When Judge Sonia Sotomayor takes her seat for her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, she will have the opportunity to set right a terrible mistake that threatens to undermine the safety of student journalists.Last year, Judge Sotomayor signed her name to an ill-considered ruling that significantly expanded high schools’ authority to punish students’ speech – even off-campus speech on personal time.
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Web site operator liable for encouraging third-party publication of illicit content to its site
Federal law has been interpreted as protecting the operators of Web sites from liability for content posted by unrelated third parties – like commenters on Web site bulletin boards – but even that broad grant of immunity has its outer limits.Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that a company offering access to people’s private telephone records could not hide behind the liability shield of the Communications Decency Act (a/k/a Section 230) by claiming to be no more than a conduit for information gathered by third parties.
Ky. student sues anonymous poster over allegedly defamatory comments on paper's Web site
A Kentucky college student is suing an unknown person who posted comments about her on a local newspaper's Web site and asking the paper to reveal the poster's identity.
Welcome to the SPLC Blog — and a reminder of what Independence Day is all about
"Press" is in our name, but the Student Press Law Center has always been about freedom of expression in all vehicles, and you are viewing the latest: the SPLC Blog, a collection of news, notes and observations about issues impacting the media and student rights.The holiday we observe at this weekend's weenie roasts and half-off sales is all about freedom from an overbearing and unresponsive government.
Student editors: Police report of theft opposes witnesses, video
Calif. court cuts school district's legal fees to former student for First Amendment lawsuit
A California school district is getting hit with a much cheaper legal bill after illegally censoring an article eight years ago, an appeals court ruled last month.
N.Y. college must pay $20,000 in settlement over discrepancies in campus crime statistics
A private New York college will have to pay the state $20,000 as well as reform its crime reporting policies as part of a settlement made with the state attorney general's office on June 12.
Former editor at Hawaii student newspaper denies claims he used false sources
A former reporter for the student newspaper at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, is denying claims that he fabricated nearly 30 sources in stories spanning nearly a year and a half.
N.D. high school newspaper adviser removed from position
A North Dakota high school newspaper adviser said he has been removed from his position because school officials disagreed with the content of the publication and his leadership philosophy.
Appellate court says school district's interests outweigh teacher's First Amendment rights over blog posts
A federal appeals court ruled last week that a Washington teacher's blog posts, which criticized the district and other teachers, were not protected by the First Amendment and that her subsequent demotion was legal.