Tag Archives: first amendment

Link Ch. 13 – Snyder v. Phelps

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Ralph Hanson

Updated 10/14 with obituary for Fred Phelps In March of 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of the Phelps family, operating as the Westboro Baptist Church (although they have no connection to any of the Baptist denominations), to … Continue reading →

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Were Rush Limbaugh’s “slut/prostitute” comments actionable for criminal prosecution? Not likely.

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Ralph Hanson

Fascinating post from Eugene Volokh this afternoon on whether Rush Limbaugh calling a Georgetown law student a “slut” and a “prostitute” could be actionable for libel/slander, false light, or for violating a Florida law the forbids “imputing to her a … Continue reading →

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Ch. 10 Link – Hitler Finds Out About SOPA Take Down of his Lady GaGa Page

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Ralph Hanson

To learn more about how the SOPA and PIPA bills before the US House and Senate would shut down the Web as we know it to protect Big Media, follow these links: Electronic Freedom Foundation’s one-page guide to SOPA EFF … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 9 – Supreme Court hears arguments on FCC regulation of decency

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ralph Hanson

“The way that this policy seems to work,” she said, “it’s like nobody can use dirty words or nudity except for Steven Spielberg.” – Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan Justice Kagan sums up the issues surrounding the FCC’s regulation of … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 13 – Firefly, Fascism and Free Speech

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has produced a fascinating video about a Wisconsin theater professor who was accused of promoting violence and creating hostile environment by putting up a poster with a quote from the TV series … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 13 – Noriega, CNN and Prior Restraint

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

I was lecturing recently on free press/fair trial issues, and touched on the CNN/Noriega case.  In this case the court issued a temporary restraining order against CNN to prevent the network from broadcasting tapes of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega … Continue reading →

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Copyright, Piracy & Free Speech

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

Here’s a quick roundup of stories dealing with copyright, piracy, and free speech issues.  Been a busy start to the semester: How will the war on video and music piracy change in 2011? Good in-depth story from Mashable. Settlement on … Continue reading →

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WikiLeaks and Journalism

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Ralph Hanson

The website WikiLeaks has continued its project of posting huge numbers of secret government documents, generating a lot of news and a lot of controversy.  There is debate over whether the website is damaging national security for the United States, … Continue reading →

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More SCOTUS Westboro Church Case

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Ralph Hanson

Here’s a quick roundup of several interesting stories on Westboro Church funeral protest case: Protecting funerals and free speech – Ruth Marcus, WP’sPost Partisan Also compares case to that of Falwell and Flynt. Arguments before the court – WP’s story … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS – Does Westboro Baptist Church Have Right To Picket Funerals?

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Ralph Hanson

UPDATE: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church’s right to picket funerals. The Supreme Court of the United States is hearing arguments today on the case of Snyder v. Phelps.  Fred Phelps, the leader of a … Continue reading →

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