Search

Categories

Total Results

No Record Found

View All Results
DONATE

News & Opinion

Join us in urging the Governor to sign SB 914 to protect privacy and free speech rights

FAC September 21, 2011

BY PETER SCHEER–Sitting on Governor Brown’s desk right now is SB 914, a First Amendment Coalition-sponsored bill that would restrict warrantless police searches of citizens’ cellphones. Won’t you please  join our Petition urging the Governor to sign this important safeguard of personal privacy and free speech rights. Why is SB 914 needed? Imagine you are observing a demonstration and are swept up in a mass arrest of protesters. You could be a journalist, a blogger,

Read More »

Online journalism flourishes in Egypt, just don’t criticize the military

donal brown September 20, 2011

Egypt is a hotbed of online journalism as citizen journalists are becoming celebrities and news agencies are using Facebook. There is more activity online than ever before including campaigns for the poor and against  police brutality and corruption in business and government. But it is clear that although there is no prior restraint, you could be arrested for criticizing the government currently run by the military. -db From MediaShift, September 19, 2011, by Hanna Sistek

Read More »

Creditor moves to seize Righthaven assets

donal brown September 20, 2011

A man awarded legal fees for defending himself against a Righthaven copyright lawsuit asked a judge to authorize  U.S. Marshalls to seize Righthaven’s bank accounts, property and other assets. Righthaven missed the deadline to pay the $34,000 in fees. Righthaven CEO Steve Gibson said his firm would be vindicated for suing the man who had published an editorial verbatim on the website to prompt discussion of public employee pensions. -db From Wired, September 19, 2011,

Read More »

Florida man pulled over for flashing headlights to warn of police presence

donal brown September 20, 2011

A man flashing his headlights to warn other drivers of two Florida Highway Patrol cars was pulled over and issued a ticket, one of a number of incidents in Florida that pits the need to keep citizens from interfering with law enforcement against the preservation of free speech rights. David L. Hudson Jr. of the First Amendment Center said that courts have ruled that a wide variety of non-verbal acts such as honking and flashing

Read More »

Teacher loses free speech case over display of ‘In God We Trust’ banner

donal brown September 20, 2011

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals invoked the Supreme Court decision Garcetti v. Caballos in ruling that a math teacher does not have a First Amendment right to display banners with such messages as “In God We Trust” in his classroom. Garcetti established that public employees have no right to free speech when speaking as employees rather than citizens. Writing for the First Amendment Center, David L. Hudson Jr. says while there are reasons

Read More »