legal work

Strategic Litigaton

LEGAL WORK

Strategic Litigation

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.

Kern County Superior Court Rescinds Public Access Ban

The Kern County Superior Court has rescinded a problematic order used for months to block people from entering its courthouses, an important step in restoring the public’s First Amendment right of access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

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FAC, ACLU Sue for Public Access to Kern County Superior Court

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

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Victory: California Appeal Court Orders Records Unsealed

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

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FAC Moves to Unseal Records in BART Station Murder Case

The First Amendment Coalition today asked a judge to unseal records in the criminal case against John Lee Cowell, the man charged in the stabbing death of teenager Nia Wilson at an Oakland BART station in 2018. FAC’s motion to unseal comes after Cowell’s attorney filed a secret motion to

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