First Amendment pagesepsitename%%

Saint Kavanaugh

Pierre Tristam | October 4, 2018

Whether Kavanaugh was confirmed or not is irrelevant: whoever’s next might be less personally sleazy, more temperamentally amoebic, but judicially? Same shill, different name.

Judge Moore-Stens Denies Gag Order on Sheriff, Dissolving Mound of Motions In Eric Cooley Case

FlaglerLive | September 27, 2018

Telling the attorney seeking a gag order on Sheriff Rick Staly that he was on a “fishing expedition,” County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens this afternoon denied the motion, ending an unusual sideshow in the battery case against Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley.

Open Court Proceedings Require NRA-Backed Gun Litigants To Be Named, Florida Argues

FlaglerLive | September 26, 2018

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is asking a federal appeals court to reject arguments that two 19-year-olds should be able to remain anonymous in a challenge to a new state gun law.

Attorney Calls For Gag Order on Sheriff Staly in Eric Cooley Case, Claiming Prejudicial Words

FlaglerLive | September 19, 2018

Palm Coast Attorney Josh Davis wants a court to muzzle Sheriff Rick Staly in the case of alleged domestic violence involving Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley. The sheriff is having none of it.

Without Fear Or Favor. Or Whining.

FlaglerLive | August 26, 2018

Defending the press against Donald Trump’s “enemy of the people” attacks may have its place, but reporters’ best bet is to shut up and do their job well: it’s the most eloquent response.

Supreme Court Clears Release of Parkland Massacre Videos School Board Sought to Block

FlaglerLive | August 22, 2018

The order sides with a coalition of news organizations and ordered the release of footage from the afternoon of Feb. 14, when 17 people were killed at the school.

In Restoration of Florida Felons’ Voting Rights, Lawyers Make Novel 1st Amendment Argument

FlaglerLive | July 26, 2018

Lawyers for the plaintiffs maintain that Florida’s discretionary process violates the First Amendment, despite a dearth of cases anywhere in the country supporting that argument.

Flagler Government Will Crack Down On Mobile Campaign Billboards And Other Signs

FlaglerLive | July 11, 2018

Flagler County commissioners will approve new rules next Monday regulating or banning campaign-sign-blaring vehicles and campaign signs from county properties.

Floridian Wins 2nd Case at Supreme Court Over Arrest During Public Comment

FlaglerLive | June 19, 2018

Justices, in an 8-1 decision, sided with Fane Lozman, who filed a lawsuit against the city contending that the arrest involved retaliation for his outspoken criticism of officials in the Palm Beach County community.

Pious Homophobes Win One

FlaglerLive | June 10, 2018

The Supreme Court in its wedding-cake ruling declared gays once again second-class citizens, at least when their sexuality has to compete with someone else’s more stone-throwing version of Christianity.

Brushing Aside 1st Amendment Claim, Appeals Court Uphold Florida Ban on a Prison Magazine

FlaglerLive | May 22, 2018

Florida alone among 50 states bans Prison Legal News. Paul Wright, the publisher of the magazine, intends to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Palm Coast Resident Says “School Shooting” In a Facebook Video That Has Nothing To Do with School Shootings. Cops Show Up.

FlaglerLive | April 18, 2018

Tony Lagano, 35, was upset over a family court issue and alluded to a school shooting in a sarcastic Facebook video last week, only to be visited by sheriff’s deputies.

Campus ‘Free Speech’ Bill Is A Litigation Nightmare in the Making

FlaglerLive | February 8, 2018

The inappropriately named “Campus Free Expression Act,” approved Tuesday by a 7-4 vote of the Florida Senate Education Committee, would offer students about as much freedom as a prison yard.

Lawmakers Seek to Ban Campus “Free Speech Zones” and Make Universities Liable

FlaglerLive | February 6, 2018

Florida universities and colleges could be sued for up to $100,000 in damages if students or others “willfully” interfere with campus speakers or protestors.

