This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].
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We're Hiring!
.....Institute for Free Speech is hiring a Director of Development responsible for developing and implementing a fundraising plan and managing all development efforts.
IFS seeks a skilled development professional with a proven record of developing relationships with major donors, such as individuals or foundations, our donor network, and other supporters.
This position demands a candidate passionate about free speech and an in-depth understanding of what drives people to support a cause. In short, you will help raise the funds needed to litigate important cases in court and win the fight for the First Amendment’s speech freedoms in the court of public opinion.
This person will report to the president of the Institute for Free Speech and can be executed from Washington, DC or virtually from anywhere in the United States.
You must have strong writing and networking abilities and have the ability to build and maintain trusted, positive, and productive relationships with donors.
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The Courts
By Jonathan Edwards
.....A Tennessee high school student posted three memes last year to Instagram making fun of his principal’s “overly serious demeanor.” One superimposed the principal’s face onto an anime cat wearing a dress and surrounded by pink hearts.
The principal’s response: to suspend the student for five days, according to a recent lawsuit.
Now the 17-year-old student, with the help of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, is suing Tullahoma City Schools. He alleges that then-Principal Jason Quick and Assistant Principal Derrick Crutchfield violated his free speech rights by punishing him for social media posts he published off campus. In a 48-page lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Tennessee, the incoming Tullahoma High School senior seeks to have the suspension expunged from his record. He also wants the court to prohibit the school from enforcing an “unconstitutionally vague” policy that bans students from posting videos or images that are “embarrassing, demeaning, or discrediting (to) the reputation of any student or staff.”
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By David Baker
.....A federal judge ruled on Friday that Arizona’s law limiting how close people can get to recording law enforcement is unconstitutional. In his three-page ruling, John J. Tuchi said the law violated the First Amendment and “there is a clearly established right to record law enforcement officers engaged in the exercise of their official duties in public places.” He also said the law was too vague.
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By Joe Lancaster
.....In May, Reason wrote about the trend of "First Amendment auditors," activists who film in government buildings in order to test the limits of what is and is not allowed. One in particular, SeanPaul Reyes, films with a GoPro and posts the videos on his YouTube account. Reyes has been arrested multiple times for filming in public places, including inside New York City police stations.
Today, Reyes filed a federal lawsuit against the NYPD in conjunction with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a New York–based legal defense fund that focuses on police abuse. LatinoJustice attorney Andrew Case announced the suit at a press conference Monday afternoon.
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Free Expression
By Kate McGee and James Barragán
.....Joy Alonzo, a respected opioid expert, was in a panic.
The Texas A&M University professor had just returned home from giving a routine lecture on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch when she learned a student had accused her of disparaging Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the talk.
In the few hours it took to drive from Galveston, the complaint had made its way to her supervisors, and Alonzo’s job was suddenly at risk.
“I am in a ton of trouble. Please call me!” she wrote to Chandler Self, the UTMB professor who invited her to speak.
Alonzo was right to be afraid. Not only were her supervisors involved, but so was Chancellor John Sharp, a former state comptroller who now holds the highest-ranking position in the Texas A&M University System, which includes 11 public universities and 153,000 students. And Sharp was communicating directly with the lieutenant governor’s office about the incident, promising swift action.
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Online Speech Platforms
By Monica Harris
.....Recently, I was reminded of just how easy it is to be silenced in America now.
I published an article on Medium about the impact of transgender inclusion on the rights of women and lesbians. I felt it was a timely subject, and as a gay woman of color I have a vested interest in this issue. So, you can imagine my shock when, less than 24 hours after the article appeared, Medium’s Trust & Safety team removed it for violating community rules. I was further warned that repeated violations would lead to possible suspension of my account.
My crime? Posting "hateful content."
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The States
By Richard Halstead
.....Marin County is opting out, at least temporarily, of conforming with a new state law designed to better inform voters about who is behind state and local ballot measures.
Assembly Bill 1416 aims to address the influx of money into recent ballot measure campaigns, according to its author, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles. Santiago said the money is used to “inundate media outlets with advertisements intended to sway, and at times, mislead voters.”
AB 1416, which became effective in January, requires that the supporters and opponents of statewide and local measures be listed on ballots. However, the law allows counties to opt out of participating...
Roberts said, “One third of the counties throughout the state have already opted out of this bill.” Sonoma, Contra Costa and Napa counties are among them.
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Read an article you think we would be interested in? Send it to Tiffany Donnelly at [email protected]. For email filters, the subject of this email will always begin with "Institute for Free Speech Media Update."
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The Institute for Free Speech is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and defends the political rights to free speech, press, assembly, and petition guaranteed by the First Amendment. Please support the Institute's mission by clicking here. For further information, visit www.ifs.org.
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