First Amendment News

During the protests over the shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, police officers forced reporters to lie on the pavement until they could be photographed. It was unclear why they wanted photos when the reporters all had press credentials and other identification. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, April 25, 2021, by Grayson Clary) In taking the photos, police ignored a judge’s order to stop arresting and using force against journalists. Ultimately, the Minnesota

At least 83 countries used the pandemic to violate free speech and assembly rights and have targeted opposition groups and critics of government health initiatives. A record number of journalist found themselves imprisoned in 2020. (The Washington Post, April 20, 2021, by Ishaan Tharoor) Gerry Simpson of the Human Rights Watch, February 11, 2021, said “Governments should counter Covid-19 by encouraging people to mask up, not shut up. Beating, detaining, prosecuting, and censoring peaceful critics

The Arizona Senate’s recount of the 2020 election in Maricopa County proceeded without the watchful eyes of reporters. Arizona Republicans are conducting the recount even without any credible evidence of fraud or erroneous procedures. A Senate press briefing left crucial questions unanswered including details of how the recount will be conducted and who is paying for the recount. A reporter for the Arizona Republic could only get into the recount building as a volunteer working

The U.S. Supreme is hearing an important First Amendment case this week on the California law requiring nonprofit groups to reveal the names and addresses of major donors. Conservative organizations claim the law puts an unconstitutional damper on freedom of association. The law, they say, “poses an imminent danger of hate mail, violence, ostracization and boycotts. Only the most stalwart supporters will give money under such a toxic cloud.” Those supporting the law argue that

The American Civil Liberties Union wants to bring transparency to the foreign intelligence wiretapping court with the argument to the Supreme Court that the public has a First Amendment right to view the secret rulings. The wiretapping court was established by Congress in 1978 to establish a warrant requirement for wiretapping domestically in intelligence or counter terrorism investigations. (The New York Times, April 19, 2021, by Charlie Savage) The George W. Bush Solicitor General Theodore