free speech

Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editorial: What are SLAPP lawsuits and why do you need a law to protect you from them?

2019-02-19T17:08:51-06:00

By Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editorial Board Originally published Feb. 15, 2019 Why would a law with the positive-sounding name Texas Citizens Participation Act be in danger? From whom? Should you be worried? The short answer to the last question is yes. You should be worried unless you are insanely rich and don't value the public good above your own. What does this law do? Before 2011, people, businesses and other organizations with deep pockets could make their critics go away by filing frivolous lawsuits. They were frivolous because their purpose was not so much to win in court as to bury [...]

Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editorial: What are SLAPP lawsuits and why do you need a law to protect you from them?2019-02-19T17:08:51-06:00

Texas House considers bills to erode press protection, expose journalists, bloggers to more lawsuits

2017-04-25T23:55:18-05:00

By J. David McSwane The Dallas Morning News Originally published April 12, 2017 AUSTIN — Plans to force journalists to reveal their sources  and further expose media outlets to lawsuits made strange bedfellows Wednesday as leaders of journalism advocacy groups attacked two bills alongside members of a far-right fundraising and propaganda outfit. During a House committee hearing, two bills authored by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, drew protests from prominent First Amendment attorneys who say the bills violate the U.S. Constitution and would suppress the reporting of information in the public interest. One bill attacks the reporter's shield law, which protects journalists from being forced [...]

Texas House considers bills to erode press protection, expose journalists, bloggers to more lawsuits2017-04-25T23:55:18-05:00

Katy ISD trustees: Freedom of speech restricted by school board

2016-11-14T16:46:33-06:00

By Sebastian Herrera Houston Chronicle Originally published Nov. 13, 2016 Two trustees on the Katy school board believe their First Amendment rights are being infringed by a written board procedure that only allows the board president to speak to the media. The long-standing procedure suggests that elected officials should filter information to the public and act as a unified voice despite different opinions on district matters. It is scheduled to be discussed by trustees in the suburban west Houston district on Monday after new board member George Scott threatened legal action. Katy ISD voters elected Scott in May after he ran [...]

Katy ISD trustees: Freedom of speech restricted by school board2016-11-14T16:46:33-06:00

Veterinarian loses free speech case involving web consultations

2015-12-01T16:27:42-06:00

By Edgar Walters The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 30, 2015 A Texas veterinarian who offered pet-care advice online lost a battle against state regulators on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case. Ron Hines, a retired veterinarian from Brownsville, argued that a state regulation requiring him to physically examine an animal before practicing telemedicine — which involves offering a professional consultation over the phone or Internet — violated his free-speech rights. But the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that Hines broke Texas law when he answered pet owners’ questions through an “Ask [...]

Veterinarian loses free speech case involving web consultations2015-12-01T16:27:42-06:00

Houston Chronicle on free speech: Defend to the death

2015-01-08T15:35:46-06:00

Houston Chronicle Editorial Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 The masked gunmen who attacked the Paris publication Charlie Hebdo yesterday stand for nothing more than the most horrid scheme that villainy can invent, and fanaticism put into practice. We borrow those words from Voltaire, the Enlightenment-era satirical writer. He has passed, but his ideals of free speech live on. So will those of Charlie Hebdo. The self-proclaimed "irresponsible newspaper" has long been the target of fundamentalist ire for its cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a preposterous light. Throughout the magazine's history, few have been safe from its extraordinary mockery. Catholic organizations have [...]

Houston Chronicle on free speech: Defend to the death2015-01-08T15:35:46-06:00

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