Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’

Freedom Of Information News |

N.C. justices side with lawmakers on map disclosures

State Supreme Court says attorney-client privilege means documents involved in redistricting can remain confidential.

Speech News |

N.C. town wins appeal on sign lawsuit

4th Circuit rules that officials did not violate man’s rights when it fined him for painting ‘Screwed By The Town of Cary’ on his house.

Freedom Of Information News |

N.C. appeals court unseals NASCAR CEO’s divorce files

Brian France, who has fought for years to keep confidential the details of his 2008 divorce, had appealed judge’s ruling that documents in the case should be made public.

Religion In Public Life News |

D.C. Circuit orders feds to rewrite part of health-care law

Religious colleges in North Carolina, Illinois are challenging rules that require the schools to provide free contraceptives to employees.

Speech News |

N.C. high court upholds video-sweepstakes ban

Game operators had argued that 2010 law banning sweepstakes machines as a form of gambling violated their free-speech rights.

Speech News |

Federal judge rejects ‘Choose Life’ license plate

North Carolina can’t offer anti-abortion license plates unless it also makes plates available for people who support abortion rights, court finds.

Inside the First Amendment • Speech Commentary |

Making some student online insults a crime raises problems

At issue is a new North Carolina law that strengthens a cyberbullying statute to provide extra protection to school employees from online defamation.

Speech News |

New N.C. law bars kids from bullying teachers online

ACLU says statute, which may be the first of its kind in the country, could chill students’ speech and vows to seek plaintiffs for a possible court challenge.

Speech Commentary |

Poetry and emotion: when a 6-year-old is censored

North Carolina elementary school that told girl to remove reference to God before reading her poem to students was technically defensible, but it probably would have been better to let her read it as written.

Religion Analysis |

4th Circuit rejects N.C. inmate’s pagan-worship claim

Federal appeals panel finds inmate failed to explain how denial of outdoor circle for Asatru ceremony violated his religious beliefs.

Assembly News |

Protests in Charlotte grow but remain peaceful

‘All of America used to be a free-speech zone,’ says John Murdock of New York after police direct convention protesters who disrupted traffic into designated fenced-in area.

Assembly News |

DNC security rules trigger free-speech worries

Critics fear that in enforcing new Charlotte, N.C., ordinances, authorities could trample on people’s constitutional rights in the name of protecting public safety.

Speech News |

Teacher suspended after berating student for ‘disrespecting’ Obama

During discussion about candidates, North Carolina social studies teacher tells high school students they could be arrested for criticizing the president.

Assembly News |

N.C. city to revise assembly rules to settle lawsuit

Anti-abortion protesters sued after Jacksonville police, citing safety concerns, refused to issue them a permit to picket outside a women’s clinic.

Speech News |

N.C. appeals court strikes down ban on video sweepstakes

Split three-judge panel says law is overbroad and infringes on the free-speech rights of game operators.

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About The First Amendment Center

We support the First Amendment and build understanding of its core freedoms through education, information and entertainment.

The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.

Founded by John Seigenthaler, the First Amendment Center is an operating program of the Freedom Forum and is associated with the Newseum and the Diversity Institute. The center has offices in the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

The center’s programs, including the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum, provide education and information to the public and groups including First Amendment scholars and experts, educators, government policy makers, legal experts and students. The center is nonpartisan and does not lobby, litigate or provide legal advice. See First Amendment Center Fact Sheet and FAQs. See internships info.

The center’s website, www.firstamendmentcenter.org, is one of the most authoritative sources of news, information and commentary in the nation on First Amendment issues. It features daily updates on news about First Amendment-related developments, as well as detailed reports about U.S. Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment, and commentary, analysis and special reports on free expression, press freedom and religious-liberty issues. Support the work of the First Amendment Center.

1 For All

1 for All is a national nonpartisan program designed to build understanding and support for First Amendment freedoms. 1 for All provides teaching materials to the nation’s schools, supports educational events on America’s campuses and reminds the public that the First Amendment serves everyone, regardless of faith, race, gender or political leanings. It is truly one amendment for all. Visit 1 for All at http://1forall.us/

Help tomorrow’s citizens find their voice: Teach the First Amendment

The most basic liberties guaranteed to Americans – embodied in the 45 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – assure Americans a government that is responsible to its citizens and responsive to their wishes.

These 45 words are as alive and important today as they were more than 200 years ago. These liberties are neither liberal nor conservative, Democratic nor Republican – they are the basis for our representative democratic form of government.

We know from studies beginning in 1997 by the nonpartisan First Amendment Center, and from studies commissioned by the Knight Foundation and others, that few adult Americans or high school students can name the individual five freedoms that make up the First Amendment.

The lesson plans – drawn from materials prepared by the Newseum and the First Amendment Center – will draw young people into an exploration of how their freedoms began and how they operate in today’s world. Students will discuss just how far individual rights extend, examining rights in the school environment and public places. The lessons may be used in history and government, civics, language arts and journalism, art and debate classes. They may be used in sections or in their entirety. Many of these lesson plans indicate an overall goal, offer suggestions on how to teach the lesson and list additional resources and enrichment activities.

See more about lesson plans.

First Amendment Moot Court Competition

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – the cornerstone of American democracy – is the focus of the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition. Recognized as one of the nation's finest constitutional-law competitions, this annual event features a current First Amendment controversy.

During the two-day competition in February, each team will participate in a minimum of four rounds, arguing a hypothetical based on a current First Amendment controversy before panels of accomplished jurists, legal scholars and attorneys.

Past participants in the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition have represented law schools nationwide, from Brooklyn Law School to Duke University to Arizona State to Harvard.

The 23rd Annual National First Amendment Moot Court Competition is Feb. 21-22, 2013. See registration information and details about the competition.

FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER ARCHIVES

State of the First Amendment survey reports

The State of the First Amendment surveys, commissioned since 1997 by the First Amendment Center and Newseum, are a regular check on how Americans view their first freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion and petition.

The periodic surveys examine public attitudes toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition; and sample public opinion on contemporary issues involving those freedoms. See the reports.