The Media Institute was pleased to join an amicus brief led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and other amici filed with the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (U.S. v. Lemon and Fort). The brief aggressively supports motions by Don Lemon and Georgia Fort to dismiss superseding indictments on First [...]

The Media Institute joined an amicus brief (led by the Reporters Committee and other amici) that was filed in late January with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Bean Maine Lobster, Inc. v. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation). The brief supports the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in its challenge to a Maine District [...]

Filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission reaffirming the First Amendment right of broadcasters to employ editorial discretion in their reporting and editing operations. The comments came in response to a complaint filed with the FCC alleging that CBS Broadcasting Inc. had engaged in “news distortion” in its editing of an interview with [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in U.S. v. Team Finance.  The brief supports researcher Loren Adler, whose motion to intervene in a medical billing fraud case for the limited purpose of unsealing judicial documents was denied [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Amin v. Winslow.  The appeal arises from the denial of author Don Winslow’s special motion to strike under California’s anti-SLAPP law.  Winslow was sued for defamation by Dr. Mahendra Amin, a [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Sullivan v. University of Washington.  This case concerns efforts by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (“PETA”) to obtain the identities of members of the University of Washington’s Institutional [...]

Participated in a letter (with the National Press Photographers Association and other amici) sent to the Arizona House Appropriations Committee concerning HB 2319, a bill under consideration that would prohibit recording a law enforcement officer from within 15 feet without permission.  The letter explains that the proposed legislation plainly violates the free speech and press [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Egbert v. Boule.  The case hinges on the question of whether federal officials can be held personally liable for damages when they retaliate against individuals engaged in First Amendment activities.  This is an issue with important consequences for members of [...]

Participated in an amicus letter (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the Supreme Court of California in Ukraine Relief, et al. v. Gurzhiy.  We participated in this case previously in the California Court of Appeal.  The case concerns three allegedly defamatory articles published by Gurzhiy’s online news outlet, The Slavic Sacramento.  Both the trial [...]

Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and 62 other amici) filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division, Second Department in Project Veritas v. New York Times Co.  On Dec. 24, 2021, a New York trial court entered an order continuing a restraint on the New [...]