Topic: First Amendment
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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:
All Content
-
Argument over NRA T-shirt gets eighth-grader jailed. Dress code run amok?
A student at a West Virginia middle school was suspended and arrested after a confrontation with a teacher over an NRA T-shirt with a picture of a rifle on it. Public schools have some leeway in setting dress codes, the Supreme Court has found.
-
USA Update Florist sued again for refusing to provide flowers for gay wedding
The ACLU has filed a discrimination lawsuit against a florist in Washington State who says she would not sell flowers for a gay couple's wedding because of her religious beliefs. The state is already prosecuting her under a consumer protection law.
-
Can medical companies patent human genes? Supreme Court hears key case. (+video)
The US Supreme Court on Monday takes up a case with widespread implications for scientific innovation and health care in the US. The question: Are human genes patentable?
-
The New Economy Shareholders ask firms: What are your politics?
One in three shareholder resolutions this year deal with companies' political spending and activities. Is it political 'trench warfare' or do shareholders need to know the politics of their companies in the wake of Citizens United decision?
-
Opinion: Liberal hypocrisy on Bloomberg's moneyed fight for gun control
President Obama heads to Colorado today in his push for gun control – a cause NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent millions to support. Liberals who usually oppose the influence of money in politics are now praising Bloomberg. Such hypocrisy undermines their cause.
-
Supreme Court refuses case challenging full price disclosure for airlines
US Supreme Court action lets stand the federal requirement that airlines disclose the full price of a ticket – base fare plus all taxes and fees – up front for consumers.
-
ACLU sues North Carolina county over Christian invocations at meetings
Rowan County commission meetings typically open with a pro-Christian invocation. In Lund v. Rowan County, some residents say the practice is offensive and makes them uncomfortable.
-
NBC and 'SNL' targeted over Jesus skit. Do such ad boycotts work?
Sears is taking steps to keep its ads off online rebroadcasts of the 'Saturday Night Live' skit, after a conservative Christian group complained. Such ad boycotts do have effects, say media analysts – but not usually the intended one.
-
Steven Tyler Act passes: New curbs on paparazzi
Steven Tyler Act passes Hawaii senate: The bill tries to protect celebrities, such as Steven Tyler, from zealous photographers. Steven Tyler owns a home in Maui.
-
Campaign finance: Supreme Court declines case on contributions by corporations
A ban on contributions to candidates from corporations has been in effect since 1907. On Monday, the Supreme Court turned away a campaign-finance case seeking to allow such contributions.
-
The Monitor's View: Instead of blaming media violence for kids who kill, demand more nonviolent video games
A new study shows how children display more empathy if given pro-social media to watch or play. Parents can be encouraged to demand video games and other media that teach social skills.
-
Cover Story
Future hangs on misunderstood majority of gun ownersGun control seen through the eyes of the misunderstood majority of gun owners is more nuanced and complex than the absolutism of America's big gun lobbies. The Obama administration is courting this breed of centrist, gun-friendly Americans on the fence about gun control.
-
Russians may end up with a web vetted by The League for Internet Safety
Russia's Internet is facing official efforts to rein it in. Users are in an uproar over suggestions they should soon be sent only to a list of approved websites proposed by The League for Internet Safety.
-
Sam Mullet, Amish beard-cutting ring leader, gets 15-year jail term
Sam Mullet is an Amish leader who terrorized other Amish followers by cutting their beards and hair. The government said the attacks were retaliation against Amish who had defied or denounced Sam Mullet and his authority.
-
Robert Reich Immigration, corporations, and the real debate over US citizenship
Immigration is just one part of the conversation over US citizenship, Reich writes. The immigration debate is also a question of who we want to join us.
-
American Idol contestants claim racial discrimination. Do they have a case?
Former 'American Idol' contestants say they were disqualified based on their race and criminal records, in violation of California law. What does a legal expert say about the American Idol case?
-
Can police use your silence against you? Supreme Court to decide.
The Supreme Court is reviewing a case in which a Texas man's silence while voluntarily answering police questions was presented as evidence at trial. His murder conviction was upheld on appeal.
-
Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: Lessons from this tragedy?
Justin Bieber paparazzo killed: On Tuesday, a photographer was killed by a vehicle while chasing pop star Justin Bieber. In today's celebrity-driven culture, how can paparazzo tragedies like this be avoided?
-
Gun control: Is David Gregory’s on-air stunt proof of media bias?
Washington police are investigating ‘Meet the Press’ host David Gregory for holding up a rifle clip on air. Gun control opponents see the incident as proof the media are biased against them.
-
Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?
The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge.
-
9/11 trial: Any mention of torture is classified, military judge rules
The military judge in the 9/11 trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others granted a government request to make all mention of alleged torture in the court classified. The defense called the ruling 'shameful.'
-
Why US should be wary of attacking cyberradicals, including Al Qaeda
Missives from extremist groups such as Al Qaeda can easily be found online. But launching cyberattacks to shut their websites down is problematic – and even counterproductive, a new report finds.
-
Calif. gay conversion therapists win first round in court
A US District Court Judge made a decision just hours after a hearing on the issue, ruling that First Amendment rights of therapists outweigh concerns about danger to young people of gay conversion therapy.
-
Concealed weapons: US court upholds New York state requirement for permit
New York requires gun owners to prove they have a special need for protection to obtain a concealed weapons permit. The 100-year-old law does not violate the Second Amendment, the court ruled.
-
Obamacare: Supreme Court orders new look at university’s lawsuit
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an appeals court to consider the underlying merits of Liberty University’s lawsuit – including whether Obamacare violates religious freedom.
Become part of the Monitor community