First Amendment News

China trip: Obama’s call for greater Internet freedom gets mixed reception

Chinese citizens were glad to hear U.S. President Barack Obama’s support for greater Internet freedom in China but were skeptical about the impact of his comments. The Chinese government censored the comments on the official news agency and deleted them from Web sites. -DB Radio Free Asia November 17, 2009 SHANGHAI — Chinese Internet users gave mixed reactions to calls from visiting U.S. President Barack Obama for freedom of information online during a town-hall meeting

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Two Germans sue Wikipedia for violation of privacy

In a case pitting German privacy law against the U.S. First Amendment, two Germans convicted of murdering an actor in 1990 are suing Wikipedia for posting their names online, an act that they claim violates their privacy now that they have served their time and are out of prison. -DB The New York Times November 12, 2009 By John Schwartz Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber became infamous for killing a German actor in 1990. Now they

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First Amendment advocate criticizes prosecutor’s subpoena of personal records in Innocence Project

Gene Policinski of the First Amendment Center says Chicago’s Cook County investigation of Medill ‘Innocence Project’ could chill students’ reporting, and time spent on the investigation would be better spent investigating the evidence presented by the students that a man was wrongly convicted of murder. -DB First Amendment Center Commentary November 15, 2009 By Gene Policinski A scene in the 1987 movie “The Untouchables” shows Sean Connery as a Chicago beat cop instructing federal agent Kevin

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Supreme Court refuses to hear Miami book banning case

In refusing to hear a Miami book  banning case, the Supreme Court left in place a ruling by a federal appeals court that the Miami school board could remove a book from the school libraries because it presented too rosy a picture of life in Cuba under the communists. -DB Miami Herald November 16, 2009 By Kathleen McGrory The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case challenging a Miami-Dade School Board decision to remove

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Secretary of Defense blocks release of torture photos

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates used powers granted to him under new legislation passed last month to exempt the photos of abuse of detainees from the Freedom of Information Act. The new law provides exemptions for records deemed harmful to national security. -DB American Civil Liberties Union Press Release November 14, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a brief filed late Friday night, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates invoked his authority to block the release of photos

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