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Cases

Decades of legal wisdom and experience

FAC’s greatest asset is the legal wisdom and experience accrued over decades of successfully holding governments accountable at the local, state, and federal levels, supporting journalists and educating people on how to enforce their First Amendment and open government rights.

Featured Case

Sacramento Television Stations, Inc. v. Superior Court

This amicus brief argues that when police officers shoot at people, public agencies have to disclose recordings of the entire incident, not just a snippet before shots are fired, and that agencies cannot withhold such recordings without proving that disclosure would substantially interfere with an ongoing investigation by endangering a witness or confidential source or causing similar harm.

  • Thompson v. Spitzer

    This amicus letter argues law professor Andrea Roth is protected by the reporter shield law and First Amendment against a subpoena issued by the Orange County District Attorney’s office for sources she spoke to for a 2019 law review article about a controversial DNA collection program.

  • Adams v. County of Sacramento

    This amicus brief advocates for a broad definition of “public concern” in the interest of protecting the free speech rights of public employees while still allowing governmental employers to consider the impact of the speech on the workplace.

  • First Amendment Coalition v. Chiu

    FAC and its partners are challenging a California statute that authorizes city attorneys, district attorneys, and the Attorney General to seek civil penalties against anyone who publishes any information related to a sealed arrest record, regardless of how the information was acquired or how newsworthy it is.

  • Doe v. Mill Valley School District

    FAC is representing Holly McDede, a freelance reporter, in a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the release of documents covered by the California Public Records Act (“CPRA”), also known as a “reverse-CPRA” case. McDede covers sexual misconduct in schools, and has previously written about other school employees’ misconduct.

  • Garcia v. County of Alameda

    FAC represents Jose Fermoso, a reporter for The Oaklandside, in a challenge to Alameda County’s sideshow spectator ordinance that criminalizes journalism by making it unlawful to observe a sideshow from any closer than 200 feet.