“Denver clearly understood they had violated the First Amendment and they responsibly settled the case for less money than it would have cost them had they pushed it further and taken it to trial,” the worker's lawyer said. tinyurl.com/3ut2sd7y

“The First Amendment protects even harsh, unpopular speech, but it does not protect valid threats,” said Alex del Carmen, professor at Tarleton State University. “When people cross that line, accountability is essential, and so is empathy for those who are grieving.” tinyurl.com/yyappvf8

In the latest newsletter … Criticism of Trump “illegal” … Kimmel fallout … Pentagon restrictions … TikTakeover? … and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/597n2jvb

Freedom Forum’s 2025 “Where America Stands” survey results mark notable shifts in attitudes toward the First Amendment at a moment when the five freedoms — religion, speech, press, assembly and petition — are dominating the national conversation. tinyurl.com/m8u37j3v

“The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs,” said David Cortman, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. tinyurl.com/8ma92rek

Kimmel admitted that he was mad when ABC suspended him, but praised his bosses for putting him back on the air. “Unjustly, this puts them at risk.” tinyurl.com/9u8ubbeh

“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” ABC said a statement. tinyurl.com/46mvy8jd

“If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see,” said National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. “That should alarm every American.” tinyurl.com/h79e67ur

Congressional Democrats have denounced the Trump administration’s threats against political critics and unveiled a bill that would bolster free-speech protections against government officials. tinyurl.com/yc8bmrfz

FIRE explains everything Pam Bondi got wrong about "hate speech": tinyurl.com/m9fxscey

This event and responses could mark a trend toward significant intrusions on First Amendment rights. tinyurl.com/y8bhbb53

“We cannot be a country where late-night talk show hosts serve at the pleasure of the president,” said Ari Cohn, lead counsel for tech policy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. tinyurl.com/4wc43j7a

“The government involvement in this does inch this closer to looking like McCarthyism,” said Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “It was not a shining moment for free expression.” tinyurl.com/3b362ej5

In the latest newsletter … Charlie Kirk assassination fallout: How not to lose your job … First Amendment lawyer makes enemies left and right … guidance on public-school prayer … trailblazing prison newspaper … and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/434ydrsh

“The First Amendment does not apply in private workplaces to protect employees’ speech,” said Andrew Kragie, an attorney at Maynard Nexsen. “It actually does protect employers’ right to make decisions about employees, based on employees’ speech.” tinyurl.com/23jbbx36

Here’s a quick guide to navigating social media and your job: tinyurl.com/yc4thjwp

“It’s going to rattle college campuses,” said Nico Perrino, executive vice president for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “Colleges are going to be concerned about these sorts of events moving forward, particularly if they are outside.” tinyurl.com/uvtdvc5k

“Overall, I think (colleges and universities) need to prioritize making sure that this does not mean there will be no further Charlie Kirks coming to campus. If that’s what it means, then the assassin has won.” I wrote about Charlie Kirk's death + the challenge of balancing free speech + safety:

Traditional news organizations were careful in their midafternoon coverage of Charlie Kirk’s assassination Sept. 10 not to depict the moment he was shot. In practical terms, though, it mattered little. tinyurl.com/5uzhe292

CBS News has a new ombudsman assigned to look into public complaints, but the job being assumed by Kenneth Weinstein bears little resemblance to how this watchdog role has traditionally operated in journalism. tinyurl.com/4zms6n79

How the courts and legislatures balance the rights of the majority and minority in these disputes over the place of the Ten Commandments in public life may go a long way toward shaping the future of religious freedom in American public education. tinyurl.com/3uupscmw

Days after complaints over the handling of an interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on “Face the Nation,” CBS News said on Sept. 5 it would no longer allow editing of its guests’ words on the Sunday morning public-affairs show. tinyurl.com/bdz64wnn

“Fox’s audience didn’t really look at that verdict and say, ‘Oh, I can’t watch them anymore,'” said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. “I think Fox’s audience looked at that and said, ‘Oh, the left is coming after them.'” tinyurl.com/m3mchj7y

In May 2024, in an opinion written by reliably liberal Sonia Sotomayor, a unanimous Court ruled that the efforts of New York state government officials to punish companies doing business with the NRA constituted clear violations of the First Amendment. tinyurl.com/4fck79j7

“Evidence-based assessments of a president’s health are absolutely fair game,” said Bill Grueskin, a Columbia University journalism professor. tinyurl.com/msvd5f6z

“During this time of transition, NBC Universal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity,” MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said. tinyurl.com/e9ff65sm

