Posts Tagged ‘Occupy Wall Street’
Occupy protester with subpoenaed tweets pleads guilty
Defense attorney says Malcolm Harris wanted to plead guilty to disorderly conduct so he could focus on appealing the judge’s decision to hand over his Twitter messages to the prosecution.
Twitter turns over records in N.Y. Occupy case
Company’s lawyer calls the options it faced — waiving its right to appeal or being held in contempt of court — ‘unfair’ and ‘unjust,’ but hands over Malcolm Harris’ info anyway.
Honoring the documents that keep us free
On Constitution Day, Sept. 17, it’s worth pondering the profound confidence our nation’s Founders placed in the future when they crafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
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.
Police went under cover to infiltrate Occupy Austin
Texas newspaper reports that at least three officers marched, camped and attended meetings with group.
Twitter told to give up Occupy protester’s tweets
New York judge rules that company’s arguments against release don’t overcome his view that privacy doesn’t apply to tweets because they’re like shouting out a window.
8 Occupy protesters convicted of trespassing in NYC
After Occupy Wall Street camp in Zuccotti Park was shut down, demonstrators tried to take over property at Trinity Church.
Judge lets Occupy lawsuit proceed against cops
Federal judge says protesters backed up their claim that police didn’t properly warn of arrests if they marched onto Brooklyn Bridge.
Report: Press freedom holds fairly steady worldwide
But Freedom House marks the U.S. down slightly for heavy-handed police crackdowns on journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.
Judge acquits protesters arrested after Occupy Philly eviction
Meanwhile, jury in Maine deadlocks in criminal trespass case stemming from Occupy protest on governor’s mansion property.
Occupy protester can’t #quash subpoena for tweets
N.Y. judge says prosecutors aren’t overreaching by seeking Malcolm Harris’ public tweets for weeks before and months after his disorderly conduct arrest on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Occupy Boise’s tent city gets temporary reprieve
Federal judge says protesters can maintain an around-the-clock vigil on land across from Idaho’s Capitol, but he says the state can bar them from engaging in camping-related activities.
Court rules against Occupy Maine encampment
Portland officials say they’ll give protesters 48 hours to vacate after a judge finds that allowing them to occupy a city park for an extended period would conflict with others’ right to use it.
Federal judge rules against NYC court-protest organizers
Meanwhile, protesters plan to ‘occupy’ courthouses in more than 100 cities across the U.S. today to protest the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC.
The First Amendment Center is an educational organization and cannot provide legal advice.
Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and in Washington, D.C. Previously, Paulson served as the editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today.
Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center and president and chief operating officer of the Diversity Institute, is a veteran journalist whose career has included work in newspapers, radio, television and online.
John Seigenthaler founded the First Amendment Center in 1991 with the mission of creating national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment rights and values.
Dr. Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life.
David L. Hudson Jr. is an expert in First Amendment issues who writes for firstamendmentcenter.org and for other publications. Hudson teaches law and was a scholar at the First Amendment Center.
Tiffany Villager is director/First Amendment studies at the First Amendment Center, which she joined in 1993. She also served as the center’s research manager and research coordinator, and developed the center’s library.
Assembly Commentary • Inside the First Amendment | Gene Policinski
Government must be careful with tactics against Occupy camps
Narrowly focused laws seem to have replaced hasty police actions rooted more in passion, politics and polemics than in public welfare.