First Amendment Newsflash 2/19-3/11
March 11, 2018Welcome to First Amendment Newsflash, the First Amendment Law Review’s bi-weekly roundup of the latest in free expression and religious freedom news and commentary. Check here every other Sunday for a new edition! Need First Amendment news in the meantime? Follow FALR on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mark Warner
Federal Court News
A federal judge suggested that President Trump mute rather than block his critics on Twitter as a settlement to resolve a First Amendment lawsuit.
An Iowa man who criticized his hometown over a foul odor sued the city to prevent the city from making legal threats or taking any action to force him to remove his criticisms online.
An organizer of last summer’s Charlottesville white nationalist rally is suing the city over its denial of his request to host an anniversary event.
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones argues that his use of the Pepe the Frog cartoon is political speech protected by the First Amendment after the original cartoonist sued the website Infowars for selling a poster copying the character.
The Satanic Temple sued an Arizona city accusing its officials of violating the group’s free speech rights after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a city council meeting.
A Cleveland Waste worker filed suit against her employer after it allegedly implemented a media ban that prevents her and other workers from speaking out about sexual harassment and dangerous conditions in the workplace.
A federal judge ruled that New York City’s taxi authorities’ denial of advertising to ride-hail vehicles, like Uber or Lyft, violates the First Amendment.
A parents’ group filed suit against a San Diego Unified School District program over the district’s anti-Islamic bullying campaign, which it claims unconstitutionally favors Islamic students over others.
A federal judge struck down a California law that restricts the publication of actors’ ages online as violating the First Amendment.
State Court News
The Nevada Supreme Court lifted the ban on media outlets reporting on autopsy findings of the 58 people killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Other News
The D.C. Mayor reminded city officials of a policy prohibiting removing social media followers after Metropolitan Police Chief threatened to remove or block users who post “cruel and nasty things that are fraught with misinformation.”
That’s it for your First Amendment Newsflash February 19-March 11, 2018. We will see you back for more First Amendment news on March 25!