Tracking the modern progress of the First Amendment
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Jan 30th, 2008
A federal judge said Tuesday that an acquitted suspect in a terror plot to destroy the Sears Tower will now be allowed to speak freely about the government’s attempts to deport him.
Haiti citizen and U.S. legal resident Lyglenson Lemorin had been accused of being a member of the Liberty City Seven group charged with planning […]
Posted in Freedom of the Press on Jan 27th, 2008
U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) issued challenges this week regarding a White House decision to relocate the operations of a panel responsible for investigating and resolving Freedom of Information Act disputes.
The OPEN Government Act, a revised version of the FOIA signed into law January 4, established the Office of Government Information […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Jan 27th, 2008
Massachusetts anti-abortion protesters are contesting a state law requiring them to stay at least 35 feet away from the entrances of clinics where abortions are performed.
The protesters, who filed suit January 18, say the law violates their First Amendment rights of free speech and free assembly.
Proponents of the bill, including the state’s Planned Parenthood offices, […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Jan 27th, 2008
With the primary season in full swing, presidential candidates have more to worry about than attacks from their opponents. Independent political critics have begun to take public stances (pro and con) on the issues, and they are not shy about voicing their opinions.
There are many labels for these organizations: advocacy groups, citizens groups, 527 nonprofits […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech, Speech in Education on Jan 27th, 2008
Another chapter unfolded this week in the debate on what college professors should be permitted say to students, as a Brandeis University professor challenged the university’s decision to discipline him for making a reference to a derogatory term.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education issued a statement Wednesday calling for increased media attention to the […]
Posted in Freedom of the Press on Jan 25th, 2008
The Utah Supreme Court gave its approval Wednesday for a proposed law to protect reporters from having to disclose confidential sources and turning over unpublished notes and records. The only circumstances in which a journalist could be compelled to reveal this information would be cases in which there is
clear and convincing evidence that disclosure is […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Jan 19th, 2008
Mike Huckabee spoke out this week against push polling, a negative campaign tactic in which a candidate’s supporters (typically outside interest groups) conduct spurious telephone polls containing questions with negative or false information about other candidates.
Huckabee told NPR that he would like to see stricter regulation of this type of campaigning, which is reaching millions […]
Posted in Freedom of Religion, Speech in Education on Jan 18th, 2008
Politicians, parents and educators are at odds this week over whether homosexuality should legally be included in lesson plans for public school sexual education courses.
Arguments held before the Circuit Court in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Wednesday pitted school officials - who believe that lesson plans should be left to educators - against parents and other […]
Posted in Freedom of the Press on Jan 18th, 2008
The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied public access to information pertaining to military trial proceedings recorded in documents received by the government from outside consultants.
The National Institute of Military Justice, a “non-partisan organization” seeking to “advance the fair administration of military justice and foster improved public understanding of the military justice system,” […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 18th, 2008
President Bush proclaimed this Wednesday, January 16, 2008, as Religious Freedom Day, calling on the need to “recognize the importance of religious freedom and the vital role it plays in spreading liberty and ensuring human dignity.”
Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may have benefited from such an outlook this week, as a U.S. District Court […]
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