First Amendment News

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

Chris Soghoian’s blog will no longer be seen on CNET, most likely over statements he made about YouTube and the Obama team that both parties said were inaccurate. An EFF commentator said it was a significant loss since Soghoian did real reporting rather than comment on the work of others. –DB Electronic Frontier Foundation March 18, 2009 Commentary by Hugh D’Andrade Former CNET blogger Chris Soghoian has produced some of the best coverage on the

In a reversal of Pentagon practice since 9/11, the United States Air Force has published the names and telephone numbers of key personnel. –DB Secrecy Federation of American Scientists March 19, 2009 The United States Air Force has published a detailed organizational chart of its headquarters (pdf) including the names and telephone numbers of key personnel. What makes this of more than passing interest is that it represents a departure from the post-9/11 Pentagon practice

American University’s School of Communications has collaborated with msnbc.com to provide information to gauge the financial viability of banks receiving government bailouts. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press March 18, 2009 By Hannah Bergmann The Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University’s School of Communications just launched a new tool that makes it easier to check up on the health of banks receiving government bailout funds. The project, in partnership with msnbc.com, uses