standing up for your rights

Bakken explained part of the reason he brought the lawsuit was because he felt the academic policy would diminish the credibility of West Point, since the public would know all information was being censored.

“Anybody who heard their speeches or read their writings would justifiably think that I don't know whether I'm getting what this professor believes is the truth. And I'm not saying anybody knows what the truth is, but we certainly try to engage in a process to obtain the truth. And therefore, if I can't believe what this professor is saying is one's belief of what is true then that leads to a lack of credibility not only with the professor but also with the institution,” Bakken said.

Bakken said censorship policies at military academies like West Point ultimately end up hurting national security.

“When you have a rule that says you can't speak without prior approval of a military administrator, the cadets who will become generals learn to speak according to a party line and that party line means that those people who will become generals and admirals will learn that conformity and blind loyalty and groupthink are the ways to go. And without even knowing it almost, people will not use their critical thinking abilities,” Bakken said.

"ICE knowingly pursued an American citizen for criticizing his government — speech that is at the heart of the First Amendment," said FIRE Senior Attorney Adam Steinbaugh. "Ominous letters warning people their speech might land them in prison are meant to coerce people into silence, and that's not how the First Amendment works."

The nation’s major television networks are declining to participate in White House pool duties moving forward in response to the Trump administration’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House, Fox News Washington Bureau Chief and current TV pool chair Bryan Boughton wrote in an email to TV pool subscribers.

“This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Boughton wrote in the email, obtained by POLITICO. “This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place.”

WASHINGTON – Common Cause condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling today allowing the federal government to continue using the flawed SAVE system.

In the aftermath of Kirk’s killing, “we saw a coordinated effort to chill any speech critical of his legacy,” Viktoya Vilk, senior director for digital safety and free expression at PEN America, wrote in a statement to Mother Jones. More than 600 people were fired, suspended, investigated, or otherwise disciplined by their employers for their social media posts about Kirk after his death last fall, according to Reuters. 

In the year since, dozens have challenged their firings. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has tracked 28 lawsuits filed in federal court by public employees who were terminated over their Kirk-related posts. Fifteen cases are active, and 13 have been settled, six of those for at least six figures, according to FIRE. 

A federal judge has ruled in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic in its legal battle against the Pentagon after the government labeled the company as a supply chain risk earlier this year.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a written order Thursday night that the Pentagon acted illegally by punishing the AI company for its criticism of the Department of Defense's views on AI use. The government is expected to fight the ruling.

“The article broke a major story about deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln,” the complaint says. “It reported that the aircraft carrier’s 5,000 Sailors have endured food and water shortages, disrupted mail service, long workdays, and little time off for months on end, and that the long deployment and physical hardships were impacting Sailors’ physical and mental health.”

The day after that article was published by Stars and Stripes, the suit contends, Lederer was ordered to fire Slavin and Korte – five and a half weeks after the CBS News interview. Lederer ultimately declined to comply with the order.

“Lederer did not deliver the notices,” the suit explains. “Instead, he decided then and there to retire, and informed the Stripes’ staff via email. Mr. Lederer took this step because he did not want to be part of Defendants’ scheme to illegally punish Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte for exercising their First Amendment rights.”

A federal judge sided with student protesters who claimed Florida International University violated their First Amendment rights when it punished them for violating a policy that bans “expressive activities” inside campus buildings. 

On Sunday, U.S. Southern District of Florida Judge Jacqueline Becerra ordered the Miami-based university to halt enforcement of the policy and temporarily blocked disciplinary actions against the students, court records show. It’s not yet clear if FIU will appeal the decision, though university officials have previously maintained that the policy is compliant with the First Amendment and Florida laws.

Hittner added that the law was so overly broad as to lead even activities such as “cheerleading, dancing, live theater, and other common public occurrences” to be treated as civil or criminal violations. He also said that the law was vague on its face and that it failed “to give a reasonable person notice of what is prohibited.”

The teachers accused the school district of discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, as well as association with others based on sexual orientation. Blahunka identifies as queer, while Bjorklund is mother to a trans child. Hurley is a gay man.

The recently announced settlement includes around $27,700 for each teacher as well as $67,000 total for their attorney’s fees, totaling $150,000, per the Register. While the teachers’ attorneys did not offer comment, a spokesperson for the district told the Register that “the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.”