News & Opinion

First Amendment areas proposed for INTRUST Bank Arena [VIDEO]

Sedgwick County, Kansas, is setting up three permanent First Amendment areas for protesters to gather at will– SMD KWCH 12 Eyewitness News July 13, 2010 By Rebecca Gannon The next time you head to an event at Wichita’s INTRUST Bank Arena, watch where you walk. On Wednesday, Sedgwick County Officials will ask certain areas be protected — for protestors. Since the Intrust Bank Arena opened in January, more than 288,600 people have gone to a show

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China Renews Google’s License

Google said that Beijing agreed to renew the company’s license to operate a Web site in mainland China, months after Google said it would stop censoring search results in China. Google’s challenge of Beijing’s authority, which followed a series of sophisticated online attacks which Google said originated in China, put into question Google’s ability to do any business in the world’s largest Internet market. Google’s chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, said Friday that the renewal

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7th Circuit holds blogger can be prosecuted for threatening juror

The federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held in late June that a blogger can be prosecuted for threatening and posting personal information about a juror who had helped convict a leader of a white supremacist organization. -SMD Citizen Media Law Project News July 12, 2010 By Eric P. Robinson An alleged white supremacist can be prosecuted under a federal solicitation statute for posting on his blog the name, address and photograph of a juror

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Guam Board of Allied Health Examiners bans recording devices from board meetings

No recording devices or cell phones are allowed at the Government of Guam Board Meetings, according to a recent Guam Board Resolution. Senator Tina Muña Barnes accuses GBAHE of violating the First Amendment. -SMD Pacific News Center News July 12, 2010 By Guam News Guam – Senator Tina Muña Barnes has written a letter to Attorney General John Weisenberger seeking an opinion on the legality of a Guam Board of Allied Health Examiners [ GBAHE

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Iowans lack clear relief when open government requests are denied

Public records requests are often denied to citizens of Iowa, who have no way to ensure that the state’s Sunshine Laws are properly followed.  -SMD The Iowa Independent News/Commentary July 12, 2010 By Adam B. Sullivan From rural township boards to the governor’s office, each level of government in Iowa is responsible for carrying out the state’s open records and open meetings law. And when disagreements occur or citizens run into a roadblock in their pursuit

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