanoy that schools could regulate some off-campus speech that was harassing or bullying. (The Free Speech Center, November 23, 2021, by David L. Hudson Jr.)
An Exeter, New Hampshire superintendent of schools backed a coach who suspended a student for saying there are “only two genders.” (Yahoo.com, November 19, 2021, by Rebecca Rosenberg)
In conservative Walton County, Florida, a citizen was fined for a banner he displayed on his house, “Trump Won.” (Northwest Florida Daily News, November 18, 2021, by Tom McLaughlin)
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Law is punishing a professor for an exam question of a hypothetical case using the n word and “bitch,” upsetting one of his students. (Tax Prof Blog, November 18, 2021, by Paul Caron)
A Cleveland, Ohio prosecutor dismissed a felony assault charge against a woman who allegedly damaged a town employee’s hearing with a bullhorn during a protest. Examinations revealed no permanent hearing loss. (Cleveland.com, November 16, 2021, by Cory Shaffer)
Protesters of vaccine mandates are suing South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for denying them a permit to protest on State Capitol grounds. (Dakota News Now, November 4, 2021, by staff)
A woman claiming to have been a victim of domestic violence by her police officer husband was convicted of violating an injunction by talking to a newspaper about her divorce case even though the injunction expressly forbade communication on social media or to her husband’s employer. (Reason, October 4, 2021, by Eugene Volokh)
A Wisconsin sheriff violated a student’s First Amendment right by ordering her to remove social media posts saying she had the virus, ruled a federal judge. Made early in the pandemic, the post caused some panic within the school system. (The Associated Press, September 24, 2021, by Scott Bauer)
A state judge ordered a blogger and critic of the Hartford Police Department to surrender his laptop and cellphone to determine the identify of the person who disparaged a police lieutenant. (Hartford Courant, September 1, 2021, by Rebecca Lurye)