First Amendment News
50 Years Ago, the Court Enters the True Threats Thicket in Watts v. United States
The case should be celebrated for emphasizing the importance of politically charged advocacy and ensuring that such advocacies are not misconstrued as true threats.
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Divided 10th Circuit Panel Gives Inadequate First Amendment Protection to Employee Demoted for Truthful Sworn Court Testimony
It is an abuse of power to demote a public employee because he gives testimony in a court case.
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Compelled Speech Doctrine Should Apply in Challenges to Sex Registration Laws
Forcing a person to register as a sex offender may violate the right to freedom of speech.
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Censoring Students for Pro-Trump Clothing is Problematic
Students have the right to engage in political speech at school. Censorship is not the answer.
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Texas Appeals Court Rules Defendant’s Free-Speech Rights Not Violated by Introduction of His No-Snitching Tattoo into Evidence
A Court of Appeals ruled tattoos can be used to establish elements of a crime or motive.
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Federal Court Will Allow Prosecutors to Introduce Parts of Music Videos in Trial of Rapper Kontraversy
Federal prosecutors may introduce rap music videos and an interview depicting a rapper with drug and weapons charges without violating the First Amendment.
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Violent-themed Student Speech
In the wake of Columbine, school officials have taken to treating all violent-themed student speech as true threats.
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Roscoe Jones – First Amendment Hero
This African-American Jehovah Witness preacher had the temerity to travel all across the Southeast promoting his religious faith even in all-white areas.
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Tinker after 50: A Historic Ruling Still Relevant After All These Years
Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court protected the ability of public school students from Des Moines, Iowa, to wear black peace armbands to protest the Vietnam War, recognizing the importance of student First Amendment rights.
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9th Circuit Panel Rejects Religious School’s Use of Ministerial Exception, Creates Circuit Split
A religious school in California cannot use the “ministerial exception” to label one of its former teachers and, therefore, avoid her disability discrimination lawsuit, a divided federal appeals court has
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