First Amendment
Trump insulted America’s first amendment by cancelling Eid celebrations
There are around three million Muslims in the United States. It’s not as many as the 54 million that Americans estimated there to be in a 2016 Ipsos …
Donald TrumpIn a digital, diverse America, the First Amendment matters more than ever, forum shows
Is it unconstitutional for President Trump to block his Twitter critics?<p>Should colleges have so-called safe spaces for students with opposing …
Bill Of RightsFlorida lawmakers generally gt law scores in supported government transparency and open-record laws
Florida lawmakers received a final grade on their support for public-records laws during this year’s legislative session in Tallahassee — a score …
OpinionThree Thoughts on the Masterpiece Cakeshop Cert Grant
Today the Supreme Court granted review in <i>Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission</i>. This is an important — and dangerous — case for …
EqualitySupreme Court to Hear Anti-LGBT Bakery Case
The bakery cited religious beliefs at the time<p>The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed today that it would hear a case involving a Christian bakery owner who refused to make a cake for a couple based on their sexual orientation.<p>In 2012, Lakewood, Co.-based Masterpiece Cakeshop’s owner Jack Phillips told …
EqualityCan I get fired for something I post on my personal Facebook page?
<b>I posted something on my personal Facebook page that my employer found offensive and I was subsequently fired. It wasn’t about the company and was</b> …
LifestyleScott Walker Hails 'Free Speech' Bill That Would Punish Student Hecklers
Critics say the measure is unconstitutional and "basically gags and bags the First Amendment."<p>Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has hailed a bill that would punish student protesters who disrupt speeches on college campuses, a measure opponents say would infringe First Amendment rights.<p>The bill, …
Rights & FreedomsEditorial: Win for 1st Amendment
An Asian-American rock group with an edgy name can now trademark that name thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck a blow for the First …
LawA movie about Hulk Hogan’s court case shows how the First Amendment is under attack
Documentarian Brian Knappenberger took a keen interest in the lawsuit Hulk Hogan brought against Gawker. Not because of the tawdry details, though there were plenty of those: The wrestler sued the media company for invasion of privacy over a sex tape it published in 2012 featuring him and the wife …
JournalismBe Prepared To Defend Political Advertising
The Democrats are licking their wounds, having failed on Tuesday to capture the 6th Congressional District outside Atlanta in what is being called …
Political AdvertisingIn Scott Walker's Wisconsin, the First Amendment Only Applies to Certain People
Meanwhile, there's a battle brewing in New York City between the state's top Democrats.<p><i>Permanent Musical Accompaniment To This Post:</i><p><i>Our semi-regular weekly survey of what's goin' down in the several states where, as we know, the real work of governmentin' gets done, and where half-wracked prejudice</i> …
Andrew CuomoShould I Sue Donald Trump for Blocking Me on Twitter?
A First Amendment group says Trump is violating the Constitution by blocking people on Twitter.
Donald Trump'Internet' or 'internet'? The Supreme Court Weighs in
Justices Kennedy and Alito are engaged in a low-key capitalization battle that may change the future of digital law.<p>In its Monday decision on the First Amendment and social media, the Supreme Court entered into one of the most divisive debates today: whether the word "Internet" is capitalized. And …
U.S. Supreme CourtSenator Feinstein Thinks It’s Acceptable for Violent Mobs to Control Speech
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said that it was okay for universities to cancel …
Dianne FeinsteinThe ACLU Is Suing D.C. Police for Their Brazen Mistreatment of Inauguration Protesters
A group of protesters facing trumped-up federal charges for protesting at Donald Trump’s inauguration are now seeing an extension of support from the …
Liberal POVFree Speech Is Dying on the College Campus. How We Can Revive It.
Higher education rests on the free flow of ideas. Education requires that positions be held tentatively, tested by opposing arguments that are …
Conservative POVNo, hateful speech is not the same thing as violence
Recent confrontations across the country reflect a growing tendency to answer speech with violence. In recent months, riots have erupted in response to planned talks by academic Charles Murray at Middlebury College and by conservative media personality Milo Yiannopoulos at Berkeley. In Montana, …
Greg GianforteNew York Times Editorial Board reconsiders its position on Redskins trademark
“There is no question that the term ‘redskin’ has been used as a racial slur for American Indians for hundreds of years and is on par with offensive terms used to denigrate blacks and Hispanics,” the New York Times Editorial Board wrote in June of 2014. “And it is also clear that federal law …
Washington RedskinsOpinion: First Amendment means something else to millennials
Over the last few years a chilling fact has become clear to me as a teacher of American Politics.<p>Our high school students, who are taught to be …
EducationWhen your First Amendment rights offend me: Senate considers free speech on campus
WASHINGTON -- Students on college campuses can't agree on what represents legitimate free speech. Neither can Congress, with members of the Senate …
New OrleansSenators debate free speech on college campuses
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the "assault on the First Amendment" on campuses, and students and academics continued this …
Ku Klux KlanSupreme Court Says You Can't Ban People From The Internet, No Matter What They've Done
Going all the way back to 2002 (and many times after that), we've talked about courts struggling with whether or not it's okay to ban people from the …
Electronic Frontier FoundationSupreme Court: Access to Social Media is Constitutional Right
via photographer PDPics<p>The US Supreme Court this week struck down a nine-year-old law barring sex offenders in North Carolina from accessing social …
LawWATCH Ted Cruz Give A Passionate Defense Of The First Amendment
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) gave a passionate defense of the First Amendment at a Tuesday hearing focus on free speech on college campuses.
Ted CruzTexting Suicide Case Is an Old Crime By New Means
A Massachusetts judge has found 20-year-old Michelle Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 suicide of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, …
CrimeYouTube and Google Want to Police What You’re Allowed to See
I freely admit I’m a cynic and certainly look for the angle anytime a company, organization or individual comes promising to do some things for the …
Conservative POVSupreme Court Doesn't Care What You Say on the Internet
Two free-speech rulings combine to make clear that any social media regulation will have to come from the companies themselves.<p>It was a big day for free speech at the U.S. Supreme Court. In two consequential decisions, the justices set the terms for the First Amendment in the era of Donald Trump …
CensorshipSupreme Court's 'Slants' Ruling Isn't A Win Yet For The Washington Redskins
The United States has among the most sophisticated systems of protection on the planet for those who want to protect and distinguish their name and product from others. A trademark can be registered and protected under federal laws through the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). But a trademark …
Washington RedskinsRepublicans Launch the Biggest Protest Crackdown Since the Civil Rights Era
From immunizing motorists who strike protesters to criminalizing heckling, 20 states have passed a variety of laws to muzzle dissent since Donald Trump was elected president.<p>Since the election of President Trump, twenty 20 states have enacted or introduced new laws to curb protests. The bills by …
Rights & FreedomsPortland's Mayor on Protests, Riots and the 'Missing Middle'
When Ted Wheeler took office this year as the new mayor of Portland, Ore., there had already been signs of trouble in the hipster paradise. Following …
Racism