First Amendment News

The Fourth District appeals court ruled that the public had the right to the records of private immigrant detention centers in California. Immigration lawyers cited the Public Records Act in seeking records of a facility in Imperial County where 680 immigrants were held under decent conditions but without mental health services or much access to legal aid. For related FAC coverage, click here and here.

Journalists won an important settlement with Minnesota in a lawsuit initiated by journalists injured or harassed during protests over police killings of George Floyd and Daunte Wright. The state will pay $825,000 in damages to journalists assaulted and injured and agreed to change several policies. Minnesota will submit to independent review of complaints of mistreatment of the press and issue body camera to all troopers. (The Associated Press, February 9, 2022) The judge issued a

Journalist Jeremy Portje sued the city of Sausalito and its police department after he was injured videotaping police interaction with the homeless. Portje said the police gave no warnings or asked him to move back. (ABC30, February 22, 2022, by Liz Kreutz) The Marin County Attorney investigated the incident and declined to prosecute Portje after the police said he swung a camera in an officer’s face, giving him a black eye and a small cut.

Lack of parental demand is not deterring Republicans from introducing laws to ban teachers from discussing certain topics in the classroom including race and LGBTQ+ issues. In 2021 there were 155 bills in 38 states censoring teachers in the classroom. (The Guardian, February 21, 2022, by Adam Gabbatt) The sponsors of a Florida law to ban classroom discussions to indoctrinate cultural guilt in students contend that nothing in the bill prohibits the teaching of facts

A federal district judge took an unfavorable view of the new Texas law making it a criminal offense for election workers to encourage voters to request mail-in ballots. The judge issued an injunction on enforcing the law, ruling that it likely violates the First Amendment. (The Texas Tribune, February 11, 2022. by Alexa Ura) Local election officials complained in court about the law stifling their interaction with voters. Judge Xavier Rodriguez agreed that the law