First Amendment News

Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memorandum advising the executive branch to presume that government records are public. The Bush administration had a poor record in observing the Freedom of Information Act. -DB Reporter Committee for Freedom of the Press March 19, 2009 By Lucy Dalglish Attorney General Eric Holder issued his much-anticipated memorandum today advising executive branch agencies how the Obama Administration wants the federal Freedom of Information Act to be interpreted. In it,

The Tri-city Medical Center conducted a three-week-long investigation of eight hospital administrators without releasing a report. With the eight garnering budget-straining paid leave for three months, the community wants to know if the investigation unearthed evidence of poor performance. -DB North County Times March 21, 2009 By Paul Sisson OCEANSIDE – The Tri-City Medical Center board has spent several hours in a series of closed-session meetings over the last three weeks, but has released no

Journalists and bloggers are concerned about the recent decision of the First Circuit court attacking the precept that the truth is not an absolute defense in a libel suit. -DB Citizen Media Law Project March 18, 2009 By Sam Bayard The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued an order today denying Staples’ petition for rehearing en banc in Noonan v. Staples, a decision in which a panel of the First Circuit

After her suspension for posting blogs on patient activities, University of Louisville nursing student sued saying her First Amendment rights were violated and asking for reinstatement. Other topics on her blog included postings about guns and political views hostile to President Barack Obama when he was conducting his campaign. -DB Kentucky Enquirer March 19, 2009 By Brett Barrouquere LOUISVILLE — A woman dismissed from the University of Louisville nursing school because of posts on her

A federal judge in a federal drug trial in Florida declared a mistrial recently because he found that nine jurors were active on the internet. Judges around the country are making similar discoveries resulting in mistrials that waste weeks of effort by prosecutors and defense lawyers. –DB The New York Times March 18, 2009 By John Schwartz Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he