Court Upholds Union-Fee Restriction

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Washington state law barring unions from using nonmember fees for political activities without consent.

The court in a unanimous opinion by Justice Antonin…

Jun 14, 2007 4:23 PM CDT

Court Watchers Dissect Alito Speech

The U.S. Supreme Court’s newest justice gave a speech yesterday that had court watchers wondering if it provides a hint that the First Amendment will prevail in two pending cases.

Jun 14, 2007 4:02 PM CDT

Religious Freedom New DOJ Focus

The Justice Department has shifted its civil rights focus, emphasizing religious-freedom cases rather than racial discrimination.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has cited the department’s advocacy on behalf of religious rights…

Jun 14, 2007 1:22 PM CDT

Anti-Bootlegging Law Upheld

A federal statute that bars bootlegged copies of performances survived an initial review before a federal appeals court today.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in New York…

Jun 13, 2007 7:49 PM CDT

RFRA Ruling Riles Developers

A March ruling by a federal appeals court has boosted tribal efforts to block developments that threaten lands they hold sacred.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protected the tribes’ sacred grounds. The ruling blocked a plan to make snow from reclaimed wastewater for skiers at a resort near Flagstaff, Ariz.

Developers worry the case will hamper development, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.

Jun 8, 2007 7:49 PM CDT

Judge: Stop Web Attack on Crime Author

In an unusual and perhaps unenforceable order, a federal judge in Virginia has told a self-published author to end a longstanding Internet vendetta against Patricia Cornwell, a best-selling crime novelist.

Jun 7, 2007 8:16 PM CDT

2nd Circuit: F-Word Not Really Indecent; FCC: Enforcement Threatened

The F-word isn’t indecent enough to trigger Federal Communications Commission penalties when inadvertently used in television and radio broadcasts, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided today.

Its ruling…

Jun 5, 2007 2:06 AM CDT

Court Finds Media Right to Juror Names

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the media has a First Amendment right to juror names.

Writing yesterday (PDF) for a unanimous court, Chief Justice Ralph…

Jun 1, 2007 7:48 PM CDT

Outed CIA Agent Claims Prior Restraint

Outed CIA agent Valerie Wilson has sued her former employer for refusing to allow her to publish the dates she worked there.

Wilson notes the information has already been published…

Jun 1, 2007 4:19 PM CDT

Panhandler Gets Arrest Tossed

A city court judge in New Rochelle, N.Y., has found the arrest of a panhandler violated his free speech rights.

Eric Hoffstead had May 31, 2007 3:51 PM CDT

Panhandler Challenges Begging Ban

A homeless man in New Rochelle, N.Y., claims his arrest for begging violates the First Amendment.

A federal judge struck down a begging ban in a 1992 ruling that applied…

May 30, 2007 3:36 PM CDT

Undisclosed Court Papers Trouble Critics

The federal clerk’s office for the Southern District of Florida did not post key documents to its Web site in a case involving Miami attorney Louis Robles.

First Amendment advocates…

May 30, 2007 2:05 PM CDT

Today in Legal History: Ellsberg Acquitted in Pentagon Case, Barbie Nazi War Crimes Trial Begins

On this day in 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers case were dismissed, due to government misconduct. (The administration of President Richard M. Nixon was implicated in…

May 11, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer Loses Claim for Mormon Tax Exemption

A federal appeals court has rebuffed a Las Vegas lawyer who said he should not have to pay Social Security taxes because of his Mormon religion.

Jonathan Hansen told the…

May 8, 2007 3:03 PM CDT

Law Firm Lesson Not Learned in Law School

To Anthony Ciolli, not censoring the AutoAdmit Web site he worked on was a First Amendment issue, even though he reportedly admitted that sexist, racist and just plain rude comments…

May 4, 2007 12:19 AM CDT