The Latest News from the Institute for Free Speech February 6, 2023 Click here to subscribe to the Daily Media Update. This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]. In the News Fox 5 Atlanta: Federal judge rules 'Mama Bears' can't be 'censored' from reading library books to board .....A judge has lifted a ban enacted by Forsyth County Schools that prevented people from reading aloud school library books during a school board meeting. During a meeting last year, the board censored a parent, Alison Hair, who read excerpts from a book they deemed "inappropriate" for children and banned her from future meetings. Hair was joined by parent Cindy Martin, who are both part of the Mama Bears of Forsyth County, filed a federal lawsuit claiming the board violated her constitutional rights. Under the judge's ruling Forsyth County Schools cannot ban reading aloud from any written work available in the county school district’s classrooms or library. The board was also ordered to pay $17.91. The Institute for Free Speech, a First Amendment watchdog group which assisted in the lawsuit, noted that 1791 was the year the First Amendment was ratified. Supreme Court The Atlantic: The Supreme Court Considers the Algorithm By Kaitlyn Tiffany .....When the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered a lawsuit against Google in 2020, Judge Ronald M. Gould stated his view of the tech giant’s most significant asset bluntly: “So-called ‘neutral’ algorithms,” he wrote, can be “transformed into deadly missiles of destruction by ISIS.” According to Gould, it was time to challenge the boundaries of a little snippet of the 1996 Communications Decency Act known as Section 230, which protects online platforms from liability for the things their users post. Fundraising Axios: FTX asks for its political donations back By Ivana Saric .....Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX is sending notices to former donor recipients asking for the donated funds to be returned, the company said in a press release Sunday. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Digital Markets Co-CEO Ryan Salame were two of the largest political donors during the last election cycle. Now the company’s debtors want the money back. Bankman-Fried primarily backed Democrats and was the party’s second-largest donor last cycle with around $37 million in contributions. Salame’s $19 million to Republicans made him the party’s 10th largest donor. FTX's debtors are confidentially contacting "political figures, political action funds and other recipients of contributions or other payments." Political Parties Common Dreams: Once Again, DNC Panel Blocks Vote on Dark Money Ban in Democratic Primaries By Jake Johnson .....For the second time in less than five months, the Democratic National Committee's resolutions panel refused Thursday to allow a vote on a proposed ban on dark money in the party's primaries, despite substantial support for the change among DNC members and prominent progressive lawmakers. Judith Whitmer, the chair of the Nevada Democratic Party and lead sponsor of the dark money resolution, wrote on Twitter that "these funds are being used to exclude, not empower." "They're being used to silence the voices our party most needs to hear," Whitmer added. "The DNC did not pass my dark money resolution, but my voice was heard. Our elections are not for sale." According to DNC member R.L. Miller, the founder of Climate Hawks Vote, "not a single person" on the Resolutions Committee "dares move to even put it for a vote, just like summer 2022." International Reuters: EU lawmakers agree to tougher rules on targeted political ads By Foo Yun Chee .....EU lawmakers on Thursday agreed to tougher rules on targeted political advertising aimed at countering misinformation during elections, drawing support from Google's YouTube and civil rights activists and concerns from a tech lobbying group. The States IndyStar: Hoosiers are a giving bunch. Keep it that way. Protect donor privacy in Indiana. By Claudia Cummings .....As Hoosiers, we take pride in our generosity and humility. No matter how we’re making a difference — a school fundraiser or a donation to our favorite charitable cause — we should be able to choose whether or not to be recognized for it. The Indiana General Assembly is currently considering legislation that would preserve this choice: The right of charitable donors to keep their giving private if they wish. This is a key pillar of philanthropy. Without this protection, donor privacy could be at risk. If Indiana’s certified nonprofits, which include some religious institutions, can no longer provide the option of giving anonymously, it could produce a chilling effect that endangers the funding of so much good work throughout the state. There are many reasons people choose to keep their donations private. Many simply value their privacy. Others feel it is consistent with their religious beliefs. And some fear harassment or retaliation. In a 2021 Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance survey, nearly 70% of Americans said privacy concerns are important to them when making charitable donations. Freedom of religion, speech and association are hallmarks of America. It is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution for a reason. Bangor Daily News: Maine lawmaker indicted for signature fraud loses committee seat By Michael Shepherd .....The Midcoast lawmaker indicted in December for alleged signature fraud around Maine’s taxpayer-funded campaign program was removed from his only legislative committee on Wednesday... [Rep. Clinton Collamore, D-Waldoboro,] a first-year lawmaker elected in 2022, was indicted in Lincoln County on 20 felony forgery charges and several misdemeanors after an investigation by Maine’s campaign finance regulator found he submitted more than 30 fraudulent signatures on forms used to qualify the Clean Election program. Arizona Republic: Gov. Katie Hobbs still hasn't come clean on her inauguration fund By Laurie Roberts .....“Voters have a right to know who’s trying to influence the outcome of an election.” That was Katie Hobbs, during her 2017 run for secretary of state. I wonder if she also believes voters have a right to know who’s trying to influence a governor? And just how much influence they might have? The saga of Gov. Hobbs’ curious inauguration fundraiser continues, a cash-grab that was both lucrative and, as it turns out, secretive. 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." The Institute for Free Speech is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and defends the First Amendment rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government. Please support the Institute's mission by clicking here. For further information, visit www.ifs.org. Follow the Institute for Free Speech ‌ ‌ ‌ The Institute for Free Speech | 1150 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]