First Amendment News

Documentary about blacklisted screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, opening in Los Angeles on June 27th, and following in Pasadena and Encino on July 4th, San Francisco on August 15th. ‘TRUMBO’ is a unique film that tells the story of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood 10 who was subpoenaed 1947 by the Committee on Un-American Activities, but would not be intimidated by the witch hunt. Trumbo refused to answer whether or not he was a member

The Supreme Court ruled today in a federal FOIA case that a person contesting an agency’s denial of a record request may file his own suit for disclosure, even though he seeks the very same records that the agency denied in a prior case in which the agency prevailed in court. The case is Taylor v. Sturgell. Here is the text of the Court’s opinion. -PS

SB 1370 SB 1370, the bill sponsored by Senator Leland Yee to protect high school and college journalism instructors from being disciplined or removed for protecting their student’s freedom of the press, will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on June 10th. The bill passed out of the Senate and now must be heard in the Assembly Committee and, then, voted on by the Assembly. SB 1370 comes in the wake of 12 documented

SB 1732 SB 1732, sponsored and campaigned for by Senator Gloria Romero, would overturn the 2006 ruling in Wolf v. City of Fremont that significantly weakened the prohibition against serial meetings. Serial meetings are informal meetings that take place outside of formal public meetings between public official either in person, by proxy or by telephone or email in an attempt to discuss public business without being subject to public scrutiny. Serial meetings are prohibited under