First Amendment News

A Florida man gained a victory in the U. S. Supreme Court who ruled 8-1 that he had been denied his free speech rights when he was arrested for disrupting a lawful assembly when addressing the City of Riviera Beach city council meeting during a public comment session. The court remanded the case to the appellate level for reconsideration. (25boston.com, June 18, 2018, by Jessica Gresko of The Associated Press) The council claimed they could

Prominent tech companies found little support from the federal intelligence services in their efforts to gear up for anticipated Russian interference in the upcoming elections. The companies, especially Facebook, are under pressure to counter Russian “disinformation” but were denied details about Russian methods in a meeting with a representative of the new federal “foreign influence” task force. Congress has also been frustrated in gathering information about the threat citing poor coordination between intelligence agencies in

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California’s law requiring “pro-life” pregnancy centers to inform clients about abortion options violated the First Amendment. In the 5-4 decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy concurred with the majority noting, “Governments must not be allowed to force persons to express a message contrary to their deepest convictions. Freedom of speech secures freedom of thought and belief. This law imperils those liberties.”  (The New York Times, June 26, 2018. by Adam Liptak)

Recent events show the immigration system lacks transparency critical to reunite parents and children separated under President Donald’s Trump order. Among a number of recommendations, Open the Government is asking Congress to require companies contracted to retain undocumented immigrants to open their operations to the public. (Open Government, June 21, 2018, press release) The problems have persisted for years if not decades. A 2015 report showed that there was poor transparency and accountability in the

The American Civil Liberties Union will determine if their aggressive defense of the First Amendment hurts their fight for social justice, racial equality and women’s rights. A leaked memo says that the ACLU will look at examine each free speech case before undertaking it to assess “factors such as the (present and historical) context of the proposed speech; the potential effect on marginalized communities; the extent to which the speech may assist in advancing the