Civil Rights | Free Speech

2012-02-05: Headlines

  • St. Augustine Record: Guest column: Robin Nadeau worked for a more sustainable world 2012-02-05
    Hundreds of Robin Nadeau€™s friends joined her family, celebrating her life on Jan. 23.€œThinking globally, acting locally,€ always young at heart, Robin knew €œfreedom is never free.€ €œSpeaking truth to power,€ she worked for positive change and a more sustainable world.Citizen Robin Nadeau (1926-2012) was a zealous environmentalist, peace activist, government reformer and free speech defender.
  • Milford Daily News: Scarpato: Editorial failed to comprehend religious rights 2012-02-05
    GateHouse Media, Inc.: The editorial also makes the surprising assertion that First Amendment freedoms adhere only to individuals, no to institutions. Does this mean it would be acceptable for the government to suppress the free speech rights of an institution like, say, the MetroWest Daily News? Or is that treatment reserved only for disfavored institutions such as the Catholic Church?
  • GMA News: Seven arrested as police move in on Occupy DC 2012-02-05
    Lawyers for Occupy DC confirmed a further three arrests, including one protester seen by AFP being hustled away after reading aloud a few sentences about free speech from a book by late US historian and activist Howard Zinn.
  • Anderson Independent Mail: Letter: Decision bad for political process 2012-02-05
    Anderson Independent Mail and Anderson Independent Mail: The U.S. Supreme Court€™s decision on Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, led by Justice John Roberts, defined corporate treasury funds to be the same as free speech of people. This cleared the way for the use of €œbig money€ to be injected into political campaigns.
  • AZ Central.com: Peoria sergeant's post of Obama photo leads to debate 2012-02-05
    Keywords: , Constitutional law experts, free speech advocates divided on Peoria police sergeant's right to post controversial Facebook photo.
  • The Morning Sun: Letter: Right vs Left: a false paradigm 2012-02-05
    The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of themorningsun.com. | Not Registered? Sign up today for free! | Presenting comments from the citizen members of our editorial board. | Oiler hockey from the inside. | Coverage of CMU and other local sports. | He's deployed, she's stateside with three kids. It gets crazy. | The inside story of the news of the day from the staff of The Morning Sun.
  • Free Keene: Feed Your Head 2012-02-05
    Yesterday while handing out some information at a local high school, the principal mistakenly things that free speech doesn't apply in public spaces. Despite repeatedly making threats to use force (call the police), a student-council representative...

2012-02-04: Headlines

  • Contra Costa Times: Contra Costa Times Saturday Forum 2012-02-04
    The Supreme Court's ruling in the Citizens United case -- corporations are people and can contribute money without disclosing the source or amount -- has opened the doors to American elections, and they need not be American citizens to do this. | In America's democracy, usually the politicians with the biggest war chests win elections. | Now, with no limit on political contributions, you had better believe "free speech"
  • San Francisco Chronicle: CNN sued over lack of closed captioning on website 2012-02-04
    The lawsuit only alleges discrimination in the way the network delivers its news online and is not an attack on free speech, U.S. Magistrate Laurel Beeler of Oakland said Thursday. | Thomas Burke, a lawyer for the network, said in court papers that requiring a single news organization to use expensive technology would violate the First Amendment. He also argued that CNN acted withi...
  • KSL-TV: 'Sister Wives' suit to go forward against Utah County Attorney 2012-02-04
    Emiley Morgan: The family filed a lawsuit against Herbert, Shurtleff and Buhman in July 2011, claiming that Utah's bigamy statute violates the Browns' constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom...
  • Baltimore Sun: Ocean City agrees to let artists sell work on the boardwalk 2012-02-04
    Ocean City has agreed not to enforce provisions in its town code that could be construed as violating the free-speech rights of street performers under a proposed consent decree filed in federal court Friday. | The proposal would settle a case filed against the beach town last summer by spray-paint artist Mark Chase, who claimed that restrictions along the famous three-mile boardwalk violate his constitutional rights.
  • Deseret News: 'Sister Wives' suit to go forward 2012-02-04
    The family filed a lawsuit against Herbert, Shurtleff and Buhman in July 2011, claiming that Utah's bigamy statute violates the Browns' constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom...

