First Amendment News

A federal judge ruled that a California State University policy regulated conduct, not speech in denying a religious group access to two campuses for requiring students to be Christians and to reject homosexuality. Every Nation Campus Ministries filed suit in 2005 claiming among other things that the policy violated its free speech rights. -DB San Diego Union-Tribune Feb. 7, 2009 By Greg Moran FEDERAL COURT — A federal judge ruled yesterday that a nondiscrimination policy

A spate of lawsuits, a book and concern over anonymous Internet postings are prompting a debate over the balance between the rights and responsibilities of free speech, a San Francisco Chronicle story says. – DR Web 2.0 defamation lawsuits multiply Deborah Gage, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, February 9, 2009 (02-08) 17:04 PST — The Web 2.0 movement, which ushered in an interactive Internet, sought to put power in the hands of the people by tapping

A Florida student sought revenge on her teacher by inviting other students to vent their “feelings of hatred” against the teacher on Facebook. The case centers on the familiar issue of whether speech crosses the line into harassment and disruption or should be protected as legitimate criticism. -DB New York Times Feb. 8, 2009 By Carmen Gentile MIAMI — Katherine Evans said she was frustrated with her English teacher for ignoring her pleas for help

Plaintiffs from California and Rhode Island are suing Virginia saying that by denying them public records, the state is violating their constitutional rights. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Feb. 3, 2009 By Hannah Bergman Two plaintiffs are challenging Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act in federal court there because it requires requesters to be citizens of the state. The plaintiffs, residents of California and Rhode Island, represented by Georgetown’s Institute for Public

Open government advocates are charging that when state officials wiped out computer files of the ousted three-term speaker of the House, they may have destroyed state records that belong to the taxpaying public. –DB First Amendment Center Feb. 5, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — Before Texas lawmakers voted their three-term speaker of the House out of his powerful job, state officials wiped his computers clean and deleted scores of electronic files, raising concerns that important public