firstamendment

A Louisiana newspaper won a defamation suit that a jet fuel supplier brought against it for reporting that the company provided contaminated fuel to military jets. The supplier failed to show the newspaper was negligent in reporting the story. –DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press April 16, 2009 By Samantha Fredrickson A defamation lawsuit brought by a Louisiana jet fuel supplier against a local newspaper was thrown out by a federal appellate

A California appeals court ruled that alleged defamation of a Vietnamese-American attorney and newspaper owner was protected speech within the anti-SLAPP law and returned the case to superior court to rule on the likelihood of the defamation suit prevailing. -DB Metropolitan News-Enterprise April 20, 2009 By Kenneth Ofgang A suit accusing a San Jose broadcaster of defaming a local attorney by accusing him of ties to Vietnamese Communists arose from protected activity within the meaning

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, has failed in its FOIA suit to obtain records of how the FBI protects the privacy of individuals ending up in its Investigative Data Warehouse. -DB The San Diego Times-Tribune April 19, 2009 By Michael J. Sniffen WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Despite a pledge to open government, the Obama administration has endorsed a Bush-era decision to keep secret key details of an FBI computer database that allows

In a promising sign that the Obama administration is living up to its pledge to support open government, the new budget provides for $1 million for an ombudsman for FOIA requests. -DB Citizen Media Law Project April 10, 2009 By David Ardia Last month, we reported that President Obama had begun making good on his promise of reinvigorating the federal Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”). One of the first tangible steps involved Attorney General Eric

A New York Times editorial decries Bush secrecy in interpreting law and setting policy in its fight against terrorism and argues that those responsible for illegal torture of terrorist suspects should be investigated and then impeached or prosecuted. -DB The New York Times April 19, 2009 Editorial To read the four newly released memos on prisoner interrogation written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department is to take a journey into depravity. Their language is the