Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Nieves v. Bartlett. The case deals with the question of whether the existence of probable cause defeats a First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim as a matter of law. The brief notes that where arrests of journalists are motivated by [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court in Larson v. Gannett Co., Inc. The brief argues that the Court should affirm the court of appeals decision that the fair report privilege applies to news coverage of official press releases and official press conferences. A decision to paraphrase [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in National Rifle Association v. Bondi. This case questions whether civil litigants challenging the constitutionality of a state statute may do so anonymously because they fear harassment. The brief argues that permitting pseudonymous plaintiffs impinges [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Rudkin v. Beasley Imports, Inc. The brief argues that a Texas anti-SLAPP statute should be applied in federal court for two reasons: (1) It would foster and protect the exercise of First Amendment freedoms [...]

Filed an amicus brief (with other amici) with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Perry v. Hollingsworth. The brief asks the court to uphold the most recent decision of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that the videotape recordings of its 2010 bench trial over the [...]

Participated as a signer, with other amici, in a letter asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to overturn a temporary restraining order issued by a federal district court. The order required the Los Angeles Times to remove information in a story already published. The letter called the restraining order “extraordinary” and “unconstitutional.” [...]

Filed an amicus brief (with other amici) in the Supreme Court of the State of Idaho in Verity v. USA TODAY.  The brief urges the court not to recognize a cause of action for “defamation by implication” based on the dissemination of concededly accurate facts about a matter of public concern.  The case involves a [...]

Filed an amicus brief (with other amici) with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Courthouse News Service v. Brown.  The brief argues that the public has a First Amendment right to contemporaneous access to newly filed civil complaints at the time of filing.  Contemporaneous access benefits the public by promoting greater understanding [...]

Filed an amicus brief (with other amici) in the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Microsoft Corp.  The brief stresses that journalists must be able to protect sensitive reporting materials in the modern digital newsroom, which resides in the cloud.  The brief notes that expanding the U.S. government’s ability to reach electronic records [...]