FAC conducts a program of strategic litigation by initiating “test case” lawsuits to resolve key legal issues in a way that maximizes chances for a favorable outcome, with potentially far-reaching effects.
Motion by lawyers for Armando Cruz, charged in rape and murder of 13-year-old Bakersfield girl, seeks to block press and public from all pretrial hearings The First Amendment Coalition is fighting to ensure hearings in a Bakersfield death penalty case remain open to the press and public. FAC’s brief, now
Bryan Carmody and First Amendment Coalition v. Federal Bureau of InvestigationU.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, 20-cv-04809 Updated March 23, 2021: FAC and client Bryan Carmody reached a settlement with the FBI, after the government produced disclosable records and agreed to pay FAC $25,000 in attorney fees
The Kern County Superior Court has rescinded a problematic order used for months to block people from entering its courthouses, an important step in restoring the public’s First Amendment right of access to hearings and trials in one of California’s largest metropolitan areas. Court officials in Bakersfield issued a new
BAKERSFIELD — A cornerstone of our democracy is that court hearings and trials are not held in secret. But that’s what happening in Kern County Superior Court where proceedings — including jury trials — are being held out of public view. In-person access was originally cut off because of the
A California appeal court today issued an important opinion affirming the public’s right of access to court records. The Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles sided with FAC and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, finding that records in a civil case had been improperly hidden from the public. A
The First Amendment Coalition has prevailed in a lawsuit against the city of Bakersfield, with a judge ruling that the city council violated open-government laws when it held three closed-door sessions to discuss city finances and then refused to release public records related to those meetings. The ruling, a complete