Media & Communications Law

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 to New York City, but since then more than 2,300 people have been arrested through New York state for the…

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 are troubled by the omission, which apparently violated rules of the U.S. Judicial Conference, according to the Daily Business Review.…

May 30, 2007 2:05 PM CDT

Net Article Cited—by Border Guard

The long arm of the U.S. border patrol is reaching for a computer keyboard. That’s bad news for Andrew Feldmar, who once wrote an article about his drug use in the 1960s. Feldmar wrote that experimenting with psychedelic drugs “was an absolutely fascinating and life-altering experience for me.” A border…

May 14, 2007 2:01 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 a burglary of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, in an effort to discredit him.) Ellsberg, a Pentagon employee, had released 7,000 pages…

May 11, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Comcast to Face Antitrust Class Action

A federal judge has certified a class action lawsuit that alleges cable company Comcast Corp. raised prices after making deals with competitors to eliminate competition. U.S. District Judge John R. Padova certified the class for the Philadelphia area and will consider certification of a Chicago class later, according to the…

May 9, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

Star Witness Testifies in Hollinger Case

The government’s star witnesses took the stand yesterday in the trial of media magnate Conrad Black, accused of taking unauthorized payments as chairman of Hollinger International. F. David Radler was president and COO of Hollinger and is the only senior executive in the case who has pleaded guilty, according to…

May 8, 2007 2:45 PM CDT

Journalists Plan to Sue H-P for Privacy Invasion

Three journalists plan to sue Hewlett-Packard for invading their privacy by scrutinizing their phone records, according to their lawyer. The reporters work for the online technology news company CNet Networks, according to the New York Times. Other journalists are in settlement talks with the company. Company investigators are alleged to…

May 7, 2007 2:19 PM CDT

Lawyer Tells ABC It Can’t Name Escort Client

An attorney for a former client of the alleged Washington madam says a court order barring witness harassment prevents ABC from airing his client’s name. Lawyer Steven Salky wrote a letter to ABC saying he believes his client’s name will be disclosed in a 20/20 investigation that will air on…

May 3, 2007 3:04 PM CDT

Congressman Liable for Disclosing Taped Call

D.C. Circuit ruling turns on an ethics committee confidentiality rule; congressman could be out more than $500,000.

May 2, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

You’re Fired

Those words say the same thing in any language, but their legal meaning may vary drastically from country to country

May 1, 2007 9:26 AM CDT

Teacher in First Amendment Dispute Transferred

A Woodburn, Ind., high school teacher who advised a student newspaper that ran a column advocating tolerance for gays will get to keep her job. The teacher, Amy Sorrell, will be transferred to another school under a deal worked out by her attorney, the Journal Gazette reports. She will not…

Apr 27, 2007 6:57 PM CDT

‘A’ Student Arrested for Essay: ‘Stab, Stab, Stab’

The assignment: “Write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing.” The result: An ‘A’ student is arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. His essay, reports the Chicago Tribune, contained one passage that included a discussion of “shooting everyone” and “having sex with dead…

Apr 27, 2007 5:26 PM CDT

User Sting Leads to Anti-Spam Suit in Va. Today

A group representing Internet users in more than 100 countries filed suit today seeking to find out how companies that send out so-called spam advertisements to millions of recipients at a time are getting the e-mail addresses they need to do so. The suit was filed against unknown “John Does”…

Apr 26, 2007 10:44 PM CDT

Solicitor General Struggles Before Justices

In oral arguments yesterday, Solicitor General Paul D. Clement ran into trouble as he argued against an exception to a ban on some issue ads by unions and businesses in the weeks before elections. Clement told the U.S. Supreme Court justices that an exception to the ban on ads mentioning…

Apr 26, 2007 1:47 PM CDT

Court Hears Campaign Funding Case Today

The U.S. Supreme Court today hears a challenge to a federal law that restricts TV ads by unions and businesses in the weeks before an election. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports that eyes will be on Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. He replaced retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor,…

Apr 25, 2007 2:44 PM CDT