Search

Categories

Total Results

No Record Found

View All Results
DONATE

News & Opinion

Supreme Court punts on social media cases

donal brown January 24, 2023

In asking the Biden administration to weigh in on the constitutionality of Florida and Texas laws preventing social media companies from removing posts based on content, the court is delaying a decision on this key First Amendment issue. The court may now hear arguments no sooner than October. (The New York Times, January 23, 2023, by Adam Liptak) The court asked for the views of the solicitor general on the laws that would restrict Facebook,

Read More »

California open government roundup: Records of professor’s alleged plagiarism can be disclosed

donal brown January 21, 2023

A California court of appeals found that UC Irvine can release records under the California Public Records Act pertaining to alleged plagiarism in articles submitted to various academic journals. The assistant professor submitting the articles filed an injunction to prevent release. (Reason, January 14, 2023, by Eugene Volokh) The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow an option for city officials to hold remote meetings. That arrangement would require an amendment to the Brown Act,

Read More »

Florida courts tussling with constitutionality of new protest law

donal brown January 17, 2023

The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is seeking the help of the Florida Supreme Court in deciding when protests turn into rioting under the Combating Public Disorder Act. The appeals court wants some clarification before deciding if the law violates the First Amendment. (Miami New Times, January 11, 2023, by Naomi Feinstein) Backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the law stimulated that a person is guilty of rioting if one “willfully participates in a

Read More »

Michigan electors suing imposters

donal brown January 17, 2023

Three Michigan Electoral College voters sued electors pretending to be official. The true electors maintained in the suit that they were caused stress and anguish “by having their legitimacy questioned and “their integrity falsely and publicly denigrated.” (MLive, January 13, 2023, by Ben Orner) The lawsuit further alleged that the defendants violated Michigan law attempting obstruction of electors in exercising their duties and committed election law forgery. The electors seek $25,000 in damages. (Michigan Advance,

Read More »