Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, Los Angeles Times, October 27, 2022, argues that Elon Musk’s plans to go easy on lies on Twitter could hurt free speech. As free speech is essential to open and democratic societies, it is important to keep political lies and propaganda from dominating the nation’s forums lest the public give up on their efforts to determine the truth. Brynn Tannehill in the New Republic, October 26, 2022, makes

A federal appeals court heard arguments over Virginia Tech’s policy that allows students to anonymously report other students they think are participating in biased actions. Opponents of the policy pointed to instances including a student who told a joke about Caitlyn Jenner’s former name before her gender transition. A student filed a complain that the joke exhibited discrimination based on gender identity. (Courthouse News Service, October 25, 2022, by Joe Dodson) The Foundation for Individual

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that policies limiting subpoenas and search warrants against journalists are now codified. Justice Department lawyers will be trained in the new policies. The department must now avoid using investigative tools against journalists with exceptions for national security and public safety. (CBS News, October 26, 2022, by Robert Legare) Garland solidified policies in place in July of 2021 after it was revealed that former Attorney General Bill Barr secretly sought the

An internet industry association asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a 2021 Florida law that interfered with the editorial prerogatives of social media companies. The association said, “The law openly abridges the targeted companies’ First Amendment right to exercise editorial judgment over what content to disseminate on their websites via requirements that are speaker-based, content-based and viewpoint-discriminatory.” (CBS News, October 24, 2022, by CBS Miami Team)The case is attracting its share of amicus briefs