Shortly after the Newtown shootings, a New Jersey high school student found himself in juvenile detention because of doodles in his notebook. This arrest has a disturbing familiarity for CBLDF: In 2004, we helped successfully clear a high school student…
Category: Legal
2012: The Year in Censorship
Now that 2012 has wrapped up and we’re taking our first steps into 2013, let’s pause a moment to take a look at the path behind us. As we look at some of our top censorship stories from 2012, it’s…
New Legislation Mandates Investigation of Video Games and Violent Behavior
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D – WV), has introduced a bill mandating that the National Academy of Sciences investigate the effect of violent video games on children. Rockefeller’s bill comes in…
French Magazine Charlie Hebdo Sued Over Mohammed Cartoons
News outlets have reported this month that the notoriously controversial French humor magazine Charlie Hebdo is being sued by a pair of Arab rights organizations over caricatures of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, which were published in September. In the wake…
CBLDF Annual Report
It’s been a spectacular year for CBLDF, with victory in the Ryan Matheson case, clearing the name of an American citizen who was arrested for the comics on his laptop; a $60,000 donation from the Gaiman Foundation to pay for…
The Government’s Increasing Interest in Your Electronic Devices
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is currently challenging the United States government in two separate cases that seek to limit the powers of border patrol agents in regards to the search of electronic devices without any suspicion of illegal…
Mike Diana on the Highs and Lows of Creating Controversial Art
In conjunction with a month-long exhibit of his work in London, cartoonist Mike Diana gave an interview to Vice.com about his career. Diana initially gained the attention of a national audience when he became the first United States artist to…
Utah Mom Sues to Return Book to Library Shelves
Earlier this year Patricia Polacco’s picture book In Our Mothers’ House, which depicts a happy and racially mixed family headed by two lesbians, was placed under restricted access in a Davis, Utah, School District elementary library. The book was segregated…
EFF Wins Battle for Erotic Fiction Against Internet “Gatekeeper”
Securing a victory for constitutionally protected free speech, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has convinced online payment provider Stripe to overturn their earlier decision to suspend the account of the Nifty Archive Alliance, a “nonprofit entity that supports the Nifty Erotic…
South African President Drops Defamation Suit Against Cartoonist
South African President Jacob Zuma announced last week that he was dropping his lawsuit against cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, known by the pen-name Zapiro. Zuma brought the suit for defamation against Zapiro, along with Sunday Times publisher Avusa Media and editor…