Issue
The First Amendment protects the right of private individuals to engage in speech and expression without being censored or punished by the government because of their viewpoint. While the government may constitutionally regulate the time, place, and manner of private speech in public forums it must do so in a viewpoint-neutral manner and, depending on the type of forum, sometimes a content-neutral manner as well.
Avid Bookshop, an independent, community-based bookstore located in Athens, Georgia is challenging the constitutionality of the Gwinnett County Jail’s mail policy that bars Avid and other physical bookstores from shipping books to Jail residents.
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In Spring 2024, Clinic students and fellows published op-eds in support of First Amendment freedoms and government accountability.
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Members of UGA Law School’s First Amendment Clinic moderated and presented during the 33rd annual Georgia Bar, Media & Judiciary Conference.
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The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic is litigating a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Morrow, Georgia for blocking Aaron Booterbaugh from the City’s Facebook Page after he posted comments critical of the City’s Mayor and City Manager.
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Speaking to audiences on both coasts, Clinic director Clare R. Norins and Clinic attorney Samantha Hamilton respectively unpacked some of the digital free speech issues to be decided during the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023-2024 term.
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During the Fall 2023 semester, the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic trained students, journalists, local officials, law enforcement, and engaged citizens on a variety of speech and media law topics.
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“Algorithms, AI, & First Amendment Rights” Clinic director Clare Norins (third from right) and Clinic student Ren Schmitt (first from right) participated in two panel events as part of Yale Law School’s October 2023 Access & Accountability Conference.
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Clare Norins, director of the University of Georgia’s First Amendment Clinic, spoke with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Orlando Montoya about recent petition-and-referendum initiatives in Georgia, including voters’ rejection of the Camden County spaceport project, which outcome was upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court, and the petition effort to stop the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center (APSTC), which has been the subject of federal litigation.
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Georgia Journalism and Access Project Attorney Samantha C. Hamilton was interviewed by The Augusta Chronicle about Columbia County, Georgia’s unconstitutional “panhandling” ordinance. The article titled “When can local governments restrict asking for money in public? Rarely, says lawyer” was written by Abraham Kenmore and published 9/28/23.
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Advocating for core political speech rights, the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed an amicus brief to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to uphold an injunction against the City of Atlanta’s residency requirement for collecting referendum petition signatures.
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Unconstitutional Ordinance Repealed – UGA First Amendment Clinic partners with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to protect free speech rights.
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The United States District Court of Puerto Rico has permanently enjoined enforcement of a ‘false information’ law that made it a crime, during a state-declared emergency, to disseminate information known to be false in the form of a “warning or false alarm” or if the information created “imminent risk” of harm.
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