First Amendment

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

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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...

Racist Music Finds Home Online
 Racist Music Finds 
 Home Online 
GLOSSIES
Dec 25, 2008 1:16 PM CST

Racist Music Finds Home Online

White-power albums readily available on iTunes, Amazon, to bands' delight

(Newser) - Online outlets are making it much easier for musical acts with unpopular messages to get their material heard, Spin reports. “Because stores wouldn’t carry us, selling records used to be laborious,” says the lead singer of white-power act Brutal Attack, citing boycotts from anti-racist groups. The band...

Ky. Atheists Fight 'Foolish' Security Law

Amendment says state relies on 'almighty God' for protection

(Newser) - Atheists are kicking up an almighty fuss about legislation that states Kentucky's safety and security can only be achieved through reliance on God, the Chicago Tribune reports. Bluegrass State unbelievers have filed a lawsuit seeking to have the offending law repealed, saying they fear their security may be in the...

Palin: Media Threatening My First Amendment Rights

Because it won't let me attack Obama without criticizing me

(Newser) - Sarah Palin seems to think the Constitution is supposed to protect her from criticism. On a conservative radio show, Palin said the media is unfairly attacking her for her shots at Obama on Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright, and that if the media “convinces enough voters that that is...

Va. Court Voids Spam Law
Va. Court Voids Spam Law
Sep 12, 2008 1:32 PM CDT

Va. Court Voids Spam Law

Statute violated First Amendment rights; man who sent 10M emails daily can go free

(Newser) - Virginia’s anti-spam laws are unconstitutional because they prohibit behavior shielded by the First Amendment, the state’s supreme court ruled today. The ruling overturns the conviction of Jeremy Jaynes, who received the nation’s first felony spam conviction in 2004, the Richmond Times-Dispatch says. Prosecutors alleged Jaynes sent up...

Seinfeld Defense: Lawsuits are Funny

Sez silly suits are fodder for routine

(Newser) - Jerry Seinfeld insisted yesterday that he didn’t slander a woman suing his wife for cookbook plagiarism because silly lawsuits are fodder for good comedy. The comic cited episodes from Seinfeld as well as his kid-friendly Bee Movie in a court filing as examples of the First Amendment-protected comedic license...

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