August 20, 2025

In the News

South Central PA News: Sen. Mastriano: 'SB964 protects Pennsylvanians from the influence of foreign legal systems'

.....Doug Mastriano, a Senator from Pennsylvania, announced his proposed Foreign Law Protection Act, which he said would safeguard residents from foreign legal practices and preserve constitutional freedoms in state courts. The statement was made on the social media platform X…

Legislative efforts to limit foreign influence have extended beyond courtrooms to election law. In 2024, Pennsylvania lawmakers proposed a ban on "foreign-influenced corporations"—those with as little as 1% foreign ownership—from making political expenditures. Critics warned this measure could suppress corporate speech rights. As reported by the Institute for Free Speech, such proposals highlight how foreign law debates intersect with broader constitutional concerns.

Free Expression

The Atlantic: Europe’s Free-Speech Problem

By Conor Friedersdorf

.....Europe and the United States have always had different free-speech cultures. In the postwar era, both confronted the question of how tolerant societies should treat intolerant factions. Much of Europe concluded that, although free speech is important, views that threaten democracy itself are different and can be criminalized; see laws in various European states against Nazi propaganda. In contrast, the American system protected expression as vile as neo-Nazis marching through a town of Holocaust survivors because, by First Amendment logic, fascist speech poses less of a danger than enabling the state itself to engage in viewpoint discrimination. Despite these differences, both Europe and America mostly expanded speech protections in the 20th century and pulled back from censorship, seeming to converge on liberal values by the time the Iron Curtain fell and the internet spread.

Museums Journal: Trump interference could have ‘chilling effect across entire museum sector’

By Geraldine Kendall Adams

.....Museum sector bodies in the US have expressed alarm at the “growing threat” of censorship and political interference in museums from the Trump administration.

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Organization of American Historians (OAH) and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) are among the organisations to speak out after the White House wrote to Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie Bunch last week ordering an internal review of the institution’s exhibitions and materials.

The States

MLive: Bill to close loophole protecting secretary of state from penalties draws bipartisan support

By Michael Kransz

.....Legislation to close a loophole that allows the secretary of state to avoid punishment for campaign finance violations is advancing in the Michigan House with bipartisan support.

The bill that unanimously advanced Tuesday, Aug. 19, by the House Election Integrity Committee would grant the attorney general the authority to punish the secretary of state in the event of a violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA). The bill now awaits consideration on the House floor.

Washington Times: Oklahoma ideology test for teachers from New York and California draws criticism

By Heather Hollingsworth and Jamie Stengle, Associated Press

.....Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology,” but which opponents decry as a “MAGA loyalty test.”

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification.

“As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,” Walters said in a statement.

Axios Denver: Denver layoffs include longtime employee suing city for discrimination

By Alayna Alvarez

.....Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's administration on Monday abolished the job of longtime employee Jessica Calderon, a Latino woman and senior director in the Mayor's Office of Social Equity & Innovation, as part of this week's layoffs, according to a termination notice reviewed by Axios.

Calderon is in an ongoing lawsuit against the city over alleged sex and national-origin discrimination, political retaliation and First Amendment violations. Her job elimination is intensifying scrutiny of how Johnston's team is handling Denver's first layoffs in more than a decade.

In 2024, Calderon — a 21-year municipal employee — sued the city, the mayor's office and her boss Ben Sanders, Denver's chief equity officer.