First Amendment News

Concerned about decisions made without public notice, Los Gatos has opted to turn over their Music in the Park program to a nonprofit group Music & Arts. -DB Los Gatos Weekly-Times March 11, 2009 Editorial In the news media, we take the Brown Act very seriously. If council members were to discuss a topic not on the agenda, we’d be all over them. If the planning commission were to meet without proper notice to the

Even though the greatest bioterrorism incident in U.S. history originated recently in a U.S. military lab, there is scant knowledge even in Congress of these labs – their numbers, what they’re working on and the quality of their safety measures. -DB Secrecy News (Federation of American Scientists) March 10, 21009 In an awkward and disturbing irony, the most significant bioterrorism incident in the U.S. to date — i.e., the 2001 anthrax attacks — apparently originated

A surfer claiming that a magazine article falsely portrayed him as a destitute, drug-using social outcast was unable to cash in on his lawsuit. A U.S. District Court jury found that there were no false statements in the article. -DB Pacific Business News (Honolulu) March 5, 2009 By Linda Chiem A federal court jury in Honolulu decided Thursday that a magazine profile of North Shore surfboard shaper Craig Elmer “Owl” Chapman was not libelous. It

Violent drug and street gangs and hostile governments are intimidating the press in Latin America restricting reporting on crucial issues and damaging democracy and prospects for improving the lives of the people. -DB Council on Hemispheric Affairs March 3, 2009 By Andy Blair and Ashley Wagner Currently, the Latin American press is up against formidable odds. Local drug cartels, street gangs, and government corruption are severely confining the ability of the press to report freely

Perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader won a Supreme Court ruling invalidating a Arizona state law requiring residency to circulate petitions to place the names of independent candidates on the ballot. -DB First Amendment Center March 9, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court is letting stand a decision that invalidated state laws regulating the ways independent presidential candidates can get on state ballots. The high court today refused to hear an appeal from the state