First Amendment
How U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson helped derail a fight against election lies
Back in July, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. A federal court had recently granted a temporary injunction, in Missouri v. Biden, finding that the Biden administration had violated the First Amendment by coercing social media companies to remove content, related both to elections and the COVID-19 vaccine, that […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
U.S. Senate panel weighs free speech and deep fakes in AI campaign ads
Artificial intelligence could be used to disrupt U.S. election campaigns, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration said during a Wednesday hearing. But the hearing showed that imposing laws and regulations on campaign content without violating constitutional rights to political speech will be difficult. Elections pose a particular challenge for AI, an […]
WV State Board of Education should clarify signs supporting LGBTQ+ students are not political
What makes an issue “political?” What makes it “divisive?” The answer impacts the free speech rights of thousands of West Virginians. Teachers, like students, do not lose their First Amendment protections when they enter a school. This is a right the ACLU is proud to have protected for more than 70 years. However, there are […]
Social media blocking is one of the most common complaints ACLU of WV receives
Has a public official blocked you on social media? You’re not alone. Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia say social media blocking is one of the most common complaints their office gets, accounting for an average of three legal intake complaints each month and the same number of informal email and […]
ACLU files lawsuit against Jefferson commissioner for blocking constituent online
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against a county commissioner it says violated the First Amendment by blocking a constituent from accessing his social media account because of her views. The ACLU of West Virginia filed the complaint against Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Stolipher Thursday in Jefferson County Circuit […]