The First Amendment Coalition today filed a “friend of court” brief in the United States Supreme Court, urging that court to review and reverse a decision by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that punished a political candidate for speech that should have been protected under the First Amendment. The West Virginia court imposed […]
Archive | Coalition News
Joint Statement from FAC and EFF on DOJ Leaks Investigations
Jeff Sessions’ Statement About Leak Investigations Raises Deeply Disturbing Issues For Journalists, Transparency Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement today that the Department of Justice has tripled its number of “active leak investigations” in the past six months, and that DOJ is “reviewing policies affecting media subpoenas” raised serious red flags for journalists, their sources, and […]
FAC to California Court of Appeal: The Public Can’t See What No Longer Exists
FAC recently filed a “friend of court” brief in a California Court of Appeal case addressing an issue of critical importance to the public’s ability to obtain records under the California Public Records Act: should a CPRA requester be required to get a court order—an injunction—to prevent the government from destroying records? The clear answer […]
Martin Reynolds and Nate Cardozo Join FAC’s Board of Directors
The First Amendment Coalition is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Martin Reynolds, director of Reveal Investigative Fellowships at the Center for Investigative Reporting and Co-Executive Director of The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education; and Nate Cardozo, Senior Staff Attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. […]
FAC Conducts Training for Lawyers to Defend Subpoenaed Journalists
On June 14, the First Amendment Coalition will conduct an in-depth training for lawyers interested in defending journalists who are subpoenaed in civil or criminal cases. The training is part of FAC’s Subpoena Defense Initiative, which aims to meet the growing need for pro bono or reduced-rate counsel trained in the intricacies of subpoena defense […]
FAC To LAPD: Police Bodycam Footage is a Public Record and Must Be Released
The First Amendment Coalition recently urged the Los Angeles Police Department to promptly and publicly release footage from “bodycams” — tiny, body-worn cameras now used by thousands of police officers in the nation’s third largest police department. FAC submitted written comments to the Los Angeles Police Commission in response to that agency’s request for public input […]
New FAC Lawsuit To Tackle Growing Use of “Reverse CPRA” Suits
FAC sues Milpitas for access to information about alleged misconduct by city officials A new lawsuit filed by the First Amendment Coalition against the city of Milpitas highlights the growing use of so-called “reverse California Public Records Act” suits to pre-empt the public’s right of access to information about their government. FAC’s lawsuit, filed […]
FAC Joins Brief Urging California Supreme Court to Hold That Internet Content Providers Have a Right Under the First Amendment to Defend Speech on Their Websites
FAC recently joined an amicus brief urging the California Supreme Court to overrule a lower court’s conclusion that Yelp could be required to remove content from its website — even though Yelp never had notice and an opportunity to challenge such an order. The ruling contradicts fundamental First Amendment principles, including the notion that publishers […]
California Assembly Bill 1479 Would Add Much-Needed Teeth to Disclosure Requirements Under the California Public Records Act
One of the most frequent complaints FAC hears from people seeking records under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) is that government agencies simply ignore the law’s requirement that the government respond to a request within a certain time frame. One reason government agencies do this is that there is very little cost to doing […]
FAC receives $100K Matching Grant from Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation has committed a $100,000 matching grant to launch FAC’s 2017 annual fundraising campaign and to inspire more supporters to join our cause. Because the Logan grant is a matching grant, FAC faces a real challenge — we need to raise an additional $100,000 to earn the match. So, we’re turning […]