first amendment rights Archives

Judge Finds RFK Jr. Can Bring Censorship Lawsuit Against Biden Admin After Supreme Court Rejects States’ Challenge

August 23, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

RFK Jr. in a courtroom (composite image)

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can continue to pursue his censorship lawsuit against the Biden administration.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that state and individual plaintiffs who alleged the Biden administration violated their First Amendment rights when it pressured social media companies to suppress speech did not have standing to sue. District Court Judge Terry Doughty found Kennedy meets the standard set by the Supreme Court because there is “ample evidence” to show he has been censored in the past at the direction of government actors and “substantial risk” that the censorship will continue.

School Districts Under the Spotlight for How they Handle their Social Media Accounts

March 19, 2024 The Center Square

School districts around the country are facing issues with how they handle their social media accounts, and the debate has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

Denver Public Schools recently reviewed its social media policy that doesn’t allow employees to restrict comments on social media or limit who can see them.

New York Attorney General Sends Threatening Letter to Church Suggesting Their ‘ReAwaken America Tour’ Is ‘Extremist’ and ‘Racially Motivated’

August 19, 2022August 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

A letter sent by New York Attorney General Letitia James to Cornerstone Church in Batavia, New York, threatened the church, in advance of its hosting a ReAwaken America Tour event this past weekend, with investigation and prosecution of “acts of violence, intimidation, threats, or harassment” toward others based on “a belief or perception” of characteristics including “race,” “national origin,” “gender,” and “sexual orientation.”“national origin,” “gender,” and “sexual orientation.”

“As New York’s top law enforcement officer, I have significant concerns that the ReAwaken America Tour’s upcoming event at the Cornerstone Church in Batavia, New York on August 12 and 13 could spur extremist or racially motivated violence,” James said in the letter sent to Clay Clark, organizer of the tour, and General Michael Flynn, who travels with it, in care of the church.

YouTube Removes Former President Trump’s Press Conference Announcing Big Tech Lawsuits

July 12, 2021July 11, 2021 Cooper Moran

Youtube removed a video posted by the America First Policy Institute, which captured former President Trump’s press conference announcing a class action lawsuit against Big Tech giants.

President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute Brooke Rollins, who joined Trump at the press conference, argued that the video’s removal is yet another instance of the censorship of conservatives.

Parler Alerted Feds to Violent Content Ahead of January 6 Riot

March 27, 2021March 26, 2021 Michigan Star Staff

Parler, the free speech social media platform maligned by political partisans and their media associates has responded with a letter to the House Oversight Committee which is currently investigating the company for failing to “police” its content before the January 6th riot.

The social media company reports it alerted the FBI more than 50 times of posts indicating the violent action at the Capitol posted on its site. The Wall Street Journal reports:

The social-media site referred a number of posts to law enforcement, including one on Dec. 24 from a user who called for an “armed force” of 150,000 people to “react to the congressional events of January 6,” according to the letter, which included the post and communications with FBI officials among its exhibits and has been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.