prosecution

In First Amendment Victory, Federal Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Remaining Trump Inauguration Protesters

According to a new article by The Guardian, last week federal prosecutors dropped charges on the last 39 demonstrators participating in a Washington, DC Inauguration Day protest who were awaiting trial on felony rioting charges, among other alleged offenses. The … Read more »

First of 194 Defendants in J20 Prosecution, Including Journalist, Found Not Guilty

A new piece from The Intercept reports that a jury in Washington DC has found the first six defendants in the federal prosecution of 194 Disrupt J20 protesters not guilty on all charges. The charges, which included an array of … Read more »

Judge Restricts Justice Department’s Expansive Warrant Against Protest Site Hosts

A case that might appear to involve merely a legal technicality regarding the scope of a warrant actually here involves a major and under-reported threat to First Amendment protest rights:

A judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court has … Read more »

Journalists Face Greater Legal Peril as US Justice Department Goes After Leakers

According to a new article from The Intercept, the US Department of Justice has announced that, as part of their redoubled effort to combat unauthorized disclosures, it may issue subpoenas to compel journalists to identify sources for their reporting. … Read more »

Judge Dismisses Trespassing Charges After Prosecution Attempts to Bar First Amendment Defense

Regardless of one’s views on how strictly trespassing laws should be enforced, an attempt to invalidate a defendant’s exercise of their First Amendment rights by contending that they are a “professional protester” is extraordinary. According to Norman Siegel, formerly of … Read more »