San Francisco mayor cleared of free speech violation

A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals court ruled that San Francisco Mayor London Breed did not violate the First Amendment in pressing ad companies to take down two billboards paid for by Ellen Lee Zhou, an opposition candidate. Breed was in the clear so long as she did not threaten government action. (msn, January 14, 2022, by Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle)

A federal district court had already dismissed claims that Breed caused Clear Channel and OutFront Media to breach their contracts, asserting that the contracts allowed the companies to end the contracts. The court said that Zhou failed to show that Breed knew anything about the contracts or schemed to sabotage them. (Reason, January 17, 2022, by Eugene Volokh of The Volokh Conspiracy)