First Amendment

School District Sued by Students Over High School Newspaper Sex Story

Four current and former high school students in Washington state sued the Puyallup School District in federal court yesterday, contending that their names were used without their permission in a student newspaper article about their sex lives. Students contend that they spoke to JagWire reporters at Emerald Ridge High based…

Nov 13, 2008 10:50 PM CST

Roberts Supports Ban on Sect Display with ‘Statue of Despotism’ Hypo

During oral arguments yesterday, several justices fretted about the unusual monuments that would have to be erected if the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for a sect seeking to force a Utah town to display its Seven Aphorisms. The justices’ comments suggest the court will rule against the Summum religious group,…

Nov 13, 2008 1:59 PM CST

Preacher Appeals Sentence for Article Predicting God Would Smite Judge

An activist preacher in Michigan is appealing his sentence of up to 10 years in prison for writing an article predicting that God would smite the judge who oversaw his trial and conviction for paying patrons of a soup kitchen to vote. The Rev. Edward Pinkney was sentenced in June…

Nov 13, 2008 1:08 PM CST

Neo-Nazi Held Without Bond in Alleged Online Threat to Federal Jury Foreman

A white supremacist who is accused of posting information on the Internet soliciting harm to a federal jury foreman pleaded not guilty today in federal court in Chicago. William White, 31, a resident of Roanoke, Va., will be held until at least Dec. 5, when a detention hearing is scheduled…

Nov 12, 2008 6:45 PM CST

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal in Secret Abortion Bias Case

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a publisher’s appeal of a ruling that had sealed the court record of an abortion bias case. The secret suit was filed by a woman who claimed she was fired because she had an abortion, the Associated Press reports. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S.…

Nov 11, 2008 7:20 PM CST

Supreme Court to Consider Request to Display ‘Seven Aphorisms’

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that asks whether a public park is required to display a monument donated by a small religious group called Summum, a name that refers to the sum of all creation. The Utah park already contains a Ten Commandments…

Nov 11, 2008 5:23 PM CST

Amish Families to Sue N.Y. Town Over Building Code Enforcement Issues

Contending that their First Amendment right to religious freedom is being abridged by too-zealous enforcement of a New York municipality’s building codes, a group of Amish families plans to file a federal suit against Morristown. “Lori H. Windham, an attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty of Washington, D.C.,…

Nov 10, 2008 7:58 PM CST

Personnel Board Upholds Firing of Calif. Lawyer Who Questioned Labor Regs

A California state employment lawyer who criticized emergency regulations on employee meal and rest breaks says he’s considering a lawsuit after he failed to win his job back. The State Personnel Board ruled last week that lawyer Miles Locker had undermined the trust essential to the attorney-client relationship and upheld…

Nov 10, 2008 2:53 PM CST

Illinois ‘Choose Life’ License Plates Not Required, 7th Circuit Says

Overruling a federal trial judge, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the state of Illinois is not required to issue “Choose Life” license plates sought by individuals who oppose abortion. “The three-judge panel said a decision by Illinois lawmakers not to authorize the ‘Choose Life’…

Nov 7, 2008 5:51 PM CST

No Fleeting Expletives Uttered in Supreme Court Oral Arguments

Broadcast lawyer Carter Phillips reportedly used two four-letter words in oral arguments before a federal appeals court in the so-called fleeting expletives case, but he didn’t offer a repeat performance today before the U.S. Supreme Court. SCOTUSblog and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog report that neither Phillips nor Solicitor…

Nov 4, 2008 7:33 PM CST

1 Voter Strips to Bra, Another Walks in Texas T-Shirt Disputes

At least two women voters in the Texas area found out only after they got to their polling places about the sweeping scope of a state law banning election paraphernalia, at least as those applying the law are interpreting it. One woman stripped to her bra during early voting, after…

Nov 4, 2008 7:15 PM CST

Keanu Reeves Cleared in Paparazzo Suit

Actor Keanu Reeves was found not to be liable for a photographer’s injuries last year after the paparazzo apparently got too close to his upscale vehicle. Alison Silva “claimed he was knocked to the ground and injured his wrist in March 2007 when he was trying to take pictures of…

Nov 4, 2008 6:42 PM CST

Unusual Judge’s Brief Claims Prosecutors Mischaracterized Court Record

A federal judge in San Diego has released an unusual brief he wrote that takes issues with prosecutors’ characterization of the court record regarding a secret guilty plea in a scandal involving a corrupt congressman. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns had originally filed the brief under seal with the San…

Nov 4, 2008 2:52 PM CST

Appeals Court Allows Protests at Soldiers’ Funerals

The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who regularly make headlines and anger grieving families by showing up and staging protests during funerals. The court’s ruling Friday (PDF) is a reaffirmation that the Kansas church can keep on picketing…

Nov 3, 2008 5:13 PM CST

C-SPAN Denied Quick Access to Tape of ‘Fleeting Expletives’ Argument

U.S. Supreme Court buffs won’t be able to hear the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in the so-called fleeting expletives case next Tuesday. Without explanation, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. denied a request by C-SPAN for an immediate release of the tapes, SCOTUSblog reports. That means the audiotapes won’t be…

Oct 31, 2008 6:23 PM CDT