First Amendment News

Obama taking steps to curtain unnecessary secrecy A Scripps Howard editorial says that Obama is doing more than pay lip service to the importance of open government. -DB Scripps Howard News Service Editorial June 1, 2009 By Dale McFeatters President Obama, it seems, is more than just talking a good game about the need to cut down on the amount of excess government secrecy. The day after he took office, Obama issued an executive order

Obama wants to use the social networking sites to create more citizen participation in government. It might be more difficult than it appears to fulfill that promise. -DB New York Times Commentary June 1, 2009 By Saul Hansell The Obama presidential campaign made groundbreaking use of social networking sites and other tools to organize its supporters. President Obama has promised to use similar technology to bring citizens into government. As in so many other areas,

The First Amendment affords protection for hate speech, but Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman fears that pro-life extremists made statements that helped create rationalizations for Dr. George Tiller’s murder. -DB Truthdig Commentary June 3, 2009 By Ellen Goodman It is believed that the shooter acted alone. Surely, that’s true. No one else was standing beside suspect Scott Roeder when it is believed he murdered Dr. George Tiller in the sanctuary of his church. But Michael

When an Oakland Tribune photographer stopped to take photos of a car crash that happened in front of him, Oakland police not only denied him access but also handcuffed him. A federal judge saw no validity in the photographer’s claim that his First Amendment rights were violated. -DB Oakland Tribune June 3, 2009 By Angela Woodall A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit against the city Tuesday that claimed police officers infringed on an

A Novato man filed suit to block the vote approving SMART rapid transit holding that a two-thirds vote is required in both Marin and Sonoma counties. Marin only approved the passenger train project by a 62.8 percent vote. -DB Marin Independent Journal June 1, 2009 By Mark Prado A former Novato councilman has filed a lawsuit against the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District, alleging the November 2008 election in favor of the passenger train project