“The fact is, many more people engage with our digital platforms and products today than with our print edition, and that shift is only accelerating,” publisher Andrew Morse wrote in a letter to subscribers posted on the Journal-Constitution‘s website. tinyurl.com/ytbutun3

Court papers in a voting-technology company’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News point to Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro as leaders in spreading false stories about election fraud in the weeks after Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. tinyurl.com/4e9hrmyw

“We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so, we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents,” Justice William J. Brennan wrote for the majority in Texas v. Johnson. tinyurl.com/5bn5dtbs

“While people can be prosecuted for burning anything in a place they aren’t allowed to set fires, the government can’t prosecute protected expressive activity,” added Bob Corn-Revere, chief counsel of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. tinyurl.com/mujrwzw2

“We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions,” the AP said. tinyurl.com/3n2r4pxk

“We believe in the importance of a newspaper in a community,” said Jen Hicks, co-publisher the Buffalo Bulletin. “We know that in communities without newspapers … voter participation goes down, which is a really tangible way to see the decline in civic life.” tinyurl.com/y5k8x3ph

“The court affirmed what we have long said: Public schools are for educating, not evangelizing,” said Tommy Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, in a statement. tinyurl.com/bdebf7pw

In the latest newsletter … Dr. Phil … MSNow … Newsmax defamation case … Stars and Stripes‘ low profile … a First Amendment argument against partisan gerrymandering … and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/56xt989x

The conservative network Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of defaming a voting-equipment company by spreading lies about President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, according to documents filed Aug. 18. tinyurl.com/445kk65t

With the start of another high school football season around the corner, a long-simmering dispute has heated up: prayers at games. tinyurl.com/yeytu9u7

“Although we’re disappointed with the Court’s decision, Justice Kavanaugh’s concurrence makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment,” said Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. tinyurl.com/367aztw

“Academic freedom protects the search for knowledge and truth from political pressure. That’s the whole point,” FIRE's legal director wrote in a statement. “Faculty are hired to share and hone their expertise in a given field of study, not to read from a government script.” tinyurl.com/k9cxhh57

Given, first, the news media’s willingness to emphasize the Court’s politics, and second, the justices’ ideologically consistent decisions across critical issues, it is unlikely that the news media retreats from political framing anytime soon. tinyurl.com/5fpe5ras

“The prohibition is overly broad, silencing U.S. corporations based on the mere possibility that foreign shareholders might try to influence its decisions on political speech,” wrote Judge Lara Montecalvo. tinyurl.com/52uhmdnh

“Two of the three appeals judges assigned to the matter also signed onto a forceful opinion declaring that the administration’s bid to conceal the data was an affront to Congress’ authority over government spending,” a Politico report said. tinyurl.com/425an5fy

“No one in Huron, nor any of the other papers, knew this was coming today,” Benjamin Chase, managing editor of the Huron Plainsman in South Dakota, said in a social media post. “We’re all in shock and attempting to figure out how to move forward.” tinyurl.com/y2axtbh2

A Washington state law that would have required Catholic priests to report “abuse or neglect” divulged during confession has been blocked by a federal court, The Olympian newspaper reported. tinyurl.com/5n8hum4s

"I don’t think reporters, editors and producers plan to let Donald Trump become their editor-in-chief over the next three years," writes Michael J. Socolow, professor in the University of Maine's Department of Communication and Journalism. "But we’ll only know by watching." tinyurl.com/3n26j5kk

In the latest newsletter ... President Trump answers reporters' calls himself ... Paramount "bias monitor" reporting to Trump ... crowd-sourced fact-checking fails ... Blue Angels, Instagram and a dying cat ... and much more First Amendment and journalism news. tinyurl.com/yyns6xjk

President Donald Trump’s firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer has been drawing criticism. But it’s not the first time that his administration has taken steps that could weaken the integrity of some government data. tinyurl.com/yrykv352

“If I’m going to jump off a cliff, is there water or not?” former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd says. “I didn’t know until I left NBC. Everybody told me there would be water. But you don’t know for sure until you jump.” tinyurl.com/2u6esu2k

“Today’s settlement reflects a critically important goal that we share with the plaintiffs: to foster a safe, secure and inclusive environment for all members of our community and ensure that there is no room for antisemitism anywhere on campus,” UC Board of Regents Chair said. tinyurl.com/cm748jpb

Meg Mott, professor of politics emerita at Marlboro College, offers a success story about engaging middle school students on First Amendment topics. tinyurl.com/2395k35k

“Now more people, including judges, understand that it’s possible to sue someone for revealing something truthful, as long as that something is deeply personal and its publication is highly offensive,” said Amy Gajda, a Brooklyn Law School professor. tinyurl.com/2ys2daey