The capacity of the internet to inform, entertain and frankly change the world is evident. But like all technology, it can be used by small-mind people to advance hurtful causes or just be plain rude. Last month or so, I was contacted by a young woman who wanted my help in getting pictures of herself …
Tag Archive: First Amendment
Nov 28 2012
Supreme Court Upholds Legality of Videotaping Police
This Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocking the enforcement of an Illinois eavesdropping law. The broadly written law makes it a felony to make an audio recording of someone without their permission, punishable by four to 15 years in prison. In most …
Sep 22 2012
Two Cases Test Reach of First Amendment – The KKK Wants to Sponsor a Highway and Some Texas Cheerleaders Use Bible Banners at Public School Athletic Games!
Yesterday I had the privilege of judging a Quarter-Final round of the New York Law School Froessel Moot Court Competition. The competition seeks to recreate a Constitutional law argument before the US Supreme Court and this year’s problem focused on the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause. Specifically it involved whether a school could punish students …
Sep 13 2012
Will Pink Slime Lawsuit Stick? I Think Not.
Beef Products Inc., the makers of “lean, finely textured beef” as the product is officially called has filed a $1.2 Billion lawsuit against ABC News over its coverage of “pink slime” beef. Six individuals were also sued, including ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, and the reporters Jim Avila and David Kerley. Another defendant is Gerald …
Jul 03 2012
Government Needs Only Subpoena Not Warrant To Get Twitter Feeds
Just this morning, a client asked me a question: Can his potential adversary use deleted, private Facebook messages between them as evidence in the breach of contract case he was thinking about bringing in court? (Of course if the adversary had not also deleted them, he could just introduce them that way, but the client …