The Supreme Court recently held in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31that a state law requiring non-union workers to subsidize public union activities violates the free speech rights of non-members by forcing them to subsidize private speech regarding matters of public concern. Despite the obvious, this decision does not have to be a disaster for public …
Happy Hump Day Everybody! Hope all had a nice Labor Day weekend. Read now to catch up on First Amendment news. Federal Courts The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that feeding the homeless is “expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment,” in Fort Lauderdale Food Not Bombs v. City of Fort Lauderdale. …
School is back in session, but not without controversy. As the 2017-2018 school year ended and summer began the protests surrounding the controversial Confederate monument, Silent Sam died down. Last night on the eve of the 2018-2019 school year Silent Sam came crashing down. Chancellor Carol L. Folt released a statement that “Last night’s actions were unlawful …
Hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer vacation!! It’s been a hot one and not just because of the weather outside. Here is a quick report of First Amendment news that has got tempers and temperatures in D.C. heating up. President Trump has not hidden his distaste with US news media. He has referred to …
Picture by Vvzvlad (Flickr: Liberator.3d.gun.vv.01), via Wikimedia Commons Federal News: The Fourth Circuit ruled the town of Mocksville violated the First Amendment rights of three police officers who were fired in 2011 after they tried to report allegations of corruption in the Mocksville Police Department to state agencies. Federal Judge in Seattle issued a temporary …
Federal News: The United States Supreme Court held a Minnesota law which banned political apparel at the voting booth in violates the First Amendment. In Lozman v. Riveria Beach the United States Supreme Court held that is possible Florida resident, Fane Lozman’s arrest could have violated the First Amendment. Lozman was arrested after speaking out at a …
The Feast is Over The Supreme Court recently held in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission that an adjudicatory body’s religiously hostile acts, regarding a cake shop owner’s reasons for declining to make a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding, violated the free exercise clause. I argued in Masterpiece Cake Shop: A Recipe for …
Photo Credit: Courtesy of torbakhopper By Emma Ferriola-Bruckenstein, Staff Member (Vol. 16) Gender and transgender identity has been in the news frequently over the past few years, from the rise of “bathroom bills” like North Carolina’s House Bill 2 to the threat of a “trans ban” in the military. These issues have generated headlines around …
By Jack F. Williams, Staff Member (Vol. 16) In 2008, the North Carolina legislature passed the “Protect Children from Sexual Predators Act.” As part of the Act, subsection 14-202.5 banned the use of “commercial social networking Web sites by any registered sex offender.” The statute applied to about “20,000 people in North Carolina” and reports …
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Quinn Dombrowski By Megan Shook, Staff Member (Vol. 16) An old English nursery rhyme illustrates an early antipathy to beggars: Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark; The beggars are coming to town. Some gave them white bread; And some gave them brown, And some gave them a good horsewhip, And sent …