First Amendment News

Not content with bills to restrict public school teachers in addressing race and LGBTQ issues, Republican-controlled state legislatures are proposing laws to make it easier for parents to remove books from school libraries. The move is part of a broader movement to block the “rights revolution” of the last 60 years during which Congress and the Supreme Court strengthened civil rights and liberties. (CNN, April 5, 2022, by Ronald Brownstein) An index of book bans

A bill to protect journalists from revealing confidential sources and to stop federal law enforcement form abusing subpoena power was unanimously approved by the House Judiciary Committee. (Radio Ink, April 8, 2022, by Radio Ink) One of the sponsors of the bill, H.R. 4330, Congressman Jamie Raskin said, “The constitutional promise that no law shall abridge the freedom of the press instructs us to protect journalists from government overreach and abuse of the subpoena power,

The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision to provide records of how the State Department investigates immigrants applying for benefits in order to find ties with terrorism. The court said the rules were created for law enforcement purposes and so exempt under the Freedom of Information Act. (Reuters, April 6, 2022, by Daniel Wiessner)

An inspector general appointed by then President Donald Trump ordered the omission of findings of domestic violence and sexual misconduct by officers in a report on the enforcement agencies of the Department on Homeland Security. One agency settled a complaint with a hefty payment, $255,000 in one case, but there was no evidence of an investigation or discipline of the person responsible. (The New York Times, April 7, 2022, by Chris Cameron) The same inspector