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Coalition News

FAC Sues DOJ Over Trump Administration’s Secret Collection of Journalist’s Records

FAC September 19, 2018

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to force the department to disclose records relating to the government’s seizure of confidential telephone and email records from New York Times reporter Ali Watkins. The suit, filed today in federal court in San Francisco under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeks memos, emails or other documents that would shed light on why the DOJ collected Watkins’ records for months secretly,

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FAC Seeks Nominations for 2018 Free Speech & Open Government Award

FAC August 15, 2018

The First Amendment Coalition is soliciting nominees for the FAC Free Speech & Open Government Award, given each year for performance of exemplary work in the arena of open government. Qualifications for the award are outstanding accomplishment, service or other contributions to “the people’s right to know” about government. The winner, or winners, could be a journalist, blogger, lawyer, news organization (print or digital), software developer or community activist. We wish to recognize an individual

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FAC Urges Ninth Circuit to Protect Journalists Who Publish Sensitive Government Information

FAC August 6, 2018

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) on Friday filed a “friend of court” brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, urging that court to reverse a federal district court ruling that jeopardizes important First Amendment protections for journalists who publish sensitive or classified government information. The lower court dismissed claims by the ACLU that the FBI violated the federal Privacy Act by opening a “threat assessment” — the precursor to a criminal investigation — on

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FAC Sues San Diego District Attorney’s Office for Sexual Harassment, Misconduct Records

FAC July 27, 2018

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today filed suit against the county of San Diego to force the disclosure of records relating to allegations of sexual misconduct against its District Attorney’s Office. (You can read the filed petition below.) The office has refused to release the records, which clearly must be disclosed under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) and are of significant public concern. To date, the District Attorney has admitted to having records relating to

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Veteran First Amendment Lawyer Glen A. Smith Named FAC’s First Legal Fellow

FAC July 17, 2018

The First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce the appointment of Glen A. Smith, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in First Amendment and media law, as the inaugural FAC Legal Fellow. Smith comes to FAC with a deep and widely varied background in media litigation, including substantial experience advocating for public and press access to government records, defending journalists against subpoenas, and litigation and advice relating to defamation and privacy law.

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