First Amendment News

To stem violence, public schools limit speech

Fear of violence in public schools is fueling a clamp down on student expression. And the new restrictions are generally being upheld by the courts, according to this story in today’s New York Times: By DAN SLATER With the nation’s school systems roiled by campus shootings over the past decade, and on the lookout for conflict, students are being asked to check a broader array of free-speech rights at the door — raising questions about

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Governor signs journalism teacher protection law

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation sponsored by CNPA to shield high school and college journalism advisers from discipline or removal from their positions for refusing to censor stories published in student newspapers, reports the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the bill’s sponsor. SB 1370 by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), would specifically prohibit a school employer from dismissing, suspending, disciplining, reassigning, transferring, or otherwise retaliating against an employee solely for acting to protect a pupil

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VA Court: Anti-spam law violates free speech rights

The Virginia Supreme Court, in a case involving the first felony conviction of a spammer in the U.S., has ruled that the state’s anti-spamming law violates First Amendment protections for anonymous speech. Arthur Bright at the Citizen Media Law Project reports on the decision: It looks like Jeremy Jaynes, the first person in the United States to be convicted of a felony for spamming, is going to get a free pass, thanks to a decision

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Tobacco Co. claims 1st Amdt bars San Fran ban on cigarette sales in pharmacies

Tobacco company Philip Morris has filed suit to challenge, on first amendment grounds, a new San Francisco law banning sales of cigarettes in pharmacies. The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the legal arguments used by the company and the city: (10-09) 17:58 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — Philip Morris’ argument that San Francisco’s new ban on tobacco sales in drugstores violates freedom of speech was derided Thursday by the city’s lawyers, who said the First Amendment

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