Monday, January 14, 2019
#FREESPEECH IN THE NEWS: JANUARY 14, 2019
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news – and what you should know about – in the past week.
1.) Spokane Valley Fire, former captain reach $900K settlement in free speech case
Jon Sprague, a former firefighter, was fired six years ago over a disagreement over religious emails he sent to fellow firefighters with his work account.
That disagreement resulted in a six-year legal battle which eventually made its way to the state supreme court. The case just came to an end and now Sprague has nearly $1 million to show for it.
Sprague told KXLY in 2010, suicides among firefighters were becoming a national epidemic, so he wanted to revitalize the local chapter of the Christian Firefighter Fellowship.
Sprague and his lawyer, Matt Albrecht, eventually made it to the state supreme court with their case, where they argued public employees shouldn't lose their free speech protections because they talk about religion.
2.) Lawsuit: Maryland's anti-BDS law 'chills' free speech
Maryland's ban on contracting with businesses that boycott Israel tramples on the First Amendment rights of a software engineer who advocates for Palestinians, a Muslim civil rights group claims in a lawsuit.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) federal lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, seeks to block the state from enforcing an executive order that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed in October 2017.
The order requires contractors to certify in writing that they don't boycott Israel. The group's suit claims the order has an unconstitutional chilling effect on First Amendment-protected political advocacy supporting the Palestinians.
CAIR says 25 other states have enacted measures similar to Maryland's through legislation or executive orders.
3.) Court Strikes Down Iowa's 'Ag-Gag' Law That Blocked Undercover Investigations
A federal judge in Iowa says it's no longer a crime to go undercover at factory farms, slaughterhouses and any other ag-related operations. The 2012 law was a clear violation of the First Amendment, the judge said.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, one of the plaintiffs in the case, called the ruling "a win for free speech and animal protection."
"Ag-Gag laws are a pernicious attempt by animal exploitation industries to hide some of the worst forms of animal abuse in the United States," ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells said in a statement. "Today's victory makes it clear that the government cannot protect these industries at the expense of our constitutional rights."
