by David Smyth, Securities Enforcement Attorney On October 31 st , the Federal Trade Commission sued St. Petersburg, Florida-based debt broker Bayview Solutions and two of its principals for posting the debt portfolios of 28,000 consumers online,...(read more)
The Reporter's Privilege: Where Does The Proposed Federal Shield Law Stand And What Impact Would It Have?
The right of journalists to refuse to testify regarding information or sources obtained as part of the news-gathering process, known as the reporter’s privilege, has been recognized by 49 of the 50 states and the District of Colombia. However, these...(read more)
First in Flight, Tops in Tech, Ascendant in UAS: Drones and North Carolina
The next time you go for a long hike in a national forest with no cell phone service, you might want to take a drone with you so that you can send for help when you break your leg, dehydrate, and need help. While you, as a non-commercial drone “...(read more)
Second Circuit Denies En Banc Review of Aereo Decision
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied today a petition for review, en banc, of an earlier decision by a three-judge panel of the Court that had ruled in favor of Aereo and against broadcasters in a case that originated in the...(read more)
DOJ Leak Investigations Raise First Amendment Concerns
Many journalists, constitutional lawyers, and plain old average Americans have expressed alarm at recent revelations about the Obama Administration’s “ unprecedented number of leak investigations .” Perhaps most notably, James Goodale, who...(read more)
Supreme Court Rejects Constitutional Challenge to Virginia Public Records Law
In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Alito, the U.S. Supreme Court today turned away a constitutional challenge to residency requirement of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act . As we previously reported , the Court granted certiorari in...(read more)
Kozinski Concurrence Questions Anti-SLAPP Application
We wrote recently about Sherrod v. Breitbart and O’Connor , the case argued last month in the D.C. Circuit that asks the Court to decide, among other questions, whether the District of Columbia’s anti-SLAPP statute should be applied in federal court...(read more)
A Salute to Anthony Lewis
We would be remiss if we failed to note the recent passing of Anthony Lewis, long-time columnist and Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times. Lewis died on March 25 at the age of 85. Lewis won two Pulitzer Prizes and is the author of two of...(read more)