Category: Features

Holding Strong Against the Rise of Censorship in Egypt and Tunisia

Despite legislation protecting free expression, an Egyptian satirist and Tunisian rapper find themselves caught in a wave of rising post-Arab Spring censorship. Political cartoons have been an ongoing target, and now Bassem Youssef and Weld El 15 have both been…

Jefferson Center Issues 2013 Muzzle Awards

The annual Muzzle Awards are out! The Muzzles, presented by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, recognize the very worst offenders against free expression in the past year. This year’s list, in no particular order, includes:…

Salt Lake City Gets Nerdy for CBLDF During SLC Nerd!

On Saturday, April 20, Salt Lake City will play host to a community festival for all things nerdy, from science to science fiction during SLC Nerd! Amidst music, gaming, cosplay, and more, SLC Nerd will hold the Comic Book Legal…

CBLDF Executive Director Helps Keep Toronto Reading

Join CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at the North York Central Library in Toronto (5120 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario M2N 5N9) for Keep Toronto Reading: Graphically Speaking — Dirty Comics, a spirited discussion…

Sen. Feinstein the Latest Congressperson to Pin Blame on Video Games

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has joined an ever-lengthening list of politicians seeking to pin blame for outbursts of youth violence on the media’s favorite scapegoat, video games. Though also author of the most recent legislation to tackle an assault weapons…

Obscenity Case Files: “I know it when I see it”

In the last edition of the Obscenity Case Files series, we discussed the Pope v. Illinois decision and how it impacted the Miller Test for identifying obscene material, which is not protected by the First Amendment. In this edition, we’ll take…

CBLDF Raises New Defense of Persepolis

Chicago Public Schools may think their letter regarding the attempted ban of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis provides an adequate defense for their actions, but today’s letter from the Kids Right to Read Project unquestionably eviscerates CPS’s argument. CBLDF is a sponsor…

Apple Goes on Censorship Spree

Once again, European attitudes towards nudity and sex have clashed with an American business behemoth. Last time, it was Facebook and Paris’ Jeu de Paume museum; this time, it’s Apple and a French distributor of e-comics. Izneo is a digital…

Why SAGA #12 Is Protected By the First Amendment

Earlier this week controversy spread over the temporary ban of Saga #12 on comiXology’s iOS app because of two small depictions of gay sexual content within the context of a larger sequence of images. The images in question appear on…

Marjane Satrapi Wants to Know What CPS Fears About Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi wrote Persepolis not just to share her personal experiences growing up in Iran but also to make human the people of a country that has been otherwise vilified around the globe. Satrapi recently spoke with Khury Petersen-Smith with…