Freedom of Speech/Press News

Free speech: Federal appeals court rules man can pursue suit over firing from government job

A former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo fired from his job at the Library of Congress for criticizing the Obama administration in op-ed pieces in major newspapers can pursue his case against the library to get his job back according to a ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.  -db From a commentary for the American Civil Liberties Union, June 1, 2012, by Josh Bell. Full story    

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New York court rules falsely calling someone ‘gay’ no longer defamatory

A New York appeals court decided that a upper New York state man could not sue for defamation after someone called him gay. The court argued that the history of legal precedents on the act was based on the assumption that it was a disgrace to be described as gay which is now no longer the case. -db From the New York Post, May 31, 2012, by Dareh Gregorian. Full story    

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News Corp could face some 500 claims in phone-hacking scandal

Lawyers in a British court said that there could be as many as 500 civil claims over illegal phone hacking by reporters for the now defunct News of the World tabloid owned by News Corp. One hundred and ten suits have been filed already and about half of those settled including high profile cases brought by Charlotte Church, Jude Law and Steve Coogan. -db From the Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2012, by Paul Sonne.

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