First Amendment News

State legislatures and agencies have been eroding the public’s right to know over the past few years. In Kentucky the attorney general’s office decided that government correspondence on private devices such as cell phones were not part of the public record. Florida has undermined its staunch public records law with over 1,100 exemptions for information that could be withheld from the press and public. Other roadblocks entail transferring government records to nonprofit or for-profit companies

Even though charges were dismissed against reporter Manuel Duran for refusing an order to clear out during a protect over the jailing of undocumented immigrants, he was transferred to a jail run by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And there he has remained since April 3. Ten years ago Duran fled El Salvador out of concern for his safety and ended up in Memphis working for Las Noticias. His supporters claim he has been

Citing the ongoing investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed a brief to block the unsealing of secret court filings. Mueller’s team indicated that the investigation could be jeopardized by releasing the records. A coalition of news outlets asked federal judge Amy Berman Jackson to release warrants and other orders issued during the investigation given the importance of the investigation in U.S. history. (Politico, May 23, 2018, by Josh

Families of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and an FBI agent are suing a conservative radio show host for calling the shooting fake, an event staged by the families. Twenty students and six educators died at the Connecticut school in 2012. Alex Jones has for years called the shooting a hoax and incited his listeners to strike back. In one lawsuit, the families and the FBI agent said they have been “forced

Finding that President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter was political and therefore a “public forum,” a federal judge ruled that the president could not block Twitter users from his account for hostile or contrary expressions. The ruling marks a significant step in freeing social media from viewpoint discrimination.  (San Francisco Chronicle, May 23, 2018, by Benny Evangelista) Law professor Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, May 24, 2018, points out that the judge, Naomi Reice Buchwald, backed