Media & Communications Law

Lawyer sues over social media posts claiming he made racist remarks in social distancing tiff

A Philadelphia lawyer has filed a defamation suit against a jogger and her cousin over their posts on social media about a confrontation over social distancing.

Apr 16, 2020 9:57 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Harvard Law prof drops ‘clickbait defamation’ suit; Trump campaign sues TV station over ad

Law prof drops ‘clickbait defamation’ suit after edits Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig has dropped his “clickbait defamation” lawsuit against the New York Times after the newspaper changed part of an article. Lessig had claimed that the article mischaracterized his essay in which he criticized the scapegoating of a researcher…

Apr 14, 2020 3:07 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS Comcast case is a serious loss for civil rights

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on March 23 in Comcast v. National Association of African American Owned Media is a significant setback for civil rights plaintiffs. Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains what the case did and why it matters.

Apr 2, 2020 11:40 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Athletes aim for law school; lawsuits target Zoom over Facebook sharing

Pro basketball players shoot for law school Imani McGee-Stafford, a center with the Dallas Wings, is leaving the basketball court and headed to the Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. McGee-Stafford, who is 25, also played for the Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream. Meanwhile Garrett Temple, a guard with…

Apr 1, 2020 4:55 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: ABA backs stay-home exemption for legal services; PG&E to plead guilty in fire deaths

ABA: Exempt legal services from any US stay-home order ABA President Judy Perry Martinez says legal services should be deemed essential and exempted from any national stay-home order. “The American people and U.S. business community must have access to the legal services they need—when they need them most, in this…

Mar 25, 2020 4:05 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw sex bias suit may be resolved; US judiciary seeks $7M for COVID-19 impact

Secretary’s BigLaw sex bias suit apparently resolved A former legal secretary at Troutman Sanders who claimed she was sexually harassed by a partner at Troutman Sanders has apparently resolved her lawsuit. Plaintiff Jessica Correa agreed to dismiss the suit in a joint stipulation with Troutman Sanders and the partner. Correa…

Mar 18, 2020 4:06 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS splits over immigrant’s fight against ID theft conviction; first black justice on top Illinois court dies

SCOTUS splits over undocumented immigrant’s fight against state identify theft conviction The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Tuesday against Ramiro Garcia, an unauthorized immigrant in Kansas who was convicted under a state identity theft law after using someone else’s Social Security number to get a job. The conservative justices…

Mar 3, 2020 3:21 PM CST

‘Heartbroken’ appeals judge removes misunderstood Monet reference from opinion

A judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York says he removed a Monet reference from an opinion after it was misconstrued as a criticism of the artist.

Feb 25, 2020 2:04 PM CST

Getting real: What happens when clients go on reality TV

In this new episode of Asked and Answered, ABA Journal Senior Writer Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with two lawyers and a TV showrunner, who are all involved in the world of reality television.

Jan 27, 2020 2:20 PM CST

New York Times defamed me with clickbait headline, Harvard Law prof alleges in lawsuit

Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School, has filed a lawsuit that says the New York Times defamed him with a sensationalized clickbait headline that read: “A Harvard Professor Doubles Down: If You Take Epstein’s Money, Do It in Secret.”

Jan 14, 2020 12:41 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Texas no longer accepting refugees; new San Francisco DA announces round of layoffs

New refugees no longer welcome in Texas, governor says Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in a letter released Friday that the state will not take new refugees under a federal refugee resettlement program in 2020. Abbott said more refugees have been accepted by Texas than any other state since 2010,…

Jan 13, 2020 2:42 PM CST

The 2020 election: 4 threats to anticipate

Several experts shared with the ABA Journal some potential threats from malicious foreign actors and how to counter them ahead of and during the 2020 presidential election.

Jan 2, 2020 10:05 AM CST

Mike Huckabee files bar complaint against lawyer for Twitter ridicule, including ‘beach thief’ nickname

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has filed a bar complaint against a Florida lawyer for suggesting in a tweet that his nickname should be “beach thief” and otherwise ridiculing him on Twitter.

Dec 10, 2019 11:21 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Missing ex-lawyer is arrested at thrift store; DC considers banning gay-panic defense

Disbarred lawyer-on-the-lam is arrested at thrift store A disbarred lawyer who is accused of murdering his mother was arrested at a Nashville, Tennessee, thrift store Monday. U.S. marshals arrested Richard Vinson Merritt about eight months after he failed to report to prison for defrauding clients out of their settlement checks.…

Oct 1, 2019 4:09 PM CDT