donal brown

An ex-student at Valdosta State University in Georgia won a $900,000 settlement in a First Amendment case. Without due process, the college’s president expelled Hayden Barnes in 2007 for a satirical Facebook posting protesting the plans for constructing two parking garages on campus. (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, July 23, 20125, press release) A federal jury ruled in 2013 ruled that president Ronald Vaccari was personally responsible for expelling Barnes and ordered him to

San Diego dropped its ban on tobacco ads within 1,000 feet of schools, libraries, arcades, rec centers and child care facilities. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets alerted the city to a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court allowing truthful commercial speech promoting legal products. The city is retaining its restrictions on the sale of tobacco at beaches, parks, airports, sidewalk cafes and sports facilities. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 21, 2015, by David Garrick) San Diego

A soda pop trade organization sued San Francisco to overturn laws banning ads on city property and requiring warning labels on sugary beverages with the words “…added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.”  The American Beverage Association claims the law banning the industry’s ads violates their free speech rights. (San Francisco Chronicle, July 24, 2015, by Emily Green) The beverage industry is trying to claim that requiring the message, the city is imposing

The Associated Press is putting on YouTube over 550,000 video clips of historic events as far back as 1895. It will be the largest compilation of news content on YouTube. (Variety, July 22, 2015, by Todd Spangler) In a press release, AP said the archives will be a great public service, enabling not only documentary filmmakers and students but also the general public to gain access to monumental world events of modern history. (Associated Press,

In techdirt, July 22, 2015, Mike Masnick holds that the use of police body cams can only improve transparency and public trust in law enforcement if the footage is free of tampering. Questions have surfaced about the recently released video of the arrest of Sandra Bland in Texas that many think was edited. A video forensics expert said the footage appeared to be edited possibly using a technique called “sanitizing,” whereby the video is edited