Ventura County officials failed to comply with California Public Records Act by refusing to turn over public records related to the pandemic.
It’s FAC’s latest effort to enforce a landmark police transparency law.
Motion by lawyers for Armando Cruz, charged in rape and murder of 13-year-old Bakersfield girl, seeks to block press and public from all pretrial hearings The First Amendment Coalition is fighting to ensure hearings in a Bakersfield death penalty case remain open to the press and public. FAC’s brief, now on file in Kern County Superior Court, urges a judge to reject a request for extraordinary secrecy in the case of Armando Cruz, a Southern
Bryan Carmody and First Amendment Coalition v. Federal Bureau of InvestigationU.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, 20-cv-04809 Updated March 23, 2021: FAC and client Bryan Carmody reached a settlement with the FBI, after the government produced disclosable records and agreed to pay FAC $25,000 in attorney fees and costs. Read the court filing. The First Amendment Coalition and journalist Bryan Carmody filed a federal lawsuit against the FBI after the agency refused
The Kern County Superior Court has rescinded a problematic order used for months to block people from entering its courthouses, an important step in restoring the public’s First Amendment right of access to hearings and trials in one of California’s largest metropolitan areas. Court officials in Bakersfield issued a new court order explicitly stating that members of the public will be admitted to proceedings in limited numbers, consistent with public health guidelines, following a federal