Congressional efforts to pass a federal Media Shield Law, which would introduce additional protections for journalists from government interference and surveillance, are being stymied as the U.S. Senate tries to solve a question of definition: Who do we consider “real”…
Category: Legal
Syria Continues Campaign Against Dissenting Artists
A cartoonist who co-signed a 2011 document calling for the removal of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad and his government was arrested in late July, one more in an ongoing string of arrests, harassment, and disappearances of dissenting Syrian cartoonists. Cartoonists…
Obscenity Case Files: Memoirs v. Massachusetts
In 1966, eleven years after the decision in Roth v. United States held that obscenity was not protected by the First Amendment and attempted to define obscene speech, came the landmark case of Memoirs v. Massachusetts. This case is about…
CBLDF Joins Amicus Brief Opposing Content-Based Taxation in New York
CBLDF and other members of the Media Coalition have joined forces to file an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, asking them to review a lower court’s decision in New Loudon Corp. v. State of N.Y. Tax Appeals Tribunal. The…
Japanese Editor Arrested for Distributing Obscene Images
Three people, including Akira Ōta, who heads the editorial department at Core Magazine, have been arrested in Japan amid accusations of obscenity. Those arrested are being accused of selling magazines and manga that had sexual content which was insufficiently censored, a…
Obscenity Case Files: Roth v. United States
It may come as a surprise, but the freedom of speech laid out by the First Amendment doesn’t actually include all forms of speech. Roth v. United States is a landmark case that held that obscene speech was a category…
Independence Day 2013: A Look at CBLDF’s Recent Victories
We’ve reached the midpoint of 2013, and the fact that it’s Independence Day is an important reminder of the principles on which our country was founded, not least of which is the First Amendment and its guarantee of free expression.…
Obscenity Case Files: Miller v. California
The First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech, but there are certain types of speech that fall outside of its protection. Obscenity is a type of unprotected speech, but what exactly is considered obscene in the eyes of the…
CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein to Speak on Comics Censorship at San Diego Law Library
On July 16, 2013, from noon to 1:00 p.m., CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be taking part in the San Diego Law Library’s Lindley Lecture on Law & Comics 2013, an annual event that coincides with Comic-Con International and…
N.J. Proposal Calls for Distribution of Suspect Research on Video Games
Last December’s massacre at Sandy Hook elementary was a grim reminder that gun violence is an all too real issue that we are plagued with today. In addition to targeting gun control itself, both legislators and concerned citizens are constantly…