News & Opinion

Requiring permits to feed homeless in parks upheld

Organizations feeding large groups of people in Orlando, FL now need to obtain a permit, according to a new ordinance. The ordinance does not violate First Amendment Law, the court ruled. -SMD First Amendment Center News/ Commentary July 9, 2010 By David L. Hundson Jr. An Orlando, Fla., ordinance that requires groups to obtain a permit before “large group feedings” in its park district does not violate the First Amendment or religious-liberty rights under Florida

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House votes to block Net porn on government PCs

Government computers need to block porn sites, decided the U.S. House of Representatives after a recent vote. -SMD CNET News July 9, 2010 By Declan McCullagh A recent vote in the U.S. House of Representatives seemed straightforward enough: government computers must block viewing or downloading porn. After all, a series of news reports have highlighted, in scandalous detail, how some financial regulators earning six-figure salaries were watching porn at work as Wall Street imploded. So, as

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Supreme Court rules college can deny funding to Christian group

The Supreme Court has ruled that Hastings College of The Law in San Francisco can legally deny recognition to a Christian Student group that openly discriminates against homosexuals. The Examiner First Amendment/Commentary July 8, 2010 By Ana Kasparian The 5-4 ruling indicates that the Christian Legal Society will not get funding or official recognition from the public law school. Hastings has a strict nondiscrimination policy and does not recognize anycampus group that excludes people due to religious

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Court battle for filmmaker’s footage spurs national debate [VIDEO]

Joe Berlinger’s fight against big oil giant Chevron Corporation seeking raw documentary footage collected for his film Crude: The Real Price of Oil, has spurred a national debate on the reporter’s privilege. The breadth of the protection given to unpublished newsgathering materials is at stake.  -SMD First Amendment Citizen Media Law Project By Itai Maytal July 7, 2010 On July 14, lawyers for filmmaker Joe Berlinger will go before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New

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Hard times for Illinois, but not for governor’s staff

Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Illinois, has been raising staff members’ salaries, while cutting back spending costs, the Associated Press reports. -SMD AP News July 7, 2010 By JOHN O’CONNOR SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises — some of more than 20 percent — to his staff while proclaiming a message of “shared sacrifice” and planning spending cuts of $1.4 billion because the state is awash in debt. The Democrat has given

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