First Amendment News

City fails to invoke SLAPP to shut down investigation of acts of public officials

The Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled when a lawyer hired a private investigator to look into allegations that a Morgan Hill city attorney was having an affair with the city manager, that that inquiry was protected activity. -DB Metropolitan News-Enterprise September 22, 2009 By Sherri M. Okamoto A lawyer who hired a private investigator to determine whether a city attorney was engaged in an inappropriate romantic relationship with the city manager and was later

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Soft money: Federal appeals court rules campaign finance reform violates free speech rights

A federal appeals court struck down a regulation designed to limit campaign spending by independent political groups to influence elections. The regulation was designed to meet the challenge of such groups as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and MoveOn.org which spent millions on aggressive ads in the 2004 presidential campaign. -DB The Washington Post September 19, 2009 By Del Quentin Wilber and Dan Eggen A federal appeals court overturned hard-fought campaign finance reform regulations in

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Bloggers not protected in shield law under consideration in Senate

An amendment to a federal shield bill for journalists ostensibly excludes bloggers and internet journalists. Under the bill now being hammered out in the Senate, to enjoy protection, a reporter may have to be employed by a recognized news organization. -DB Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press September 18, 2009 By Christina Abello An amendment to the bipartisan Senate bill that would create a federal shield law for journalists will likely exclude many bloggers

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Music industry enlisting school children in its campaign on copyright law

The efforts of the Recording Industry of American (RIAA) to indoctrinate school children to educate their peers about copyright law has raised hackles at the Electronic Frontier Foundation(EFF). The EFF says the RIAA curriculum is full of falsehoods and omissions and fails to educate children about their digital rights. -DB Electronic Frontier Foundation Editorial September 17, 2009 By Tim Jones Last week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced an update to Music-Rules!, its

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