Tracking the modern progress of the First Amendment
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Mar 9th, 2008
The website Stop the ACLU posted an interesting video this week of a 1986 “Crossfire” segment in which rock musician Frank Zappa takes issue with the practice of censoring explicit song lyrics.
In the clip, Zappa is under attack from all sides—especially from Washington Times reporter John Lofton and conservative pundit Robert Novak—in defending his notion […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech, freedom of assembly on Mar 3rd, 2008
The Huffington Post reports that despite city officials’ initial insinuations that the entire “City of St. Paul” would be fully open to demonstrators during the Republican National Convention this fall, new city plans say otherwise:
“The guidelines include a primary event area… a secondary event area (a wider perimeter, the boundaries of which are yet […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 24th, 2008
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Friday that it would not grant members of the Westboro Baptist Church financial relief while they appeal a lower court decision in a case involving the disruption of a military funeral.
The notorious religious sect, led by pastor Fred Phelps, has garnered national attention for its practice of picketing the funerals […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Feb 24th, 2008
A Massachusetts man accused of causing disturbances in a public library has decided to sue for $10 million after library workers filed a police complaint against him.
Ross Tobia, who says he suffers from epilepsy and bipolar disorder, was asked to leave the library after staffers determined him to be excessively loud, crude and disruptive. Tobia […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press on Feb 24th, 2008
The editorial staff of an online student newspaper at the University of Colorado at Boulder has been ordered to undergo diversity training after the paper published a column containing anti-Asian remarks.
The column, which was initially defended as a satirical piece, advocated that students “hunt” for Asian students at the school, “hog-tie” them, and force them to participate in demeaning activities until “the Asian spirit has been broken.”
The university chancellor apologized Wednesday on behalf of the Campus Press and columnist Max Karsen, adding that “while his column is unquestionably protected under the First Amendment, the sentiments he has expressed are wounding and damaging to a community we hold dear.”
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Posted in Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Speech in Education on Feb 18th, 2008
Friday afternoon I had the privilege of talking with Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. We discussed a range of issues relating to free speech on college campuses - from the power of the student press to the limits imposed by campus speech codes.
Mr. Policinski recently wrote a column […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Feb 15th, 2008
Flemming Rose, culture editor of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, wrote an interesting op-ed in this morning’s Washington Post about the world’s growing intolerance of anti-religious views. He should know; he was behind the decision to publish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in fall 2005, which resulted in massive rioting and more than 100 deaths, in […]
Posted in Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech on Feb 10th, 2008
A group of 11 protesters will get another day in court Monday as they move forward with a civil lawsuit arising from arrests at a gay pride rally in 2004.
Members of the Christian organization Repent America were taken into custody at the Philadelphia event after using bullhorns to quote Bible verses to hundreds of rally […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Feb 9th, 2008
Anyone who has spent time on an Internet message board has met one: That irritating guy who spouts defamatory nonsense on every subject from partisan politics to racist propaganda—a “troll,” as he is commonly known—is a staple of online discourse.
He may be obnoxious, but now his right to play virtual tough-guy is legally protected. A […]
Posted in Freedom of Speech on Feb 9th, 2008
Another victory this week for outrageousness in advertising: the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a controversial ad that ran in the Sun-Times last fall did not meet standards for defamation and should be protected under the First Amendment.
The ad, paid for by the Chicago clothing retailer Cosmo’s Designer Direct, appears to contain veiled references […]
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