FAC seeks to strengthen and defend governmental transparency and the First Amendment. One way we do that is by filing briefs or letters in selected cases as amicus curiae, or “friend of the court.” In doing so, FAC is able to offer the important perspective and expertise of an advocacy organization dedicated to advancing and protecting free speech, a free press and public participation in civic affairs. FAC prioritizes cases involving California sunshine laws, including the California Public Records Act and the Ralph M. Brown Act, along with cases affecting freedom of expression and newsgathering rights. To submit a request for amicus support in a case, please contact legal [at] firstamendmentcoalition.org.
The First Amendment Coalition today filed a “friend of court” brief in the United States Supreme Court, urging that court to review and reverse a decision by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that punished a political candidate for speech that should have been protected under the First Amendment.
FAC recently filed a “friend of court” brief in a California Court of Appeal case addressing an issue of critical importance to the public’s ability to obtain records under the California Public Records Act: should a CPRA requester be required to get a court order—an injunction—to prevent the government from
FAC recently joined an amicus brief urging the California Supreme Court to overrule a lower court’s conclusion that Yelp could be required to remove content from its website — even though Yelp never had notice and an opportunity to challenge such an order. The ruling contradicts fundamental First Amendment principles,
The California Supreme Court ruled on March 2 that emails sent from the personal email accounts of government officials are subject to the California Public Records Act — a significant ruling with a far-reaching, positive impact on the public’s right to know. The unanimous ruling shuts off the government’s ability
A federal judge on February 22 issued a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of a California law that sought to prohibit the publication of the ages of actors, producers and others on the popular internet movie database, IMDb. FAC joined several other free-speech advocacy groups in filing a “friend of the
FAC has filed an amicus brief in a case testing a local government agency’s power to take back records it has released to a requester under the CPRA. The Newark Unified School District, in releasing documents, mistakenly included records that were subject to the attorney-client privilege. The school district demanded
From the archives: Read past year digests of amicus curiae briefs FAC supported.