freedom of speech

Read the latest freedom of speech news, cases, and stories on Newser.com

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Judge: It's OK to Whine About Work on Facebook

NLRB orders nonprofit to reinstate five fired employees

(Newser) - A potentially big win for those who like to carp about their jobs on Facebook: The National Labor Relations Board has ordered a Buffalo nonprofit to reinstate five workers who got fired for doing just that, reports Inc . They get back pay to boot. One catch: If you do want...

Syria Charges Hundreds With ‘Maligning the State’

Hundreds face three-year stints in jail

(Newser) - Hundreds of the Syrians rounded up in recent days have been charged with “maligning the prestige of the state,” an offense punishable by a three-year prison term, a human rights group tells Reuters . “Mass arrests are continuing across Syria in another violation of human rights and international...

Gloating Westboro Vows to Quadruple Protests

Anti-gay extremists hail Supreme Court decision

(Newser) - The Westboro Baptist Church reacted to its Supreme Court victory yesterday with its usual amount of tact and good grace. Gloating leaders of the Kansas-based extremist church vowed to quadruple the number of protests at military funerals now that the court has ruled such demonstrations are protected under the First...

Supreme Court: Westboro Protests Protected

Pickets might be 'outrageous,' but covered by 1st Amendment

(Newser) - John Roberts' Supreme Court ruled 8-1 today that the controversial Westboro Baptist Church pickets outside military funerals might be "outrageous," but they're also protected under the First Amendment. The ruling upholds a reversal of a lower court's $5 million award to a dead Marine's father, who sued Westboro...

Pennsylvania Cops Now Let You Swear All You Want

Cops will no longer issue tickets for naughty words

(Newser) - Say it with me, foul-mouthed Pennsylvanians: Hot damn! It is officially no longer a crime to utter choice four-letter words in the presence of state police. They've agreed to stop citing the public for cursing as part of a settlement yesterday of a federal free-speech lawsuit. That suit stems from...

Assange Could Face Espionage Act Charges

Ecuador, meanwhile, offers WikiLeaks founder residency

(Newser) - The US government is trying to pin Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks cohorts with charges under the Espionage Act—a 1917 law that predated various Supreme Court cases expanding First Amendment protections. The FBI is examining everyone who came into possession of the State Department cables that leaked yesterday, sources...

YouTube Pulls Awlaki Videos
 YouTube Pulls Awlaki Videos 
Nov 4, 2010 7:12 AM CDT

YouTube Pulls Awlaki Videos

UK, US governments urged site to remove 'hate speech'

(Newser) - YouTube has pulled hundreds of videos featuring Anwar al-Awlaki, in response to pressure from British officials and a letter from New York congressman Anthony Weiner. YouTube said the al-Qaeda cleric’s videos violated the site’s policies against “dangerous or illegal activities such as bomb-making, hate speech, and incitement...

More Fallout for Yale Frat's Rape Chant

National board suspends pledge activities, outcry continues

(Newser) - A Yale fraternity is coming under further scrutiny after pledges were heard chanting "No means yes! Yes means anal!" among other gems last week. The executive director of Delta Kappa Epsilon has told the chapter to suspend all pledging activities, and is due to drop by campus for...

Pimps Infiltrate New Corners of Craigslist

'Adult services' shuttered, they head over to 'casual encounters'

(Newser) - Opponents of the world's oldest profession scored a victory Friday when Craigslist replaced its "adult services" section with a black "censored" banner, thereby grinding all prostitution to a screeching halt. For a nanosecond. Then pimps predictably picked up their nefarious ads and trotted right over to Craigslist's "...

Man Arrested for Taping Gun-Toting Cop

Prosecutors around the country try similar tactics

(Newser) - Anthony Graber is facing 16 years in prison because he had his video camera rolling in the wrong place at the wrong time. Graber was filming on his motorcycle when a cop pulled him over—by cutting him off and waving a gun at him. When Graber put the video...

'Freedom of Speech' Means Helen Thomas, Too

In wake of 'indefensible' remarks, UK commentator sees double standard

(Newser) - The remark that ended Helen Thomas' career "was, quite simply, a disgraceful, thoughtless and indefensible statement"—but she does have a constitutional right to share her indefensible opinions. That contrarian view comes from across the Atlantic, where Guardian media blogger Roy Greenslade is weighing the "wider implications"...

State AG Orders Twitter to Rat Out His Critics

Republican candidate for governor wants names, addresses

(Newser) - Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has subpoenaed Twitter, demanding it release “any and all subscriber information” for two accounts that seem to mainly specialize in criticizing him. The subpoena orders Twitter to “testify and give evidence regarding alleged violations of the laws of Pennsylvania,” but doesn't specify...

My 'Crimes' Against Iran


 What I Did 
 to Deserve 
 13 Years and 
 74 Lashes 


Journalist charged in iran
May 11, 2010 11:47 AM CDT

What I Did to Deserve 13 Years and 74 Lashes

Mazair Bahari explains the sentence handed down in absentia

(Newser) - Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari learned this week that, without telling him or his lawyers, an Iranian court had sentenced him to 13 years in prison and 74 lashes. Bahari won't serve that sentence—he was released from Iranian jail in October, after 118 days of interrogation and torture, and...

Preacher Arrested for Calling Homosexuality a Sin

UK Baptist charged with harassment, abusive language

(Newser) - A UK minister was arrested for harassment after publicly calling homosexuality a sin. Baptist preacher Dale McAlpine spent seven hours in jail on charges that because he had made the remark loudly enough for others to overhear, it constituted abusive language. McAlpine was handing out religious pamphlets in public when...

Supreme Court Voids Ban on Animal Cruelty Videos

Aimed at crush videos, law too broad, says majority

(Newser) - The Supreme Court struck down a federal law today aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech. The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison...

TV Pitchman Fights to Stay Out of Jail

Infomercial king held in contempt for sparking barrage of emails

(Newser) - Kevin Trudeau, the infomercial salesman, radio host, and author, is appealing a federal judge's order that he be jailed for contempt of court after telling followers to pepper the jurist with emails. The lawyer defending the contempt ruling argues that given modern technology, a judge’s computer can be considered...

Marine's Dad Ordered to Pay Protesters' Court Fees

He's having trouble finding money for Supreme Court filing

(Newser) - The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters was ordered to pay the protesters' appeal costs, his lawyers said yesterday. On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Albert Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps, the leader of...

Court: Student Suspended for Facebook Page Can Sue

Lawyers hail freedom of speech ruling

(Newser) - A former high school student suspended after criticizing a teacher on a Facebook page can sue the school for the disciplinary action, a Florida court has ruled. Katherine Evans can take action to expunge the penalty from her school record as well as sue for a "nominal" fee for...

No Dungeons & Dragons in Prison: Court

Prisons worry fantasy game could foster gang-like behavior

(Newser) - An avid Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast had his dreams of playing the fantasy game behind bars dashed by an appeals court today. Kevin Singer, in prison for life for murder, had argued that being forbidden to play violated his rights under the 1st and 14th amendments. The Wisconsin prison system...

High Court Rips Up Corporate Campaign Donation Limits

5-4 ruling repeals part of McCain-Feingold

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns. By a 5-4 vote, the court today overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their...

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