A federal judge has ruled that the First Amendment prohibits President Donald J. Trump from blocking Twitter users because of political disagreements....more
5/25/2018
/ Blocked Person ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Discrimination ,
Donald Trump ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Government Speech Doctrine ,
Online Platforms ,
Public Forum ,
Social Media ,
Twitter
With the midterm spring primary election season looming, many educational institutions are witnessing heightened political awareness and activism among students and employees. ...more
3/28/2018
/ 501(c)(3) ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Political Expression ,
Political Speech ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Protests ,
Students ,
Universities
A federal appeals court has ruled that a former Miami Dolphins coach—accused of bullying a player—did not have a valid defamation claim against a law firm that investigated the team's locker room culture....more
2/13/2018
/ Actual Malice ,
Appeals ,
Defamation ,
False Statements ,
First Amendment ,
Football ,
Internal Investigations ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
NFL ,
Public Figures ,
Workplace Bullying
A Las Vegas judge, at the urging of a coalition of news media organizations and over the objection of police, today ordered the release of sealed search warrant materials connected to the investigation of the largest mass...more
A California law that prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on credit card purchases violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has...more
1/9/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Credit Card Surcharges ,
Credit Cards ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Expressions Hair Design v Schneiderman ,
Financial Services Industry ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Merchants ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Summary Judgment
First Amendment retaliation claims may be getting harder to pursue for state employees, as courts seem increasingly likely to view speech as part of the employees' roles as public officials rather than as private citizens....more
Alarmingly high defamation damages—such as Hulk Hogan's $140 million Florida verdict against Gawker and a broadcast network's reported $177 million settlement with a South Dakota beef producer—are disturbing recent...more