First Amendment News

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry sued reporter Andrea Gallo for submitting a public records request to obtain a copy of the original complaint of sexual harassment in Landry’s office. An staff editorial in Gallo’s newspaper, The Advocate, February 9, 2021, asks the public to join in the fight for open government by filing their own public records request for the sexual harassment complaint. A Ferris State University professor, Thomas Brennan, was fired for racist and

The nonprofit States Newsroom provides readers with statehouse coverage showing that local and state news need not perish. It plans to open five outlets this year in Idaho, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon and New Mexico while providing a free syndication service of statehouse coverage to other news organizations. Begun in 2017 in Nevada, Florida and Virginia, it has now created 17 news outlets. (Poynter, February 26, 2021, by Angela Fu) For related FAC coverage,

Former President Donald Trump signed a bill setting up a board to release records of unsolved murders from the civil rights era. The new law required the president to appoint a five member board to start the review process, but Trump never complied with the law. The National Archives has already found the records needed for a cold case collection, but cannot act until the review board asks the attorney general to unseal court documents

After months of delay the U.S. Supreme Court acted on an emergency request from the Manhattan District Attorney for former President Donald Trump’s tax records. With no noted dissents, the Court rejected Trump’s bid to keep the records sealed. It is thought that the investigation into his affairs involve tax violations and insurance and banking fraud. (CNBC, February 22, 2021, by Tucker Higgins and Dan Mangan) Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance obtained more than tax

The U.S. Supreme Court has delayed the release of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns for four months after an emergency filing related to a Manhattan grand jury subpoena of the returns. The delay prompted speculation about divisions in the Court and the need to dispel any appearance of partisan politics. The Roberts court is on the record stating that not even a president is exempt from producing evidence in a criminal proceeding. (CNN, February