First Amendment News

Already in trouble with declining ad revenues, newspapers are facing a potentially disastrous blow over tariffs recently imposed on Canadian newsprint. The U.S. Commerce Department initiated the tariffs in response to a hedge fund-owned paper company in Washington state that claimed Canadian firms benefited from government subsidies. The tariffs would drive up the costs of production as much as 40 percent resulting in layoffs of reporters and less local news. (San Francisco Chronicle, April 16,

Three news outlets are suing California for blocking access to how it conducts executions at San Quentin State Prison. California has put into effect rules that allow lethal drugs to be prepared and injected into inmates in a separate “infusion control room” out of public sight. During the process, the public can view the inmate in a separate “lethal injection room.” The outlets claim they should have access to all aspects to allow them to

Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, April 12, 2018, writes that National Enquirer had a history of paying off those with stories of President Donald Trump’s dalliances. That history strengthens the case of Trump accusers, Stephanie Clifford and Karen McDougal who are suing with the claim that hush money paid to them were made to illegally influence the 2016 presidential campaign or violated the campaign finance law. The Enquirer claims any decision to withhold stories were

The anti-sex trafficking bill signed by President Donald Trump is forcing internet sites to reject sex-related ads. Sites such as Backpage had long defended their sex advertising on the grounds of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that made providers free of liability for users’ content. The new law specifies that Section 230 does not apply to sex trafficking or prostitution. Backpage executives were charged a few days ago for facilitating prostitution, money laundering

A Texas state district judge dismissed felony charges against Priscilla Villarreal, a self-styled local journalist who posted police dispatches on Facebook. The Laredo Police Department upset a number of her 82,000 followers when they arrested her on charges of “misuse of official information.” The judge ruled there was no legal restrictions on the police dispatches, and she had not used them for her own benefit. Legal experts think Villarreal would have won on First Amendment