A prominent lawyer argues that a state appellate court made the wrong call in reversing a lower court decision to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by a staunchly pro-Israel journalist against two critics. Sam Bayard argues in part that the contested statements against the journalist were reflective of strong emotions rather than factual statements and therefore libelous. -DB Citizen Media Law Project Feb. 12, 2009 By Sam Bayard On February 9, a California appellate court

A secret decision last September by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors to raise its own pay generated angry public reaction after it was revealed in January. This week the board reversed itself, the Visalia Times-Delta reported. – DR Board of Supervisors rescinds raises Supervisors vote to make pay-increase process more public BY VALERIE GIBBONS • vgibbons@visalia.gannett.com • February 11, 2009 Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to rescind its controversial 4.56 percent

An editorial in the New York Times criticizes a federal appeals court for sanctioning censorship in a Miami elementary school. Critics claimed the district superintendent banned a book on Cuba for its content favorable to the Castro regime. -DB The New York Times February 11, 2009 Editorial Schools are supposed to introduce children to a variety of ideas and viewpoints, but the Miami-Dade School Board decided a few years ago to put one viewpoint off

Two candidates for New York City Council sued arguing that the campaign-finance law violated their First Amendment rights by funding only those candidates who agreed to accept public funding for their campaigns. The judge ruled that there was an overriding need to change the public perception that special interests make contributions to influence political decisions. -DB First Amendment Center Feb. 9, 2009 NEW YORK — A federal judge has tossed part of a lawsuit challenging

A federal judge ruled that a California State University policy regulated conduct, not speech in denying a religious group access to two campuses for requiring students to be Christians and to reject homosexuality. Every Nation Campus Ministries filed suit in 2005 claiming among other things that the policy violated its free speech rights. -DB San Diego Union-Tribune Feb. 7, 2009 By Greg Moran FEDERAL COURT — A federal judge ruled yesterday that a nondiscrimination policy