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First Amendment News

Judge rules out TV for closing arguments in Prop. 8 hearing

donal brown June 10, 2010

Federal Judge Vaughn Walker denied a media request to televise arguments in the California same-sex marriage trial without providing reasons for his decision. -db San Francisco Chronicle June 10, 2010 By Bob Egelko SAN FRANCISCO — The only members of the public who will get to watch next week’s closing arguments in the trial over same-sex marriage in California will be the ones who make it to the courthouse. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker

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China reaffirms online censorship policy

donal brown June 10, 2010

While claiming to safeguard free speech, the Chinese government issued a long list of online speech it considers undesirable. -db CNET AllThingsD Commentary June 9, 2010 By John Paczkowski Though it has given no indication otherwise, China would like the world to know that it has no plans to allow free access to online content–Google’s “new approach” to the country be damned. In a lengthy white paper titled “The Internet in China,” China’s State Council

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Federal court allows New York police to keep convention surveillance records secret

donal brown June 10, 2010

The New York City Police Department won a victory as the 2nd Circuit panel ruled that it did not have to release police surveillance records gathered before the 2004 Republican National Convention. The panel found in this case that police privilege trumped the public’s right to know. -db Courthouse News Service June 9, 2010 By Nick Divito (CN) – New York City can keep secret 1,800 pages of undercover police surveillance records gathered in the

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Freedom of Information Act requests down in 2009

donal brown June 8, 2010

The Obama administration attributes a significant drop in FOIA requests in 2009 to their efforts to post more government data online. But a recent report said that less than a third of federal agencies had changed their FOIA procedures since his first day in office when President Obama ordered them to “adopt a presumption in favor” of requests. -db The Washington Post June 7, 2010 By Ed O’Keefe Formal requests for federal data and information

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Texas high school principal pulls newspaper for pro-marijuana editorial

donal brown June 8, 2010

A Texas high school newspaper adviser resigned after the principal pulled an issue of the school newspaper that contained an editorial advocating legalizing marijuana, saying that the censorship was supported by the community and in its best interests. The superintendent claimed the editorial conflicted with the educational goals of the district in discouraging illegal drug use. -db Student Press Law Center June 7, 2010 By Josh Moore TEXAS — The newspaper adviser at Big Spring

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