donal brown

Bill Sternberg, The Free Speech Center, January 24, 2022, writes that in Palin v. The New York Times, Palin is claiming the Times acted with actual malice in mistakenly linking her to the shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona. Sternberg says the texts and e-mails after publication show that it was an honest mistake, but it’s no guarantee of how a jury will see the case. And if the Times wins the upcoming trial,

A lawyer for former President Donald Trump argued in his civil trial for inciting the January 6 insurrection that Trump’s speech to his followers before the riot was protected free speech. When asked by the judge if Trump were immune to inciting a riot and failing to stop it, the lawyer Jesse Binnall said he could not be subject to judicial action because he “failed to do something.” (Business Insider, January 10, 2022, by Sonam

State legislators are filing laws to require schools to post teacher lesson plans online including books, articles and videos. In a fight to eliminate progressive agendas from schools, conservatives are harnessing “transparency,” a liberal value. Teachers fear that the laws would result in censorship and intimidation. (NBC News, January 20, 2022, by Tyler Kingkade) The Daily Wire, January 21, 2022, quotes a number of critics of the NBC article, including Charles Fain Lehman of the

Immigration judges are appealing to the Fourth Circuit to scuttle a Trump-era prior restraint rule that requires the judges to obtain permission to express views on immigration policies through publication or speeches. The judges claim the rule is vague and a violation of their First Amendment rights. (Courthouse News Service, January 25, 2022, by Erika Williams) The judges said in filing the lawsuit last year that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government employees retain

The annual Transparency International report for 2021, January 25, 2022, shows that corruption is rife world-wide and that those countries with strong free speech and press and supportive legal systems are better equipped to fight it. The top performers in checking corruption are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand. The bottom are South Sudan, Syria and Somalia. And while Denmark has a score of 88, the U.S. weighs in at 67, below Canada and Uruguay. For