First Amendment News

Under a 1978 law, records of the President and Vice President are the property of the federal government and must be turned over to the National Archive. But who decides if a given record concerns the business of government, and is therefore property of the National Archive, or is a private or personal record, and therefore belongs to the office-holder? According to Vice President Dick Cheney, he and the President are the final deciders. This

Phoenix police will begin withholding names of injured victims, birth dates of arrestees, and addresses of crime scenes in what they say is an attempt to thwart identify theft, the Arizona Republic reports. Assistant City Attorney Sandra Hunter says she knows of no lawsuits or complaints suggesting that the release of public information has led to ID theft. The move, she said, is preventative. — DR Police aim to curb ID theft by withholding report

A San Francisco chiropractor sues after a former client posts a review on the web site Yelp suggesting dishonest billing practices. The San Francisco Chronicle explores whether the case could have an impact on free speech online. — DR S.F. Yelp user faces lawsuit over review Deborah Gage, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, January 8, 2009 (01-07) 20:04 PST — In a case that could chill free speech online, a San Francisco chiropractor has sued a

A federal web site — www.usaspending.gov — allows the public to track government contracts and financial assistance. It’s cumbersome, but as Douglas McGray writes in The Atlantic, it includes a feature that opens the door to powerful ways to make the information more accessible. As evidence, McGray shows how the same approach made it possible for Bay Area Rapid Transit District passengers to get train schedules in myriad, convenient ways. How geeks are opening up

Superstar model Liskula Cohen wants to force Mountain View-based Google to reveal the name of a blogger who declared her an over-the-hill “skank” and an “old hag.” The New York Daily News reported that Cohen, vowing to “know who my enemies are,” filed a defamation suit in which she asks the court to compel Google and its subsidiary Blogger.com to identify the anonymous critic. Model Liskula Cohen sues Google over blogger’s ‘skank’ comment BY JOSE