First Amendment News

Will Aviles in Lincoln Journal Star, May 27, 2020, writes that with meatpacking plants remaining open as essential to the nation’s food supply, the owners in Nebraska have acted slowly to provide hazard pay, personal protective equipment and other safety measures. They also refuse to reveal the number of cases in a plant. The CDC reports 5,00 cases of Covid-19 in meatpacking plants across the country, but a nonprofit, Food & Entertainment Reporting Network, estimated

California state legislators are becoming increasingly concerned that Governor Gavin Newsom is assuming too much power as he invoked emergency powers to deal with the pandemic. The legislative Analyst’s Office said in drafting a new budget, he made decisions without involving the legislature. (KCRA 3 Sacramento, May 21, 2020, by Kevin Riggs) A citizen alleges that the Tehama County Board of Supervisors violated the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, on a number of

Adam Laxalt of Fox News, May 20, 2020, writes that freedom of information laws are vital during the pandemic in holding public officials accountable. He cites the case of Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer who used emergency powers to turn down a request for information about a no-bid contract awarded to Democratic political data firm to conduct coronavirus-contact-tracing surveys. In Salt lake City, reporter Jay Evensen, Deseret News, May 19, 2020, complains that the public was

The House Judiciary Committee will not have immediate access to the Mueller grand jury evidence it requested as part of its impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump over a year ago. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Trump to file an appeal that will delay the process until after the November election. (National Public Radio, May 20, 2020, by Nina Totenberg) Lower courts ruled for the House committee citing federal court decisions allowing the disclosure of

More evidence that the news media is in the dumpster emerged this week with the news that 500 workers lost their jobs last week. The layoffs occurred at Vice, Quartz, The Economist, Conde Nast and Buzzfeed. It is now abundantly clear the industry needs a new business model apart from ad revenue and subscription income. (Axios, May 20, 2020, by Sara Fischer and Scott Rosenberg) During the pandemic, people are clamoring for news, but ad