News & Opinion

The U.S. Senate Committee of the Judiciary agreed that the Freedom of Information Act is deficient as requests for information decrease but backlogs increase. (News Media Alliance, March 31, 2022, by Staff) The onset of the pandemic caused delays as certain records were not accessible and Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill. said the volume of e-mails and other electronic records make it impossible for humans to conduct searches and redactions needed for release. Durbin wanted to

A recent decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court reignited the Doe v. McKesson case hanging on a 2019 conservative federal appeals court decision that could make public protest organizers liable for damages or injury during a protest. The appeals court found that when McKesson led demonstrators to occupy a public street, he was then responsible for any of their illegal acts. (Vox, April 2, 2022, by Ian Millhiser) A police officer sued McKesson for injuries

A federal district court jury found that Denver police used excessive force against protesters of the killing of George Floyd in 2020, awarding $14 million in damages to 12 plaintiffs. The jury agreed that the police had not been properly trained and violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights. Denver had since changed its approach, eliminating certain projectiles and providing improved crowd control training. (The New York Times, March 26, 2022, by Sophie Kasakove) It was