2012-02-03: Headlines

  • Citybizlist (press release): Carlton Fields' Gail Podolsky Elected President of ACLU 2012-02-03
    Keywords:... and the ACLU Foundation of Georgia, both statewide organizations with the same overall mission: to advance the cause of civil liberties in Georgia, with emphasis on the rights of free speech , free press, free assembly, freedom of religion...
  • KXRM: Pot businesses going to court over ban 2012-02-03
    FORT COLLINS, COLO. (AP) -- The owners of six Fort Collins medical marijuana businesses are going to court in an effort to block a ban on dispensaries. | According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the businesses claim a voter-approved ordinance violates the Colorado Constitution by violating their rights to free speech and political participation. | The city has set a Feb. 14...
  • Daily Sun: Edo AG regains freedom, imprisonment condemned 2012-02-03
    Edo AG regains freedom, imprisonment condemned From TONY OSAUZO, Benin Friday
  • Financial Post: Copyright bills protect 'old media' 2012-02-03
    Special to Financial Post: For years, Western governments took a hands-off approach to the Internet and this bastion of free markets and free speech fuelled a level of innovation not seen since the industrial revolution. But governments can't stand things that can't...
  • The Daily Pennsylvanian: Your Voice A letter to Penn President Amy Gutmann 2012-02-03
    It€™s with a heavy heart that I write to express my disappointment and surprise in your giving PennBDS a forum at Penn. The irony of using the University€™s commitment to open and free dialogue to advance such a decidedly illiberal and pernicious cause is poignant indeed.
  • SlashGear: Google's Blogger follows Twitter in country-by-country censorship 2012-02-03
    While this doesn't mean Google can automatically weed out content that local governments deem illegal, it does mean that if a local government asks Google to take down a post, the search giant will have the ability to take it down only to users within that country. The idea is to promote free speech as much as possible without entirely blocking access to some countries or restricting posting guidelines to the entire world.
  • Courthouse News Service: Finance Gurus Defend Blog Defamation Award 2012-02-03
    In an amicus curiae brief for Cox, the Electronic Frontier Foundation called for Hernandez to overturn the jury award as a threat to free speech , excessive, and based on the wrong standard of defamation law. Obsidian Finance and Kevin Padrick filed...
  • Technorati: Colorado Seeks Lean Mean Title 2012-02-03
    Nachos, like free speech, may still be protected under Colorado State Law. However, most other foods containing artery-clogging trans-fats, are at risk. | Colorado known for its claim on having the lowest rate of adult obesity of any state in the nation, has "one of the highest rates of childhood obesity" says House Education Chairman Tom Massy, R-Poncha Springs.
  • Montreal Gazette: Vander Zalm denies defaming BC judge Hughes 2012-02-03
    In his opening statement, Frank Potts, another lawyer for Vander Zalm, told the jury that the case was a "flat contest" between his client's right to free speech and Hughes' right to protect his reputation. He said it was the jury's job to decide...

2012-02-02: Headlines

  • Jakarta Globe: South Korea Fails to Understand Sarcasm in Twitter Case, Amnesty 2012-02-02
    Keywords: “It is used not to address threats to national security, but instead to intimidate people and limit their rights to free speech . It should be reformed in line with human rights law, and if the government cannot do this, it must be abolished,” he said.
  • BBC News: Ecuador's Rafael Correa under fire for media laws 2012-02-02
    Rafael Correa has been Ecuador's president since 2007 but it is probably fair to say he has never had as much international attention as in recent weeks. | In January, several major US newspapers took a swipe at him in separate editorials. | "President Rafael Correa of Ecuador is leading a relentless campaign against free speech," said The New York Times. | The Washington Post said the president ought to be know...
  • U-T San Diego: Court ruling: Free speech and the mother's milk of politics 2012-02-02
    Last month€™s U.S. District Court ruling on the city of San Diego€™s Election Campaign Control Ordinance (ECCO) was humdrum news to most people, but for those of us engaged in the local political arena, it was nothing short of huge.
  • The Seattle Times: Jim McDermott's op-ed about super PACs 2012-02-02
    Individuals have the right of free speech and free assembly guaranteed by the Constitution, and they do not lose freedom of speech when they choose to pool their resources into organizations. | Citizen's United, whatever you think about their views, is a nonprofit that represents every organization in America that wants to make its voice heard.
  • Economic Observer: Mistakes are Allowed, Lies Aren't 2012-02-02
    I respect your right to free speech right and I welcome suggestions and advice. I believe China's problems can be solved through tolerant and reasoned discussion,” Wang says in his opening comments. “The basis for a discussion is respect for everyone's...
  • Opposing Views: Inside a Gun Hearing in Washington, D.C. 2012-02-02
    Heller opinion are the same five who decided corporations have a right to free speech in Citizens United). Heller's testimony took the form of a bizarre presentation on “Firearms Development” in which he showed Mendelson multiple home-printed photos...
  • Charleston City Paper: Anthony Placebo 2012-02-02
    I hardly think negative political ads constitute an " assault on our minds and communities" They may be annoying to you, but please dude grab the remote before you feel so violated by free speech . , "they were giving virtually nothing back to their...
  • Seattle University Spectator: Internet piracy bill a complex issue for artists 2012-02-02
    Imagine a world without free knowledge. | This is the message that Wikipedia posed to the public on Jan. 18 when hundreds of websites blacked out to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). SOPA and PIPA are supported by Hollywood, where filmmakers are hoping that the act will stop the piracy of copyrighted movies and TV shows.
2012-02-05T00:40-07:00