First Amendment News

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on a First Amendment case involving Morgan Hill, California high school students’ wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Fearing disruption, administrators ordered the students to turn their shirts inside out or go home. At the time, the parents said their students did not intend to show disrespect for other students but wanted to display their patriotism. (Time, October 17, 2013, by Nate Rawlings)

Inspired by the videos of a popular online figure who goes by the name Otario Anonymous, Brazilians are debating the role of free expression. A mutual fund won a case against Google for removing Anonymous from the Internet after he warned consumers against hidden fees charged by the fund. Free speech is in the Brazilian constitution but there are no laws protecting service providers from responsibility for content. Google is appealing. (The Wall Street Journal,

New York Times reporter James Risen lost a bid to obtain an en banc hearing before the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He is now expected to take his case to the Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the court ruled 2-1 in July to order Risen to testify in the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a C.I.A. officer under prosecution for violating the Espionage Act in revealing secret information to Risen for his b2006