First Amendment

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

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Trump Wants His Blocking Privilege Back

DOJ appeals court ruling as Twitter users are unblocked

(Newser) - "We whined. We complained. We sued. We won our First Amendment lawsuit in federal court. And now @realDonaldTrump has unblocked me," University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen tweeted Monday. The Justice Department later confirmed all seven plaintiffs who successfully argued President Trump violated their right to free...

8th-Grader Banned From Wearing Pro-Gun Shirts Sues

Lawsuit calls policy unconstitutional

(Newser) - An eighth-grade student has filed a federal lawsuit accusing his northern Nevada school district of violating his First Amendment rights by telling him his pro-gun T-shirt violates the district's dress code. The suit filed in US District Court in Reno alleges the Washoe County School District policy prohibiting depictions...

Ingraham Returns to Fox, Goes Whole Hog on Free Speech

The 'Left' is trying to 'silence conservatives,' host said Monday night on 'The Ingraham Angle'

(Newser) - Laura Ingraham returned to her Fox News show Monday night, as promised by the network, after a week off from the controversy over her snarky tweet toward Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. But although Ingraham didn't mention the hubbub directly, Deadline notes she was back Monday in "full...

'Expression of Disapproval' Got Her Fired. Now She's Suing

Juli Briskman says employer violated state law by firing her after she flipped off Trump's motorcade

(Newser) - While not everybody is in favor of flipping off President Trump's motorcade, "there can be no doubt that such speech is at the very core of the First Amendment and the Virginia Constitution," says a lawyer for a woman fired for making the gesture last fall. Marketing...

Satanic Temple Sues to Lead City Council Prayers

Group is taking Scottsdale, Ariz., to court

(Newser) - A group that invokes the name Satan as a metaphor for opposing religious tyranny has sued the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Ariz., accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting. Michelle Shortt of the Satanic Temple of Tucson...

Florida Gadfly Beats the Odds, Gets Back to Supreme Court

Florida resident Fane Lozman returns with a different fight against his home city

(Newser) - Given how many cases the Supreme Court rejects, it's quite a coup if one of your own legal fights ends up being argued there. On Tuesday, Florida resident Fane Lozman had the odds-defying distinction of seeing his second case there in five years. The former commodities trader won his...

School Board Prez Calls Busted Teacher 'Poor Little Woman'

Cries of gender discrimination envelop incident at Louisiana school board meeting

(Newser) - The story of the Louisiana middle school teacher arrested after speaking up at a school board meeting continues, now with a closer look at how women in the district are treated. When Deyshia Hargrave was carted off in handcuffs Monday after calmly questioning the $30,000 raise for Vermilion Parish...

Limbaugh: Trump's NFL Remarks 'Starting to Make Me Nervous'

Conservative talk-show host says he's 'very uncomfortable' with how president is acting

(Newser) - For the past few weeks, President Trump has been firing off tweets pressuring NFL athletes to stand during the national anthem—and for the NFL to make them do so —with his most recent post Wednesday claiming ( falsely ) that Commissioner Roger Goodell was "finally demanding" all...

For Years She Sat During the Pledge. A Principal Ended That

Now mom of high school senior India Landry is suing, saying First Amendment rights are violated

(Newser) - "This isn't the NFL." That's what a Houston teen tells KHOU she was told right before she was booted from school for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. India Landry, a senior at Windfern High School, says she was in the principal's office...

After Charlottesville, ACLU Revises a Long-Held Stance

It won't defend groups who come armed to protests

(Newser) - If you're a hate group, you may be able to acquire a permit to hold a protest, but if you come packing firearms, don't expect the American Civil Liberties Union to come to your defense. Per the Wall Street Journal , that's the ACLU's new official position...

Trump's Twitter Blocks Violate First Amendment: Advocacy Group

Free-speech advocacy group says excluding people is 'unconstitutional'

(Newser) - Blocking people on Twitter is a feature many use liberally to keep their feeds friendly. But should public officials like President Trump be allowed to exclude users in the same fashion? Absolutely not, says the Knight First Amendment Institute, a non-partisan group founded last year at Columbia University that's...

Amazon Defends Alexa's 1st Amendment Rights in Murder Case

Police want recordings from the suspect's Amazon Echo

(Newser) - Does Alexa have First Amendment rights? That's one of the questions at the heart of a legal battle between Amazon and Arkansas police. Victor Collins was found dead in James Bates' hot tub back in 2015, and Bates has been charged in his friend's murder. Believing an Amazon...

School Under Fire for Nixing Charlie Brown Display

Texas woman says takedown of holiday decor infringes on her religious freedom

(Newser) - Dedra Shannon may have to settle for cranking up Vince Guaraldi tunes to get into the holiday spirit at her workplace. The principal at Charles Patterson Middle School in Killeen, Texas, made Shannon, a nurse's aide, take down the Charlie Brown-inspired decor she'd put up on the nurse'...

After Newspaper Endorses Clinton, Death Threats

'Arizona Republic' continues to fight for free speech with 'compassion,' 'bravery': publisher

(Newser) - Meet Kimberly, Nicole, and Phil. They're on staff at the Arizona Republic, per a Sunday editorial written by Mi-Ai Parrish, the conservative newspaper's publisher. And they're the ones who've been dealing with the vitriol and calls for violence since the Republic endorsed Hillary Clinton for president...

Good News, NH: You Can Take Ballot Selfies Again

Federal court says ban infringes on 1st Amendment rights to 'core political speech'

(Newser) - If you live in New Hampshire and want to take a picture of your Election Day ballot to post on Facebook so your friends can argue over your judgment, that's your call. So says a federal appeals court that overturned a ban on ballot selfies, ruling that the 2014...

Parents Furious After NC Teacher Tramples Flag

Lee Francis has been suspended; some want him fired

(Newser) - A history teacher says his lesson on free speech came with the unintended caveat that free speech isn't always guaranteed after it landed him a suspension. Students at Massey Hill Classical High School in Fayetteville, NC, say Lee Francis was discussing a court case that determined flag desecration was...

Teens Sat for the Pledge of Allegiance. Their Grades Suffered

Lake County district says it is 'dealing' with teacher

(Newser) - Since the start of the school year, Leilani Thomas and a friend have chosen not to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance at California's Lower Lake High School and seemingly faced no repercussions. Then came last Friday. Leilani—who is Native American and says the American flag represents the...

People Are Furious Over Guy's 'Black Rifles Matter' Sign

Creator says Black Lives Matter should be 'flattered'

(Newser) - A Maine town's chamber of commerce has been receiving complaints from tourists regarding a large, hand-painted sign on a private lawn that reads "Black Rifles Matter," reports the AP . Linc Sample, the sign's creator, tells NECN that his work in Boothbay Harbor is about gun rights,...

Sheriff Raids House to Find Online Critic

'If you're gonna lie about me ... I'm gonna come after you'

(Newser) - Jerry Larpenter, sheriff of Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish, appears to have launched a crackdown—on critics of Jerry Larpenter. The Intercept reports that six of Larpenter's deputies raided another police officer's home this week in a bid to find the author of the ExposeDAT blog, which calls itself...

1-Star Review for Overfed Betta Fish Nets $1M Lawsuit

Never fear, Gordy recovered; common sense, not so much

(Newser) - In what amounts to much ado about a Betta fish, Ars Technica picks up the case of a Texas couple who went on vacation last year, and did what many traveling pet owners do: They hired a pet-sitting service, a simple act that has now resulted in "numerous death...

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