Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Thank You Seattle! The CBLDF at Emerald City Comic-Con

by cbldf • April 6, 2012

Emerald City Comic Con took place last weekend, and it was three days of infectious enthusiasm, excited mobs, and great comics of all varieties. The CBLDF was on hand, excited to talk to all the fans and creators that populate the Pacific Northwest. ECCC was a terrific show; well-organized, well-attended, and well-programmed.

Click through for Deputy Director Alex Cox’s re-cap of a great convention, one that earned a much-needed $6,536, to help fund our continued education work and will assist in paying down the legal fees for Ryan “Brandon X” Matheson.

Headline, Homepage, Legal, News Blog

In the Wake of Protest and Public Scrutiny, Arizona Legislature Pulls Back Electronic Speech Censorship Bill

by Betsy Gomez • April 5, 2012

ABC 15, an Arizona affiliate is reporting that a sweeping electronic media censorship bill passed by the state’s legislature last week and headed to Governor Jan Brewer’s desk for signature has been pulled back in the wake of public outcry. Last week, CBLDF called attention to the bill and its constitutional deficiencies, helping to spark a wave of media coverage that turned the tide against the bill.

Lawmakers intended the law to protect people from online stalkers and bullies, but the law was so broadly worded that it would apply to the internet as a whole, not one-to-one communications, and the legislation does a poor job of defining the material that would run afoul of the law. As a result, anyone posting constitutionally-protected material could face charges if an individual deemed the material was intended to “annoy,” “offend,” “harass,” or “terrify.”

Read more about Arizona House Bill 2549 after the jump…

Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Comics Stars Mingle at GONE TO AMERIKAY Launch Party

by Betsy Gomez • April 5, 2012

Last weekend, comics fans and creators gathered at the Harbor Lights Restaurant in New York City for the launch of Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran’s new graphic novel Gone to Amerikay.

The star-studded party raised donations for CBLDF and several comics creators were in attendance, including McCullock, Doran, Paul Levitz, John Cassaday, Stuart Moore, and Jose Villarrubia, just to name a few. The Beat‘s Heidi McDonald and Torsten Adair also joined the party. Attendees had the chance to view original artwork, enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeurves, and picked up signed copies of the book.

Click through for a gallery of photos from the party…

Homepage, News Blog

EFF Protests Video Game Labeling Law

by Betsy Gomez • April 4, 2012

CBLDF and other free speech advocates won an important victory last year when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. EMA, striking down a California law that restricted the sale of video games to minors based on specious evidence that violence in video games causes violence in children. The law would have made violent speech a new category of unprotected speech, alongside obscenity.

A law proposed by Representatives Joe Baca and Frank Wolf has raised free speech concerns again. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised the issue.

More after the jump…

Homepage, News Blog

NCAC and ABFFE Seeking Kids’ Right to Read Coordinator

by Betsy Gomez • April 4, 2012

The National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression — both frequent CBLDF collaborators in the fight for First Amendment rights — are looking for a New York-based coordinator to manage their Kids Right to Read Project. The full job posting has all of the details, after the jump…

Homepage, News Blog

Tucson School Board Tightens Security

by Betsy Gomez • April 3, 2012

Imagine going through a security check more involved than anything you face before taking a flight, even if you’re a small child. You must be entering a high-security building, like the White House, right? You may also be entering a school board meeting in Tucson, Arizona.

The Tuscon Unified School District beefed up security at their school board meetings in response to the outrage fostered when the Tucson school district decided to end the Mexican American Studies program and removed several books by Mexican and Native authors from classrooms. Even small children are not exempt from being wanded and searched by security. When a Latino father took a photo of his 9-year-old son being searched before a meeting, his photo went viral and was embraced as emblematic of the anti-Latino and anti-immigrant attitude many feel is endemic in Arizona.

More after the jump…