http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/ Published by Karl Olson en-us 2008-12-24T15:35:50-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/12/bailout_and_secrecy_a_toxic_co.html Secrecy in government is a bad thing. Secrecy in corporations getting huge government bailout checks is just as bad, if not worse. As we all know, Congress passed a $700 billion bailout bill this past fall, and the Treasury... Karl Olson 2008-12-24T15:35:50-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/12/the_first_amendment_and_your_v.html What do the First Amendment and your vanishing stock portfolio have in common? The answer is the need for openness, transparency and watchdogs on powerful institutions. The people who created the First Amendment more than two centuries ago had... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-12-22T15:00:41-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/12/tourist_libel_shades_of_king_g.html The people who fought the Revolutionary War didn't have much use for the British. One thing that differentiates us from the British is the history of robust, uninhibited speech in the United States, protected by the First Amendment, which... Karl Olson 2008-12-18T15:17:20-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/08/anonymous_speech_right_or_wron.html One of the hallmarks of the Internet age has been the increasing prevalence of anonymous speech. No one can question that there is a First Amendment right to anonymous speech. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that point in the case... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-08-19T15:44:27-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/08/california_salary_ruling_keeps.html Last year's California Supreme Court ruling mandating disclosure of public employee salaries is the gift that keeps on giving to the public. Every day, some newspaper throughout the state does a story reporting on some city which can't manage its... Public Records Karl Olson 2008-08-07T15:14:10-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/07/first_amendment_and_copyright.html Does the First Amendment protect someone’s use of another’s copyright or trademark to make fun of them? That question has been at the forefront of several cases involving so-called “parody” of intellectual property. Many cases have found parody of copyrighted... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-07-31T16:24:12-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/07/the_first_amendment_and_judici.html The First Amendment and judicial independence – both prized pieces of American democracy – have an uneasy coexistence these days. Many states elect their trial judges and the justices of their highest courts, and in some states, like West Virginia,... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-07-31T16:10:50-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/07/medias_coverage_of_election_wo.html The media will inevitably come under intense criticism this year for its coverage of the Presidential election. Supporters of John McCain have criticized the media for favoring Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton’s backers considered some in the media sexist, and Obama... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-07-31T16:02:35-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/07/a_first_amendment_shield_for_b.html Congress is debating whether there should be a federal “shield law” for reporters, modeled after state reporter’s privilege laws which exist in 35 states and which help protect vital First Amendment rights.. Of the 15 states which don’t have statutory... First Amendment Karl Olson 2008-07-14T14:41:49-08:00 http://www.firstamendmentlawyerblog.com/2008/07/postmus_gives_public_the_mushr.html Postmus gives public the mushroom treatment Some government officials view members of the public as mushrooms, to be kept in the dark and covered with manure. San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus is surely one of those officials. Postmus waged... Public Records Karl Olson 2008-07-14T11:58:59-08:00