News & Opinion

Over 100 Yale Law School students staged a raucous protest that resulted in police escorting forum panelists from the building at the conclusion of the event. The forum featured representatives from the progressive American Humanist Association and the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom that advocates for religious liberty. (The Washington Free Beacon, March 16, 2022, by Aaron Sibarium) Megan McArdle of The Washington Post, March 19, 2022, writes “The Yale Law students who tried to exercise

This year’s Sunshine Week, March 13 to 19, established to promote open government, finds five Pennsylvania news outlets suing for access to judicial records. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, March 21, 2022, by Gillian Vernick) The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG) reports that with the pandemic and government staffing shortages, their hotline is recording record numbers of citizen reports of ignored or denied record requests and government meetings held without required

A Mississippi administrator found himself canned for reading a book to second graders that referred to farting and described rear ends in various colors, shapes and sizes. (The New York Times, March 11, 2022, by Maria Cramer and Isabella Grullon Paz) Prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against a woman who accused a nurse employed at a college with making misleading public statements against mask-wearing and vaccinations. (The Livingston Post, March 10, 2022, by Jon

Reporters and photojournalists have been killed covering the war in Ukraine. Beyond dodging lethal force, they have had difficulties embedding with Ukrainian forces and convincing villagers they are not spies. As with others in battle zones, they endure the emotional toll of seeing the dead. (Committee to Protect Journalists, March 14, 2022, by Natalie Gryvnyak) Small Ukrainian news outlets are continuing to report the news founded through online contributions and stocking up on bulletproof vests,

Free Press’ Nora Benavidez, Georgia Recorder, March 8, 2022, slammed SB 171 for its potential to violate citizen’s free speech rights. The law requires a permit for any protest leaving the choice of protests up to enforcement agencies. It would restrict the free speech rights of state employees. Local governments would be liable for damages resulting from failure to provide protection during protests and expands the definition of “unlawful” assembly.”This is a recipe for disaster,