Sally Jenkins and Bob Costas Hit Home Runs
George FreemanThe conversation between Hall of Fame sports journalists Sally Jenkins and Bob Costas was riveting to both sports fans and non-sports enthusiasts alike. But as many Broadway productions – and Gotham Hall is on Broadway – there was a lot of drama behind the scenes.
RFK Jr. Loses Defamation Lawsuit Against Maine-Based Daily Kos Blogger
It’s hard to win a defamation lawsuit when you sue someone over things they didn’t say, or statements that are obviously expressions of opinion, or when you mischaracterize what they actually said.
Disney’s Selection of Bands for Concerts Is Within Scope of California’s Anti-SLAPP Law
Jordyn Ostroff and Jean-Paul JassyThe decision represents an important application of the test set forth by the California Supreme Court for application of the California anti-SLAPP statute’s “catchall provision.”
Texas Court Dismisses Defamation Claim by Activist Who Campaigned for Removal of Books at State Historical Sites
Abby Lahvis and Maggie BurresonA Texas court of appeals dismissed a defamation claim by a prominent “anti-woke” activist who had complained to officials about antiracism books offered for sale at two state historical sites that once had been slave plantations.
Will Carter be Rucked?
David HooperCarter-Ruck appears to be challenging the scope of the SRA’s investigatory powers – objecting to turning over their files to the SRA, where they contain legally privileged information. Given that these are uncertain times for the First Amendment, there may be lessons to be learnt in the USA as to whether there should be a stricter regulatory framework governing what is acceptable behaviour by claimant lawyers.
Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Online: Australia’s Age-Gating of Digital Speech
Zoe TakalaThere’s a dark irony to Australia’s paternalism here. We’re a nation willing to jail ten-year-olds, yet hesitant to trust them with an Instagram account.
Federal Court Permanently Blocks Unprecedented Texas Book Rating Law
Michael J. LambertIn a case of first impression, the court granted summary judgment this fall in favor of a coalition of booksellers, publishers, and authors challenging Texas’s book rating law, HB 900 (the READER Act), and entered a permanent injunction enjoining key provisions of the statute.
L*t’s G* Br*nd*n: The First Amendment Semiotics of Political Euphemism
Zoe Takala“Let’s Go, Brandon’s” journey from broadcast gaffe to political totem lays bare a dilemma in treating student speech: when minors in public schools use language tinged with — or descended from — vulgarity to make a political point, where does free speech end and school authority begin?
Ten Questions to a Media Lawyer
Karyn HartyDublin lawyer on her start in media law, representing Mirror Group Newspapers against businessman Denis O'Brien, contemporary Irish fiction, and authoring a poem that inspired Senator George Mitchell, President Bill Clinton and PM Tony Blair to press on in the Northern Ireland peace talks.