This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow, Freedom Forum. Public school principals, teachers and other employees must realize that controversial social media posts may lead to discipline and ultimately no First Amendment protection for their inflammatory comments. Public employees retain rights as citizens to comment on matters of public […]
A dizzying array of court decisions has been issued regarding various First Amendment challenges to governmental orders limiting public assemblies, including religious gatherings.
“For it is a prized American privilege to speak one’s mind, although not always with perfect good taste, on all public institutions.” So wrote Justice Hugo Black in Bridges v. State of California (1941), reversing contempt citations for a labor leader and newspaper for commenting on pending litigation.
A man interviewed on the show “The First 48” lost his negligence claim against the producers of the show, a Texas state appeals court has ruled in part because of the First Amendment.
Occupy Wall Street protestors lost their First Amendment retaliation claims before a federal appeals court, which ruled that N.Y. Police Department (NYPD) officers had probable cause to arrest them for disorderly conduct and trespass.
A former public employee lost her First Amendment retaliation claim as a federal appeals court ruled that her in-court testimony did not address matters of public concern but were more personal.
Academic freedom is “of transcendent value” and “a special concern of the First Amendment.” [1] It carries profound significance to those in college and university environments, which are supposed to be places where ideas are tested, debated and sometimes debunked.
The Board of Immigration Appeals did not violate the First Amendment rights of an individual when it considered his gang membership, a federal appeals court has ruled. The appeals court reasoned that such associational evidence can show that a person represents a danger to society.
Pennsylvania’s governor did not violate the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble or other constitutional rights when he issued an executive order on March 19, 2020, ordering the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled.
A former fire captain from St. Landry, La., fired for social media posts criticizing the board of commissioners, lost before a federal appeals court panel.
