Public schools are still outlawing bracelets worn to increase awareness of breast cancer in spite of a key federal court ruling last year upholding the rights of students to wear them. -db From a commentary for the First Amendment Center, May 24, 2012, by David L. Hudson Jr. Full story
A federal court lowered the boom on the Wayne Local School District in Ohio, ordering them to pay $20,000 in damages to a gay student for banning his T-shirt “Jesus Is Not A Homophobe.” In banning the T-shirt, the principal told the student that the “T-shirt had to do with religion and religion and state have to be separate,” and the T-shirt was “disrupting the educational process.” -db From the Cincinnati CityBeat, May 22, 2012,
The House of Representatives approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill requiring the Attorney General to investigate leaks of information involving ‘the military, intelligence and operational capabilities of the United States and Israel.” -db From Secrecy News, May 21, 2012 by Steven Aftergood. Full story
Despite recent court victories and widespread editorializing in support of journalists covering protests, the Chicago police were busy at the NATO summit roughing up one journalist, arresting a photographer and grabbing cell phones and erasing footage of an encounter. -db From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, May 21, 2012, by Emily Miller. Full story
A federal district judge ruled that a provision of a Utah law could not be enforced that allowed prosecution of website operators and content providers for posting pornography. The law was designed to protect children from adult content. -db From the Deseret News, May 18, 2012, by Dennis Romboy. Full story