First Amendment News

A California appeals court ruled that alleged defamation of a Vietnamese-American attorney and newspaper owner was protected speech within the anti-SLAPP law and returned the case to superior court to rule on the likelihood of the defamation suit prevailing. -DB Metropolitan News-Enterprise April 20, 2009 By Kenneth Ofgang A suit accusing a San Jose broadcaster of defaming a local attorney by accusing him of ties to Vietnamese Communists arose from protected activity within the meaning

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, has failed in its FOIA suit to obtain records of how the FBI protects the privacy of individuals ending up in its Investigative Data Warehouse. -DB The San Diego Times-Tribune April 19, 2009 By Michael J. Sniffen WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Despite a pledge to open government, the Obama administration has endorsed a Bush-era decision to keep secret key details of an FBI computer database that allows

In a promising sign that the Obama administration is living up to its pledge to support open government, the new budget provides for $1 million for an ombudsman for FOIA requests. -DB Citizen Media Law Project April 10, 2009 By David Ardia Last month, we reported that President Obama had begun making good on his promise of reinvigorating the federal Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”). One of the first tangible steps involved Attorney General Eric

A New York Times editorial decries Bush secrecy in interpreting law and setting policy in its fight against terrorism and argues that those responsible for illegal torture of terrorist suspects should be investigated and then impeached or prosecuted. -DB The New York Times April 19, 2009 Editorial To read the four newly released memos on prisoner interrogation written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department is to take a journey into depravity. Their language is the

Documents released over CIA objections show that during the Bush years, the CIA tortured over 14 terrorist prisoners using ten techniques. Obama said there would be no prosecutions of those involved in the tortures. -DB The Guardian April 16, 2009 By Ewen MacAskill WASHINGTON, D.C. – Barack Obama today released four top secret memos that allowed the CIA under the Bush administration to torture al-Qaida and other suspects held at Guantánamo and secret detention centers