First Amendment

Read the latest news stories on first amendment rights on Newser.com

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Supreme Court Voids Ban on Animal Cruelty Videos

Aimed at crush videos, law too broad, says majority

(Newser) - The Supreme Court struck down a federal law today aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech. The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison...

Supreme Court Takes on Anti-Gay Funeral Protest Case

Father of slain soldier wants damages from Westboro Baptist Church

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit against the Westboro Baptist Church, the band of religious zealots who hold anti-gay protests at the funerals of slain soldiers. The case is being brought by the father of a Marine killed in Iraq, whose son's funeral was targeted by the...

USC Prof Fights Terror Charge for Backing Kurds

Supreme Court case puts law to test

(Newser) - A USC professor and human rights activist heads to the Supreme Court next week to fight terror charges for supporting Turkey's Kurdish minority. Ralph Fertig, 79, is a self-described pacifist who says he counseled local leaders on how to peacefully pursue their cause. Those leaders, however, may have been members...

Court: Student Suspended for Facebook Page Can Sue

Lawyers hail freedom of speech ruling

(Newser) - A former high school student suspended after criticizing a teacher on a Facebook page can sue the school for the disciplinary action, a Florida court has ruled. Katherine Evans can take action to expunge the penalty from her school record as well as sue for a "nominal" fee for...

GOP Set to Cash In On Campaign Spending Ruling

Obama promises 'forceful response' to Supreme Court decision

(Newser) - The Supreme Court's decision to lift a ban on direct corporate campaign spending will be a bonanza for the Republicans and another blow to the Democrats ahead of this year's elections, analysts say. Business lobbies that had been persuaded to back President Obama's initiatives are now taking stock of the...

Time to Crack Down on Jihad 2.0
 Time to 
 Crack Down 
 on Jihad 2.0 



OPINION
Nov 19, 2009 8:46 AM CST

Time to Crack Down on Jihad 2.0

Web indoctrination of terrorists on US soil poses major threat

(Newser) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has knocked Nidal Hasan out of the headlines but the Fort Hood suspect is the kind of threat America needs to focus on, warns Daniel Henninger. Home-grown terrorists, indoctrinated over the Internet, are now more of a danger than "old-school" jihadis abroad, and the ideology that...

Beck Loses Fight Against Satire Site
Beck Loses Fight Against Satire Site
FIRST AMENDMENT 1, GLENN BECK 0
Nov 9, 2009 6:20 PM CST

Beck Loses Fight Against Satire Site

Owner gives up domain name suggesting rape, murder anyway

(Newser) - Glenn Beck came out on the losing end today in his attempt to shut down a satirical website the Fox News host alleged was defamatory and infringed on his trademark. And though an arbitrator ruled that “even a ‘moron in a hurry’ would not likely conclude that Complainant...

Animal Cruelty Case Hits Supreme Court

Landmark case to decide 1st Amendment as it applies to cruelty

(Newser) - Animal cruelty takes the floor of the Supreme Court tomorrow, as the justices consider whether to overturn an appeals court judgment that allows the depiction of animal cruelty under the auspices of the First Amendment. The lower court wasn’t keen on animal cruelty, but found that our furry friends—...

AP Made Right Decision to Run Marine's Photo

We need to see the war

(Newser) - The AP made the correct call in running a photo of a mortally wounded Marine, writes David Harsanyi in the Denver Post. “If I could recall a wanton penchant of the press to run photos of dead Marines, my reaction might have been very different,” he writes. But...

High Court May Lift Restrictions on Corporate Cash in Politics

Firms could be allowed to spend freely on ads

(Newser) - September 9 could mark a watershed in campaign finance, as the Supreme Court hears a special argument for overturning long-standing rules that restrict corporations from buying political advertisements, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court has used the case of Hillary: The Movie, a documentary that a lower courts decided...

Blogger's Case Tests Limits of Free Speech

Far-right critic remains in jail after calling for judges' deaths

(Newser) - When three federal judges rejected an NRA lawsuit, Internet radio host Hal Turner got angry. “These judges deserve to be killed,” he wrote on his blog. “Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty.” Then he posted photos of the judges, maps to their courthouse, and...

Olbermann to Prejean: WTF!?!

Host slams pageant queen for self-righteous attitude

(Newser) - Keith Olbermann ripped “holier-than-thou know-it-all” Carrie Prejean in the new “WTF!?!” segment of his show last night, Gawker reports. “This is no longer about her opinion, it’s about her,” Olbermann insisted, tweaking the beauty queen on the First Amendment: “Your grandfather did...

1st Amendment v. Dogfight Video: High Court to Decide

Conviction rests on First Amendment status of animal abuse tapes

(Newser) - The Supreme Court agreed today to hear that pits the First Amendment against the production and sale of dogfighting videos, the Chicago Tribune reports. The case involves a man jailed for selling several brutally explicit videos of pit bulls fighting. A federal appeals court overturned his conviction on grounds that...

ACLU: Lobbyist Rules Restrict Free Speech

(Newser) - The ACLU and other watchdog groups on both the left and right think President Obama is carrying his crusade against lobbyists too far, Politico reports. Obama's recent directive forbidding government officials from discussing how to spend the stimulus with lobbyists infringes on free speech, they say. The groups plan to...

Feds Push More Truth in Advertising

(Newser) - Maybe Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley did get those bods from that exercise equipment, but fears that consumers don’t really understand “results may vary” has the Federal Trade Commission looking to tighten its rules, Advertising Age reports. Advertisers would have to show that consumers would see similar results,...

NY Topless Bizman Blows Lid Over Taxes

He claims 'mammary meccas' are protected by First Amendment

(Newser) - The owner of a Manhattan topless joint has hired a civil rights attorney to block proposed taxes aimed at establishments like his by arguing that the raunchy dances are protected as free speech. A Bronx lawmaker is proposing to impose a $10 tax on patrons of the city's hundreds of...

Supreme Court Rules Against Utah Sect

Monument won't fly; public statues are 'government speech'

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today denied a Utah sect the right to erect a monument in a public park, settling a case that had serious implications for free speech and freedom of religion, the New York Times reports. Members of the Summum religion are free to espouse their beliefs in the...

Misguided Cartoonist Has 'Right to Fail': Parker

Image was easily misread, but it's just a cartoon

(Newser) - The New York Post cartoon that has Al Sharpton up in arms was poorly thought out, to be sure, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. It "was offensive for reasons unrelated to race," she argues, but it’s important to remember that “outrage is out of...

Calif. Court Blasts Violent Game Ban

(Newser) - A federal appeals court ruled today that violent video games can be sold to minors in California, GameSpot reports. Upholding a lower court's decision, the judges struck down a state law that sought to ban the sale of violent games to those under 18. The law violated free speech rights,...

Limbaugh to Obama: Don't Touch Talk Radio

Following suit with some Dems would mean violating free speech

(Newser) - There’s been talk among Democrats that government should intervene to ensure balance in talk radio. But government weighing in on content is a direct violation of the First Amendment, writes Rush Limbaugh in the Wall Street Journal, and as a former law prof, our new president knows that. President...

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