Topic: First Amendment
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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes
Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
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Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 differences on women's issues
President Obama won the women’s vote four years ago, and he’ll need to again to win reelection, given Mitt Romney’s strength among male voters. Here are some of the women’s issues on which the candidates differ.
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US Supreme Court: Big 21st century rulings
The past 12 years have seen significant US high court decisions with wide-ranging effects on personal freedoms and national politics. Another key ruling is expected this summer on President Obama's health-care reform law. Here are some recent top rulings, all decided by 5-to-4 votes.
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Tyler Clementi and cyberbullying: how courts ruled in five other cases
The trial for the roommate of former Rutgers University Tyler Clementi will be watched by legal experts nationwide to see how the court addresses the growing issue of cyberbullying. Here is a list of court proceedings where cyberbullying or Internet privacy invasion was a key issue.
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Extradition fight: Who is Julian Assange, why is Sweden seeking him?
A British court is hearing a final appeal from Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblower site, to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. Here are four questions about the man and the case.
All Content
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Robert Reich Gingrich's big donor and the problem with Super PACs
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has poured millions into Newt Gingrich's Super PAC–an example of what's wrong with our campaign finance system.
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PIPA and SOPA: What you need to know
As PIPA and SOPA work their way through Congress, the controversial bills have raised many questions. The most common: Wait, what are PIPA and SOPA?
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Would SOPA and PIPA bills 'break Internet?' Anti-piracy measure being revised.
On the verge of passage in Congress, the SOPA and PIPA bills targeting online piracy have been bounced back for revision in the face of a public outcry and high-profile Internet protests.
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Wikipedia blackout: Why even supporters question anti-SOPA move
The Wikipedia blackout is intended to spotlight the value of open access to information on the Internet, but also underlies how fractious the move is, drawing fire from both critics and supporters.
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How five websites are protesting SOPA
Five major websites will go dark on Wednesday protesting two Congressional bills, which critics argue could curtail Internet and free speech. If passed, The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act or PIPA, would allow the US government to seek a court order and even shut down websites that contain content or links to unauthorized copyrighted content. Moreover, advertisers and Internet service providers would be banned from doing business with transgressors.Proponents of the legislation include companies that are trying to protect their copyrights, such as the Motion Picture Association of America, The NBA, Pfizer, Nike, L'Oreal, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the US Conference of Mayors.However, voices of opposition include Internet giants Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Mozilla, and Wikipedia – who say that the proposed laws constitute a First Amendment violation, promote censorship, and harm the democratic flow of information. Check out how five major websites plan to protest SOPA and PIPA:
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Does First Amendment protect students' online speech off-campus?
The Supreme Court declined to take up Tuesday three potentially important test cases of the First Amendment of students engaged in controversial speech on the Internet.
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The Monitor's View: Supreme Court's historic but unfinished ruling for religious liberty
The high court endorses an exception for churches in discrimination suits by certain workers. But it has a hard time deciding how secular government can define what a religious worker is.
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Court dismisses fears of 'creeping Sharia law' that led to Oklahoma ban (+video)
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against an Oklahoma referendum banning the use of Islamic Sharia law in courts and said there's no evidence of such influence on US courts.
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Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
The Supreme Court decides unanimously that the First Amendment bars government interference in a religious group's decision to fire a minister. Critics say the ruling protects religious groups that fire people for the most venal reasons.
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Lawyer makes startling argument in Supreme Court hearing on FCC
A lawyer arguing that the FCC has gone overboard in its regulation of broadcast nudity and language directed the justices' attention to the bare buttocks of statues in the Supreme Court. The justices are considering whether FCC rules are inconsistent.
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Are tough FCC indecency laws obsolete? Supreme Court hears free-speech case.
Fox and ABC say tougher FCC regulations of broadcasters regarding expletives and partial nudity are discriminatory in an age when cable and Internet programs are not similarly regulated.
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Is new Supreme Court ruling a retreat from Citizens United?
The Supreme Court upheld Monday a long-established provision of campaign finance law that seeks to prevent foreign interests from influencing domestic politics.
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After deaths in Detroit, Backpage.com advertising comes under scrutiny
Several women found dead in Detroit over the weekend had profiles on Backpage.com, a website offering escort services. The website has received attention before for a potential connection to illegal activity.
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The defining issue of 2012: Who should government serve?
The biggest political issue of the coming year won't be the government's size, but who that government is for: corporations or people?
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US man found guilty of conspiracy to assist Al Qaeda
Tarek Mehanna, a Massachusetts resident, was convicted Tuesday of conspiracy to help the militant Islamic group and trying to kill US soldiers overseas.
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How Occupy's anti-foreclosure drive could sink the movement
Protesting in public spaces is protected speech. But occupying homes and lots to protest foreclosures, while dramatic, could result in many lawsuits, robbing Occupy of money and momentum.
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Supreme Court to weigh: Can man sue Secret Service agents in Dick Cheney case?
Two Secret Service agents arrested a Colorado man who criticized US policy in Iraq during a public appearance by Dick Cheney in 2006. The Supreme Court agreed Monday to take the case.
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Free speech covers tweets: Gov. Sam Brownback apologizes to Kansas teen
Gov. Sam Brownback apologized for an overzealous staff. A Kansas teen was told to apologize to Brownback after she issued a disparaging tweet. She now has more than 9,000 Twitter followers.
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Newt Gingrich: Does he have a path to the GOP nomination?
Newt Gingrich is nosing ahead of Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination, according to polls. But it could be hard for him to translate that support into primary victories.
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Could Occupy Wall Street protesters be sued for Black Friday tactic?
Some Occupy Wall Street protesters have talked of staging sit-ins at big retail stories on Black Friday. One prominent lawyer suggests that could backfire, legally.
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Time to take back the First Amendment
When the freedom of speech goes to the highest bidder, moneyed interests have a disproportionate say.
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Occupy tents removed: The hijacking of the First Amendment
Occupy tents have been banned in New York City. The removal of the Occupy tents represents a betrayal of First Amendment rights.
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Good Reads: Karzai's loya jirga, Occupy Wall Street protests, and Putin's peace prize
At a traditional loya jirga meeting of elders, Afghan President Hamid Karzai makes the case for continued partnership with US, while a New York judge orders city officials to shut down Occupy Wall Street's tent city.
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Crosses on public land: Did Supreme Court leave legal issue in 'shambles'?
The Supreme Court agrees not to take a case on whether memorial crosses on public land in Utah violate the First Amendment. But one justice says the court has left the topic in legal limbo.
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ACLU: FBI guilty of 'industrial scale' racial profiling
The ACLU says the FBI is guilty of racial profiling when investigating criminal threats. The FBI says it is taking into account the reality of the post-9/11 world.
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