First Amendment News

Conservatives are mounting an assault on free speech, argues Amanda Marcotte in Salon, November 1 2021. Look no further than former President Donald’s Trump’s social media network that is dedicated to “free speech” but forbids criticism of Trump and the site’s operation. Conservatives are asserting the right to be free of speech that attacks their beliefs. They use government power to prevent discussion of racism and its history and try to censor anti-racist fiction while

In hearing a case on the First Amendment and censuring fellow politicians, the Supreme Court is leaning toward a narrow decision in deciding if elected bodies can censure a member for certain speech. As Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, the issue the court may choose to decide is simply whether a censure can trigger a lawsuit, that is, does a censure stymie the free speech of a member? (The New York Times, November 2, 2021, by

The flimsy foundations of the lies about election fraud and voter system manipulation are crumbling under the pressures of court appearances, reports Jeremy Stahl of Slate, October 28, 2021. When faced with penalties of perjury, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and others lying about the 2020 election were forced to admit they had no facts to support their assertions of a stolen election. The civil lawsuits seeking damages have better than average chance of exacting millions

Gorge Soros, founder of LinkIn and others are launching Good Information Inc. to back businesses that anchor their operations in fact-based information. It also is investing in local news companies. Other billionaires who are battling lies include Craig Newmark, Steve Ballmer and Laurene Powell Jobs. (Axios, October 26, 2021, by Sara Fischer)

The University of Florida denied three professors permission to testify as expert witnesses in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s law severely limiting the ability to vote through a drop box or by mail. The professors specialize in voting rights and election law. University officials said the denied requests were not a violation of the First Amendment but a refusal to allow “full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as