First Amendment

By Arif Panju Guest Column Houston Chronicle Originally published Feb. 2, 2024 The First Amendment protects the right to criticize public officials without fear of imprisonment. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press would be meaningless if people could express only opinions favored by the authorities. This is what citizen journalist Priscilla Villarreal thought. But on Jan. 23, 2024, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 9-7 against her in her First Amendment retaliation case against the Laredo police and prosecutors who arrested her. Her alleged crime? Asking a police officer questions to corroborate the details of a traffic [...]

By Alejandro Serrano The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 29, 2023 Federal appellate judges Wednesday questioned a new Texas law requiring book sellers to rate the explicitness and relevance of sexual references in materials they sell to schools, though it was not clear if the court would allow the regulations to stand. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges’ inquiries centered on House Bill 900’s definitions of sexual content and community standards. They came during a hearing in a legal challenge brought by book vendors who argue the law is unconstitutionally broad and vague. The law seeks to keep so-called [...]