donal brown

Rushdie attack stirs thought on free speech

Since a fatwa was issued in 1989 by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s leader, calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie, Rushdie has spoken out against restricting the free exchange of ideas, noting in 2021 that increasingly “being offended is a valid critique….” Kohmeini and other Muslims objected to Rushdie’s novel, “The Satanic Verses” for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. Rushdie’ stabbing last week at a literary event in western New York has reopened

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Pro-life advocate argues for release of abortion meeting footage

An abortion foe is asking the Ninth Circuit appeals court to allow the publication of footage illegally obtained in 2014 and 2015 of the proceedings of the pro-choice National Abortion Federation. In arguments to the court, an attorney compared the case to New York Times Co. v United States or the Pentagon Papers case in which the Supreme Court ruled for releasing the papers, citing public interest in the papers and the importance of protecting

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Trump unlikely to release Mar-a-Lago search warrant

Former President Donald Trump has refused to release the search warrant for his Mar-a-Lago residence as he blasted the search as politically motivated. In the meantime, Judge Bruce Reinhart, who issued the warrant, imposed a deadline of August 15 for the Justice Department to respond to a request from the conservative Judicial Watch for the unsealing of the search records. (New York Post, August 10, 2022, by Callie Patteson and Steven Nelson) David French of

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Search for classified documents at Trump estate

The FBI conducted a search at Mar-a-Lago, Florida for highly classified documents that were potentially not turned over to the National Archives when former president Donald Trump left office. If they find documents, it could be a violation of the Presidential Records Act that requires preservation of communications related to official duties. Fifteen boxes of documents were retrieved last January so it is not known why it was necessary to look for more. (The Washington

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Federal court allows school removal of books with ‘lascivious content’

A Missouri federal court ruled that it was constitutionally permissible to remove books with lascivious content from a school library. Citizens had challenged the school for banning books, but the judge said it was not a ban since students could buy or borrow the books and discuss them with impunity. (Reason, August 8, 2022, by Eugene Volokh) Law professor Erica Goldberg, Daily Montanan, August 8, 2022, writes that states and local school districts control curriculum

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