Amanda Tatro, who less than a week ago lost a high-profile First Amendment case in front of the Minnesota Supreme Court, was found dead in her apartment Tuesday morning, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed.She was 31.A friend of Tatro’s told a City Pages blog that her husband had found her lying on the couch unresponsive when he woke up Tuesday morning.
Author: Seth Zweifler
Minn. high court: University can discipline student for online cadaver comments
The Minnesota Supreme Court held Wednesday that public universities can restrict the speech of students in “professional programs” when the program has rules consistent with established professional standards.
Seattle college paper returns to print four years after censorship controversy
Four years after its print edition was canceled, The New City Collegian is back in business — for one day, at least.On Tuesday, the student newspaper at Seattle Central Community College published its first print edition since 2008, when it found itself at the center of a national censorship debate that resulted in the elimination of all funding for the newspaper and the resignation of the faculty adviser.The newspaper has been operating as an online-only publication since that time.
Judge: U. of Cincinnati speech code likely unconstitutional
TheUniversity of Cincinnati likely violated students’ First Amendment rights whenit restricted members of the UC chapter of Young Americans for Liberty fromcirculating a petition across campus, the U.S.
Email exchange between school board members not a public meeting, Va. high court rules
The exchange of emails by members of the Fairfax County School Board did not constitute a public meeting under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, the state Supreme Court ruled June 7.
Appeals court: Private college police not covered by N.C. open records law
Privateuniversity police departments in North Carolina are not subject to the state’sopen records law, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
Wash. principal upset by letters G-A-Y in newspaper word search
The appearance of the letters “G-A-Y” in a word search was nearly enough to persuade the principal of Port Angeles High School not to allow distribution of the Timberline student newspaper.
Neb. students will not appeal loss in “Julius RIP” T-shirt case
Plaintiffs in a Nebraska suit that called into question the right of students to wear an “RIP” T-shirt have decided not to appeal their case.District Judge Laurie Smith Camp wrote in a directed verdict last month that no “reasonable jury” could rule against the Millard County School District in a First Amendment lawsuit brought by three former students.A trial jury had ruled in early April that the school district acted reasonably when it suspended Dan and Nick Kuhr in 2008 for wearing T-shirts which read “Julius RIP.”The T-shirts were in remembrance of Julius Robinson, who was shot in front of an apartment complex in what was believed to be an act of gang violence.The school district suspended the Kuhrs, arguing that the T-shirts — as well as an accompanying bracelet — had the potential to cause a substantial disruption in school.Though the jury ruled against Dan and Nick Kuhr, it did not find in favor of either party for a third plaintiff, Cassie Kuhr.
Tenn. adviser removed after yearbook publishes profile of gay student
A journalism adviser who wasat the center of a controversy surrounding a yearbook article about an openlygay student has been reassigned.
Read no evil
The fear of liability by school administrators — whether expressed publicly or not — is increasingly being used as a justification for censorship.