First Amendment

Judge in AP case says new White House press policy appears fair

A federal judge in D.C. declined on Friday to grant a motion from the Associated Press, which argued that the White House has disobeyed his order last week forcing the administration to stop banning the news organization’s journalists from attending presidential events because of its decision to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico in its news coverage.

Apr 18, 2025 1:49 PM CDT

Sarah Palin and the N.Y. Times are in court again; here’s why

Sarah Palin has returned to a lower Manhattan courtroom this week, determined to prove that the New York Times defamed her in a 2017 editorial that suggested a link between a map published by her political action committee and the 2011 shooting of former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Apr 18, 2025 10:06 AM CDT

Executive orders against firms threaten rule of law, Susman Godfrey says in suit against Trump administration

Updated: Susman Godfrey has alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday that President Donald Trump’s campaign of executive orders targeting the law firm and other well-known firms is an unconstitutional threat to the rule of law.

Apr 14, 2025 12:39 PM CDT

House committee drops information request about law clinics amid ‘ongoing negotiations’ with Northwestern

The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Workforce has withdrawn its request for information on law clinics at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, citing "ongoing negotiations" with the university and an intent to pursue "other means of inquiry."

Apr 14, 2025 10:59 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Religion cases will test whether SCOTUS continues to break down walls separating church, state

In recent years, the Roberts court has dramatically changed the law with regard to the religion clauses of the First Amendment. Again, this term, the U.S. Supreme Court has several cases about the Constitution and religion.

Apr 1, 2025 3:39 PM CDT

Supreme Court appears to favor Catholic charities group’s quest for state unemployment tax exemption

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared to side with a group of Catholic charities in northern Wisconsin that sought a religious exemption from the state’s unemployment tax.

Apr 1, 2025 11:35 AM CDT

Lawyer who once said BigLaw is too woke obtains 1 of 2 TROs granted to large firms suing over Trump orders

Updated: Jenner & Block and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr obtained temporary restraining orders Friday that block parts of President Donald Trump’s executive orders that suspended their lawyers’ security clearances, restricted their access to government buildings, blocked government hiring of their employees and sought reassessment of their clients’ government contracts.

Mar 31, 2025 1:35 PM CDT

Former BigLaw partner wins reversal on one count of cyberstalking conviction

A former BigLaw partner’s messages to a former colleague may have been distressing, but they didn’t amount to “true threats” needed for a cyberstalking conviction, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Mar 31, 2025 10:43 AM CDT

SCOTUS once again grapples with First Amendment religion clauses in Wisconsin employment tax case

While cases stemming from the second Trump administration’s torrent of executive actions begin to work their way up to the U.S. Supreme Court on the emergency docket, the court still has some important cases to hear in the final two months of argument for the term.

Mar 27, 2025 9:53 AM CDT

From Courtroom to Courtside: Gonzaga Law prof also serves as chaplain for basketball team

Gonzaga University School of Law professor Father Bryan Pham will have a great seat on Thursday as the Gonzaga Bulldogs face off against the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Pham has been the men’s basketball team’s chaplain since 2019.

Mar 19, 2025 5:30 PM CDT

Trump administration can, for now, enforce orders targeting DEI, appeals court says

A federal appeals court said Friday the Trump administration can, for now, enforce two executive orders that target diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the federal government.

Mar 17, 2025 12:07 PM CDT

Law prof suspended over exam question, class discussion can sue for First Amendment retaliation, 7th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has revived a First Amendment retaliation claim by a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law who used an “expurgated racial slur” on an exam question, leading to an investigation, required diversity training, a suspension and denial of a pay raise.

Mar 13, 2025 2:14 PM CDT

Trump order targeting Perkins Coie is ‘affront to the Constitution,’ suit says; judge sees ‘chilling harm of blizzard proportions’

Updated: Perkins Coie has won a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over a directive targeting the law firm and its clients.

Mar 13, 2025 9:56 AM CDT

Supreme Court will review Colorado ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a Colorado ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors—which aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling—violates the First Amendment.

Mar 10, 2025 1:38 PM CDT

PETA asserts First Amendment right to receive communications from NIH monkeys

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asserting a First Amendment right to receive communications from macaque monkeys held in a government research lab.

Mar 10, 2025 8:57 AM CDT