By Andrew J. Contiguglia The 7th Circuit court of appeals Wednesday declared an outright ban on social media usage by convicted sex offenders to be a violation of the First Amendment. At the crux of the arguments is the public’s right to be protected from convicted sex offenders and the offender’s...
If you don't already know who Carlos Miller is, you should. You are more free because Miller won't let newsgathering and photography die under the wheels of a paranoid nation, shrieking with fear at imaginary terrorists, and hiring policies in police departments that seem to favor people with personality...
By Andrew J. Contiguglia In a 14-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the “ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity.” Read this: giving a cop the finger! This case all started when John Swartz...
I am both psyched and honored that Marc asked me to contribute to The Legal Satyricon. I am a First Amendment lawyer and president of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Marc and I know each other through the First Amendment Lawyers Association, a group of bad-ass attorneys...
[caption id="attachment_14882" align="aligncenter" width="320"] One more time, with feeling! -- FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THE SUPREME COURT HAS ROUNDLY REJECTED PRIOR RESTRAINT!!!!![/caption] The National Judicial College should require every judge that attends to watch The Big Lebowski. Further, every state should require a person to view it before they can...
Denham Springs, Louisiana resident Sarah Childs was in a dispute with her neighbors. So she exercised her First Amendment rights and created a special holiday message just for them. The neighbors were not happy about this and complained. A lot. And Miss Sarah fought back. ...
The mainstream media has noticed that something is amiss in Steubenville, Ohio. (Rape Case Unfolds on Web and Splits City). And Jezebel gives credit where it is due -- to a blogger who refused to let the story die. (We Wouldn’t Know About the Steubenville Rape Case...
As many long-time readers know, Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act is one of my pet peeves. This is the section of the Trademark Act that gives pretty much unfettered discretion to a trademark examiner to deny a trademark registration on the basis that the mark itself is "immoral"...
[caption id="attachment_14882" align="alignright" width="320"] FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THE SUPREME COURT HAS ROUNDLY REJECTED PRIOR RESTRAINT!!!!![/caption] As some of you remember, Raanan Katz sued Google and others for copyright infringement this summer over a Blogger user's publication of an "unflattering" photograph of him. Today, popular sports blog Deadspin has the story. Beyond the...
First Amendment BAMF The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (“FIRE”) defends individual rights at American Colleges and Universities from the barrage of attacks on free speech and free expression. Every month, FIRE features an institution of higher learning that should be ashamed of itself for enacting a speech...
