The role that politics should or should not play in the workplace has long been debated, and we are currently seeing a renewed focus on appropriate norms in light of the Israel-Hamas war and Americans’ impassioned feelings on the topic. Many employers find themselves caught in the middle, with employees...
Over the past weeks and months, you may have found yourself asking (or dreading to ask): what aspect of free speech will Florida target next? It started with the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, followed by the “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act’s efforts to ban books (including “woke” math text books), and the...
I was on my way down to New Orleans for Realscreen Summit 2020 when the woman in front of me announced to the plane that Kobe Bryant was dead. By the time we landed, the rumor was confirmed and the breaking news splashed across every smartphone in sight. In this...
Did you know that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade? Apparently many are upset because, in the words of Chief Justice Roberts, this leak is an “egregious breach of trust” and a “betrayal of the confidences of the court” which seems to be eclipsing the bigger...
This is the question raised by a recent lawsuit filed in the Northern District of New York by religious anti-abortion organizations against New York State. In the case, Compasscare et al. v. Cuomo et al., 19-cv-01409, the organizational plaintiffs argued that their First Amendment rights were violated by a New...
The FCC won’t let me be or let me be me so let me see…they wouldn’t let Will use profanity, but it felt so empty on live TV. Watching TV with people who make TV (or at least know how the sausage is made, in my case) is either a...
As I reported previously, following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that the Lanham Act’s statutory bar to registration of “disparaging” trademarks ran afoul of the First Amendment, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit struck down a companion portion of the federal trademark law that precluded registration...
In a 7 to 2 decision, the United States Supreme Court sided with baker Jack Phillips in finding that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom when it found Phillips’ refusal to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple in 2012 to be against...
Due to inclement weather, this event has been cancelled. News of the rescheduled date will be posted as soon as possible. On Wednesday, March 15th, RPL Partner Nicole Page will lead a workshop on defamation and the first amendment. Hosted by Women Make Movies, this workshop will look at how recent high-profile defamation cases could have...