ABA Journal

First Amendment

2547 ABA Journal First Amendment articles.

Weekly Briefs: Bar group that ditched drag trivia event criticized; Black law schools guide drops overall rankings

Social justice group criticizes bar drag event cancellation

The nonprofit Southern Coalition for Social Justice is forwarding a letter with more than 100 signatures to a bar group that canceled…

Supreme Court gives Jack Daniel’s a chance to prove infringement in ‘Bad Spaniels’ trademark parody case

There is no “special First Amendment protection” for product parodies that use trademarks as their own trademarks, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case involving Jack Daniel’s and the maker of a parody dog toy.

As culture wars continue, City University of New York School of Law is latest target

The City University of New York School of Law is one of many in the past year to have bad press days, or perhaps bad press weeks, following student activities involving sensitive topics.

Chemerinsky: Social media and internet companies likely face more free speech challenges at the Supreme Court

Sometimes there is great significance in what the U.S Supreme Court doesn’t do, and that was definitely so for two cases it handed down May 18 about the internet and social media.

SCOTUS will consider First Amendment right to trademark ‘Trump too small’ without Trump’s consent

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the First Amendment was violated when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused to register a trademark for the slogan “Trump too small.”

TikTok ban might sting legal influencers, but they have plenty of other options

TikTok is trending for the wrong reason these days. In late March, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew after claiming the app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is a national security threat because of its ties to the Chinese government.

Weekly Briefs: New ethics rule considered in Virginia; name partner launches new firm

Virginia proposes ban on agreements limiting ethics complaints

A proposed ethics rule in Virginia would ban lawyers from making agreements with clients or former clients that limit their right to…

Chicago’s refusal to allow ‘Hail Satan’ city council invocation violates First Amendment, suit says

Chicago has rebuffed requests by the Satanic Temple to deliver city council invocations for more than three years, violating the First Amendment in two ways, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.

After School Satan Club must be allowed to meet at school, federal judge says

A federal judge has ordered the Saucon Valley School District in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, to permit the After School Satan Club to meet in school facilities.

Law schools face an inflection point with diversity, equity and inclusion

In recent years, there has been a rise in law students heckling speakers. In 2018, I was shouted down at the CUNY Law School in New York. In 2022, Ilya Shapiro was shouted down at the law school formerly known as Hastings. And more recently, Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of the Fifth Circuit was shouted down at Stanford Law School.

What legal theory is Disney using to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis?

Disney’s federal lawsuit against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleges that he violated several constitutional protections by retaliating against the company for its political speech.

New ABA civics survey finds most Americans perceive decline in civility

An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that civility has sharply declined in our country. That’s one of the key findings of the fifth annual ABA Survey of Civic Literacy, which was released ahead of Law Day on May 1.

Chemerinsky: Expect momentous decisions from the Supreme Court as term ends

Unless there is an emergency matter to be heard, the U.S. Supreme Court completed oral arguments for the October 2022 term April 26. The court is expected to hand down decisions by the end of June in all of the argued cases, with a flurry of decisions in the most high-profile cases expected at the very end. What are likely to be the most important rulings from the October 2022 term?

Supreme Court will decide when public officials can block people from personal social media accounts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday accepted two cases that consider whether public officials may violate the First Amendment when they block people from personal social media accounts that discuss their government roles.

Lawyers likely to see large payouts in $787.5M Fox defamation case

At least 31 lawyers from nine different law firms were involved in Dominion Voting Systems’ two-year defamation lawsuit against the Fox Corp., which ended this week with a $787.5 million settlement.

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