Litigation

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.

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.

On December 29, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia ruled that the First Amendment Clinic’s retaliatory prosecution lawsuit against officers in the Camden County Sheriff’s Office may proceed to trial. The case is brought on behalf of Mrs. Emma Jane Prospero, a retired resident of Woodbine, Georgia who was prosecuted in retaliation for exercising her free speech and petition rights by calling Camden County 911 to report gunshots near her home.

Unconstitutional Ordinance Repealed – UGA First Amendment Clinic partners with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to protect free speech rights.

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and pro bono counsel from BakerHostetler won an important victory for press freedoms on behalf of an independent journalist who reports on the world of obstacle course racing (OCR).

Clinic wins $105K settlement for photojournalist arrested for exercising his right to record.

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment and Community HeLP Clinics are co-counsel in a putative class action, Oldaker v. Giles, 7:20-CV-00224-WLS-MHS (M.D. Ga.), brought on behalf of fifteen women, and others similarly situated, who allege medical abuse, neglect, and retaliation in violation of their First Amendment rights while detained in the custody of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia.

The First Amendment Clinic settled a lawsuit against Douglas County Commissioner Kelly G. Robinson for blocking a county resident from his interactive Facebook page that he used to communicate with the public about his official activities after she criticized his response to constituent concerns.