News & Opinion

A federal district judge found some grounds for a First Amendment challenge of a new Florida law mandating annual surveys of political beliefs at public colleges, passed by conservative lawmakers to ensure “freedom and viewpoint diversity.” (24 News, April 12, 2022, by Zachary Rogers) Drake Brignac in the Reveille, April 14, 2022, claims that when the Louisiana State University student Election Commission struck the F— word from the name of a ticket, they were striking

Experts on information manipulation found that some American right wing politicians and media hosts are bonding with Russia in promoting lies about the invasion of Ukraine. “A feedback loop between the Kremlin and parts of the American right has been palpable since the war’s start in February,” writes Peter Stone, “which Moscow falsely labeled as a ‘special military operation’ aimed at stopping ‘genocide’ of Russians in Ukraine and ‘denazification’ – two patently bogus charges that

Not content with bills to restrict public school teachers in addressing race and LGBTQ issues, Republican-controlled state legislatures are proposing laws to make it easier for parents to remove books from school libraries. The move is part of a broader movement to block the “rights revolution” of the last 60 years during which Congress and the Supreme Court strengthened civil rights and liberties. (CNN, April 5, 2022, by Ronald Brownstein) An index of book bans

A bill to protect journalists from revealing confidential sources and to stop federal law enforcement form abusing subpoena power was unanimously approved by the House Judiciary Committee. (Radio Ink, April 8, 2022, by Radio Ink) One of the sponsors of the bill, H.R. 4330, Congressman Jamie Raskin said, “The constitutional promise that no law shall abridge the freedom of the press instructs us to protect journalists from government overreach and abuse of the subpoena power,

The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision to provide records of how the State Department investigates immigrants applying for benefits in order to find ties with terrorism. The court said the rules were created for law enforcement purposes and so exempt under the Freedom of Information Act. (Reuters, April 6, 2022, by Daniel Wiessner)