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OVRTRND! Court Says “Offensive” Vanity Plates OK

[aggregation-styles] Courthouse News Service OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — A federal judge found California’s ban on “offensive” personalized license plates unconstitutional Tuesday, ruling it constitutes viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment. State regulations require the bureaucracy to refuse configurations that are “offensive to good taste and decency,” based on criteria that...

RIP, George Hostetter, the Master of Shoe-Leather Journalism

George Hostetter had many great loves in his life: Family, journalism, the American Dream, walking, sports, economic theory, junior colleges — and Kit Kat bars. He died Thursday evening of prostate cancer surrounded by his family at his northwest Fresno home. George, 70, is survived by his wife, Mary Hostetter;...

Churches Sue California Governor Over Antivirus Orders

RIVERSIDE — Three Southern California churches that want to keep their doors open during the coronavirus outbreak sued Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials on Monday, arguing that social distancing orders violate the First Amendment right to freedom of religion and assembly. The suit, filed in the federal court for...

LA Repeals Requirements for Contractors to Reveal NRA Ties

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council is repealing a law requiring companies that want city contracts to disclose whether they have ties to the National Rifle Association, weeks after a federal judge blocked the city from enforcing the ordinance. Council members voted 12-0 without discussion Tuesday to roll...

The Debate: Can Politicians Block You on Social Media?

Point: Officials Who Block People on Social Media Violate the First Amendment In the social media age, numerous politicians have come under fire for blocking critics from following them on Twitter. The latest is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who recently settled a lawsuit brought by Dov Hikind, a former...

Clovis Unified Sued for Punishing Student Who Used N-Word

Andy Castro felt it was unfair that Clovis High School stopped him from participating in graduation ceremonies. Just hours before the pomp and circumstance on May 30, 2019 , the school's principal summoned the 18-year old Castro to her office and informed him that because of an offensive tweet, Castro...

Fresno Council Revises Anti-Leaker Plan, Limits Punishment

A revision to a proposed Fresno City Council ordinance would no longer punish recipients of leaked confidential information emanating from City Hall. Following criticism from First Amendment groups, a new version released Tuesday would still hold current and former city employees accountable (including elected leaders) for unauthorized disclosure of confidential...

Could City Ordinance Punishing Leakers Also Go After Media?

A proposed Fresno City Council ordinance would punish City Hall officials and staff who reveal confidential information, as well as those who receive privileged materials. "We have problems with information that gets leaked out of our closed session items, with other information that is not supposed to be leaked," said...

Free Speech Is What Allows Us to Govern Ourselves in America

Among the many things that make America great is our freedom of speech without government reprisal. In fact, one of our Founding Fathers, James Madison, believed that free speech should be nearly absolute. He also said that those who try to restrict free speech were opponents of our republic. Listen...

Newsom Signs Tax-Returns Law Aimed at Trump

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Tuesday requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns to appear on the state's primary ballot, a move aimed squarely at Republican President Donald Trump. Even if the law withstands a likely legal challenge, Trump could avoid the requirements by choosing not...

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