by Mark Bousquet An assignment asking junior high school students to create a political cartoon has resulted in the teacher being fired. Robert Duncan, a teacher at Boyet Junior High School in Slidell, Louisiana was fired earlier this month after…
Category: Legal
Senate to Consider Bill Designed to Protect Journalists and ISPs from SLAPP Lawsuits
A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, better known as a SLAPP lawsuit, is a legal action initiated by a party with the primary purpose of causing its opponent to succumb to the pressures of litigation. Often times, the party filing…
Facebook and ACLU Challenge the Ruling That “Likes” Are Not Free Speech
What if “liking” a page on Facebook could cost you your job?
A judge in Virginia ruled last spring that Facebook “likes” are not protected under the First Amendment. According to U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson, “merely ‘liking’ a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection.”
South African Scuffle Over Controversial Portrait Spurs Debate, Censorship
How far should newspaper editorial go to protect their free speech in the face of business-crippling boycott? What dangerous precedents are set by self-censorship? Ferial Haffajee, editor of the South African City Press, faced these concerns at their most difficult…
Playwright Stops Production of THREE’S COMPANY Parody Over Copyright Claim
According to reports from The New York Times and Playbill.com, lawyers representing DLT Enterprises — the company that owns the copyright to the television series Three’s Company — have sent playwright David Adjmi a letter demanding he cease putting on…
“Can’t Censor the People”: Cops and Community Battle Over Mural Wall in New York City
On July 24th, the New York City Police Department sent two plainclothes cops to paint over a mural that had listed the NYPD alongside multinational corporations and government agencies under the headline, “Murderers.” While artist Alan Ket had permission from…
Media in Myanmar Opposes New Press Council
Last Friday, after widespread criticism of delays in eliminating its censorship board, the government of Myanmar announced that it was forming an interim council to regulate the press until the new media law is enacted. The 20-member council is comprised…
Men Arrested in India for E-Mailing Cartoon
When Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra e-mailed a cartoon mocking an Indian politician to friends, he probably didn’t expect to be arrested by local police in a midnight raid. Appallingly, Mahapatra and neighbor Subrata Sengupta were arrested in such a…
Political Cartoonist Zunar Scores Partial Victory in Malaysian Court
Last week, a Malaysian civil court ruled that the arrest of political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaqur, also known as Zunar, was lawful but that the seizure of his 66 books and paintings was not. This decision is the latest in…
Updated Arizona Anti-Harassment Bill Features Improved Free Speech Protection
Heeding concerns of the public and organizations like Media Coalition, of which the CBLDF is a member, the state of Arizona has passed an updated and more precise version of March’s legislation against cyberstalking and cyberharassment. House Bill 2549 was…