First Amendment

Employees sue USDA secretary over ‘increasingly proselytizing’ Christian emails

Employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the union representing the agency’s workers are suing the secretary of the deparment over a series of emails promoting Christianity.

May 14, 2026 1:35 PM CDT

Former DLA Piper summer associate sues firm for allegedly revoking job offer over Palestinian ties

A former summer associate at DLA Piper is suing the law firm for alleged discrimination because of her Palestinian origin and pro-Palestine activism.

May 13, 2026 10:31 AM CDT

Judge in Charlie Kirk case won’t ban cameras from courtroom

The Utah judge presiding over the murder case of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has ruled that he won’t impose a blanket prohibition on media in the courtroom, Courthouse News Service reports.

May 12, 2026 9:59 AM CDT

Former judge suspended over Facebook posts seeks relief from SCOTUS

A former Pennsylvania judge who was suspended and lost his pension over Facebook posts has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to resolve a dispute over the constitutional limits on restricting judicial speech.

May 1, 2026 10:15 AM CDT

UCLA can’t threaten Federalist Society over ID’ing students who disrupted event, free speech group says

After protesters disrupted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security general counsel’s talk to law students at the University of California at Los Angeles on April 21, the law school’s assistant dean emailed the conservative Federalist Society, encouraging the hosting group to not identify the protesters, noting that sharing that information could lead to disciplinary action.

Apr 30, 2026 3:15 PM CDT

Emory Law kicks out 1L after ‘hateful and harassing emails and social media posts’

The Emory University School of Law has expelled a first-year student, who earlier this year was banned from campus because of “concerning social media posts,” according to Law.com.

Apr 30, 2026 11:14 AM CDT

Seashells and slang weak basis for case against Comey, legal experts say

The charges stem from an incident nearly a year ago when Comey, vacationing on the North Carolina coast, posted a photograph on social media showing seashells on the beach arranged to say “86 47.” President Donald Trump’s administration says it is pursuing Comey for making a threat to kill the president.

Apr 29, 2026 2:37 PM CDT

Supreme Court says anti-abortion center can fight subpoena for donors’ names

The Supreme Court held unanimously on Wednesday that a chain of faith-based anti-abortion pregnancy centers can mount a federal court challenge to a subpoena for its donors that it claims is part of an intimidation campaign by New Jersey officials hostile to its views on abortion.

Apr 29, 2026 11:28 AM CDT

Inmate says his belief in satanism was improperly used by prosecutors to obtain death sentence

A Texas man sentenced to death for the murder and sexual assault of a teenage girl is seeking to overturn his death sentence, arguing that the prosecution violated his First Amendment rights by using evidence of his belief in satanism.

Apr 29, 2026 9:53 AM CDT

5th Circuit allows Texas to require Ten Commandments in classrooms

An appellate court ruled Tuesday that Texas may require that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, a significant win for the conservative campaign to break down the legal walls between church and state and inject more religion into the public square.

Apr 22, 2026 10:07 AM CDT

Judge rejects HHS Secretary Kennedy’s attempt to limit gender-affirming care for minors

A federal judge in Oregon has found that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, acted "with cruelty” when he restricted federal funding to medical providers who provide gender-affirming care to minors.

Apr 21, 2026 12:31 PM CDT

Supreme Court to review Catholic preschools’ bid for LGBTQ exemption

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review the bid of Catholic preschools to participate in Colorado’s universal prekindergarten program even as they deny admission to the children of LGBTQ parents.

Apr 20, 2026 1:20 PM CDT

Defense lawyers in Charlie Kirk murder case want ban on courtroom cameras

Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk have asked a Utah judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and argue that media coverage about the case is making it impossible for him to get a fair trial.

Apr 20, 2026 10:22 AM CDT

Florida law school pressed to include chapter of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA

The Barry University School of Law is facing pressure from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to include a Turning Point USA campus chapter, alleging that refusal to do so may violate state law and students' rights to free expression.

Apr 10, 2026 10:00 AM CDT

State supreme court steadfast in ousting of judge for writing column supporting Trump

A Democrat-led Illinois Supreme Court is seeking help from a federal judge to affirm its constitutional authority to remove a reinstated Cook County, Illinois, judge from the bench for writing a column in support of President Donald Trump while the judge was retired.

Apr 8, 2026 10:36 AM CDT