Everyone on social media at some point has to figure out how they’re going to use it. Will their account be public? Will they post information about family? Current events? Religion? Politics? If the account’s not open to...more
The US Supreme Court decided City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin yesterday. The case got the Court back into deciding what kinds of outdoor signs can be regulated. You might think that driving down the...more
What do you suppose the Supreme Court might tell a politician who filed a lawsuit complaining that other politicians said mean things about him? You might think the Court would say, “Toughen up, Buttercup!” Well, yesterday,...more
Officer Matthew Minard of the Taylor, Michigan Police Department pulled over Debra Cruise-Gulyas for speeding. He cut her a break and cited her only for a non-moving violation. A lot of people would’ve been grateful, but...more
On Monday the Supreme Court avoided deciding, once again, when, if ever, political gerrymandering violates the Constitution. In Gill v. Whitford, the Supreme Court was presented with startling evidence that Wisconsin...more
6/22/2018
/ Appeals ,
Article III ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Gerrymandering ,
Gill v Whitford ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Political Parties ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Vacated ,
Voting Rights
The US Supreme Court decided yesterday what Court watchers thought might be a landmark case deciding whether the rights to free exercise of religion and free speech trumped the rights of gays and lesbians to have access to...more
6/6/2018
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
LGBTQ ,
Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd v Colorado Civil Rights Commission ,
Private Sector ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Reversal ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
SCOTUS
In Wisconsin, legislative assembly elections are like Alice – they’re through the looking glass. After redistricting in 2011, Wisconsin Republicans lost the popular vote for legislative seats with only 49% of the votes cast....more
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the New York Times don’t much like each other. So much so that Palin sued the Times for defamation. Her claim stemmed from a Times editorial that wrongly linked her political action...more
Police officers in Petersburg had a First Amendment right to post to Facebook their complaints about their police department. A department policy limiting social media postings was unconstitutional. So held the U.S. Court...more
The Supreme Court of the United States handed down today an important First Amendment case concerning governments’ ability to regulate commonly displayed informational signs.
In Reed v. Town of Gilbert,...more
6/24/2015
/ Churches ,
Compelling Governmental Interest ,
Content-Neutral ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Local Ordinance ,
Reed v Town of Gilbert ,
SCOTUS ,
Signs ,
Strict Scrutiny Standard ,
Zoning Laws
Today, the Court handed down its ruling in Town of Greece. In a sweeping ruling, the Court upheld the local government’s religious invocations in a 5-4 decision. The ruling pretty dramatically and explicitly broadens the...more