Commission Weighs Repeal of Ban on
Public Funding For Religious Groups

FlaglerLive | January 21, 2018

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero urged a Constitution Revision Commission panel to repeal a constitutional ban on state support for religious groups.

“We Don’t Serve Gays”

FlaglerLive | December 9, 2017

Invoking Christian belief to deny service to a gay couple is not a First Amendment right, nor is it a matter of artistic expression. It’s good old discrimination under a new mask.

Florida Voters May Get Chance to Lift Ban On Tax Subsidies to Religious Schools

FlaglerLive | December 1, 2017

A ban on state support for religious groups would be removed from the Florida Constitution under a proposal approved Wednesday by a Constitution Revision Commission panel.

Arresting Speakers at a Government Meeting: Supreme Court Takes Up Florida 1st Amendment Case

FlaglerLive | November 14, 2017

Fane Lozman alleges that a south Florida city violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating against him for his outspoken criticism during his public comment period.

Sheriff Tamps Down Rumors and Quackery of Antifa Apocalypse in Palm Coast This Weekend

FlaglerLive | November 1, 2017

Conspiracy theorists have been in overdrive, inventing the coming of violent protests, even in Palm Coast, designed to overthrow Trump this weekend. The rumors are false.

An Aryan Ass Vomits At UF

FlaglerLive | October 19, 2017

Protesting honors the flag, so does taking a knee during the anthem, but so does letting an idiotic white bigot have his 90 minutes on a stage at UF. Freedom of thought can take it.

Us? “Hateful?” White Nationalists Deny Charge as Richard Spencer Readies UF Appearance

FlaglerLive | October 18, 2017

At the Charlottesville rally, Spencer supporters carried torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us” before a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer.

Scott Declares State of Emergency in Alachua as White Supremacist Prepares to Speak at UF

FlaglerLive | October 16, 2017

Sheriff Sadie Darnell sought the emergency declaration “more so of being able to get the resources needed to prepare, rather than a sense of alarm regarding the protest.”

White Supremacist Scheduled for UF Speech On Oct. 19, Costing University $500,000

FlaglerLive | October 6, 2017

University President Kent Fuchs initially balked at a proposal for Spencer, a lightning-rod figure, to speak on campus in September. The threat of a federal lawsuit forced him to reverse course.

Confederate Monuments’ Phony History

FlaglerLive | August 19, 2017

The irony of the debate over removal of Confederate monuments is that it supposes a removal of history when the monuments themselves were intended to re-write it.

UF Prepares For White Supremacist Richard Spencer, a Rally Participant in Charlottesville

FlaglerLive | August 15, 2017

National Policy Institute President Richard Spencer, who made an appearance at the Charlottesville event, could speak at the University of Florida next month. Authorities are taking measures.

Health Providers Prevail Over Gun Promoters in Guns v. Glocks Duel as 2011 Law Dies

FlaglerLive | June 12, 2017

The plaintiffs in the case, including individual doctors, argued that the restrictions were a violation of their First Amendment rights. A federal court agreed.

When Elected Officials Block Constituents on Twitter or Facebook, Possibly Breaking the Law

FlaglerLive | June 11, 2017

As elected officials increasingly turn to social media to communicate with constituents, some are blocking those who disagree with them. Some say it violates the First Amendment.

The Legislature’s Mullahs Threaten
Religious Freedom in Florida Schools

FlaglerLive | March 31, 2017

The Florida Legislature is about to approve a bill that would give religion preferential treatment in public schools, destroying a balance between secular rights and already inviolate personal expression.

Bill Vastly Diminishing Separation of Church and School Passes Florida Senate, 23-13

FlaglerLive | March 24, 2017

The proposal would allow religious speakers and messaging at school-sponsored events, and would allow students to engage in organized prayer groups during the school day and with the participation–though not the sponsorship–of school personnel.

Flagler Schools Will Reluctantly Adopt Religious Freedom Policy Imposed By State