A district judge ordered Louisiana State University’s Board of Supervisors to pay attorneys fees and damages to two newspapers that sued for access to public records.
Author: Samantha Sunne
Florida college punishes student reporter for failing to leave suicide scene
Dylan Bouscher, editor-in-chief of Florida Atlantic University’s newspaper, the University Press, was surprised to be summoned to his school’s student conduct office earlier this month and hit with four disciplinary charges related to refusing a police order to leave a crime scene.
Fourth Circuit says Virginia ban on college papers' alcohol advertisements unconstitutional
A federal appeals court ruled that Wednesday that Virginia’s ban on alcohol ads in student newspapers was unconstitutional, bringing an end to a lawsuit filed seven years ago.
LSU turns over presidential search records to judge
Louisiana State University’s Board of Supervisors has turned over records from its recent presidential search to a judge after reaching a compromise in court Monday with the newspapers that sued the school.
Tinker Tour takes off on national Constitution Day
The Constitution lets people speak up and say things that are unpopular, Mary Beth Tinker told a crowd of students and teachers gathered in the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Newseum panel debates federal reporter’s shield law
Reporters and media lawyers seemed optimistic about the proposed legislation that would establish a media shield law during a panel at the Newseum in Washington on Wednesday."I've got a better feeling now than I've ever had,” said Kevin Goldberg, legal counsel to the American Society of News Editors, even though the bill still faces major obstacles in Congress.New York Times correspondent Charlie Savage was less optimistic, saying he was skeptical any form of the bill would pass.The bill, known as the 2013 Free Flow of Information Act, passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
Justice Scalia speaks in support of the Constitution
We should celebrate Constitution Day by praising the document as it was written, and not by adapting it to the whims of society or of court judges, Supreme Court associate justice Antonin Scalia said Monday."The source of our freedom is the Constitution that we're celebrating today," and not the Bill of Rights, he said.In a speech at George Washington University, Scalia addressed the need to remain faithful to the framers' ideas in order to keep the judiciary, and other governmental bodies, from overstepping their bounds.
Federal shield bill clears Senate committee with protection for college journalists
A federal shield bill that would afford journalists and their sources greater protection passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The bill, called the Free Flow of Information Act, will now go before the full Senate.
LSU proposes compromise in lieu of complying with judge's order to release records
Louisiana State University officials have proposed a compromise after sheriff’s deputies showed up at their door on Tuesday, warrants in hand, demanding copies of public records the university has refused to release.
Ninth Circuit latest to exempt publicly employed teachers from Garcetti speech restrictions
It’s illegal for public agencies to discipline teachers for statements they make, if those statements are a "matter of public concern," a federal appeals court ruled last week.Most public employees can be disciplined for making statements their bosses don’t like, even if it might seem like they are protected by the First Amendment.