Media & Communications Law

Supreme Court rules for Facebook in dispute over texts; justices spar over ‘series-qualifier canon’

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled for Facebook on Thursday in a dispute over the reach of a law that restricts calls to cellphones made with an “automatic telephone dialing system.”

Apr 1, 2021 11:38 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS weighs whether freedom of speech applies to students off campus using social media

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its last oral arguments of the term in April, and it will finish with a First Amendment case of potential great importance. Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. involves whether a student can be punished for speech on social media over the weekend.

Apr 1, 2021 9:07 AM CDT

Public defender with Patreon for FOIA lawsuits shares her thoughts on lawyers and social media

Lawyer Beth Bourdon is willing to go places where other attorneys may be hesitant, including this summer when she joined Parler—to see how long she could post potentially offensive materials without getting kicked off the conservative social media site.

Feb 22, 2021 8:33 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: State bar considers ousting Giuliani; pelt-wearing protester is judge’s son

State bar will consider Giuliani ouster The New York State Bar Association is considering whether to expel lawyer Rudy Giuliani from its voluntary membership rolls under a bylaw that prevents members from advocating the overthrow of government. Giuliani made baseless claims of widespread election fraud and suggested “trial by combat”…

Jan 11, 2021 4:24 PM CST

Second half of SCOTUS term may bring the temperature down compared to its feverish first

The U.S. Supreme Court justices may soon be able to settle in for some relative peace and quiet in the second half of their term. Decisions in several high-profile merits cases are being drafted and circulated.

Dec 28, 2020 9:57 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Suits accuse Facebook of ‘buy or bury’ approach; House bill makes PACER records free

State and FTC lawsuits accuse Facebook of stifling competition Facebook is accused of stifling competition in two lawsuits filed Wednesday. One suit was filed by the Federal Trade Commission, and the other was filed by attorneys general for 46 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. “Facebook targets competitors with…

Dec 9, 2020 3:50 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Jeffrey Toobin fired over Zoom exposure; lawyer alleges rape by cop in Breonna Taylor case

Jeffrey Toobin is fired after Zoom incident The New Yorker has fired legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin after he reportedly exposed himself on a Zoom call last month. Toobin has said he thought he was off camera, and he “made an embarrassingly stupid mistake.” Toobin is also taking some time off…

Nov 12, 2020 3:24 PM CST

Legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin reportedly exposes himself on Zoom, and it has job consequences

Journalist and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended from the New Yorker and is taking a leave from CNN after he reportedly exposed himself on a Zoom call.

Oct 20, 2020 11:05 AM CDT

CNN defamed me by falsely reporting my impeachment views, Alan Dershowitz says in $300M suit

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a former professor at Harvard Law School, has filed a $300 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over its coverage of his views on high crimes and misdemeanors.

Sep 16, 2020 3:08 PM CDT

DOJ files rare request to represent Trump in columnist’s defamation lawsuit

In an unusual move Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to intervene in a defamation lawsuit brought against President Donald Trump by E. Jean Carroll, an author and advice columnist who has accused him of sexual assault.

Sep 9, 2020 12:35 PM CDT

Classmates’ comments should be confidential, Harvard Law says in new social media policy

If you are a Harvard Law School student making a social media post about something said in class, you should not write it in a way that identifies the speaker to those who were not there, according to a new policy at the school.

Sep 8, 2020 1:29 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: State files 100th lawsuit challenging Trump policies; 2 more firms reverse pay cuts

California files 100th suit against Trump administration California and 21 other states have filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that curtails the scope of environmental reviews conducted to assess the impact of actions by federal agencies. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it is the 100th suit filed…

Aug 31, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

This law prof has been fighting off Twitter trolls during the coronavirus crisis

While Veena Dubal was adapting to working at home with three young children during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “reply guys” came after the California law professor on Twitter for her support of a 2020 state law that extends employee classification status to gig workers.

Aug 31, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Book publisher paraphrases Bullwinkle in response to Michael Avenatti’s defamation assertion

A lawyer for a book publisher is paraphrasing the cartoon character Bullwinkle J. Moose in response to a defamation allegation by convicted lawyer Michael Avenatti.

Aug 27, 2020 11:47 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘Trial by Media’ could help expose problems inherent in pretrial publicity

I went to law school to become a criminal defense attorney. I wasn’t a punk kid, but I had more than my fair share of run-ins with the law growing up in western Oklahoma and into college. I don’t think anyone from my past would say I was “bad” ……

Aug 4, 2020 8:47 AM CDT