| January 16, 2025

Successful defense of community residents’ right to speak on matters of public concern

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic successfully defended the right of four homeowners in Atlanta’s Lakewood Heights Historic District to speak on matters of public concern affecting development in their neighborhood. These neighbors, who include Heather Graybill, Paula Kupersmith, and Zachary Murray, were sued by Atlanta landlord Omar Ali for engaging in speech and petitioning that did not support his development interests. After the court dismissed multiple claims in response to the homeowners’ motion to strike the lawsuit as a Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suit, Ali voluntarily withdrew the rest of his lawsuit.

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Wooden bookshelves ful to the brim with paper records.
| November 20, 2024

Open records and open meetings in Georgia

Wooden bookshelves ful to the brim with paper records.

Georgia’s Open Records Act and Open Meetings Act respectively codify the presumption that public records should be made available for public inspection without delay and that government agencies must hold the meetings of their governing bodies open for public observation.

Keep Reading
The top of a police car with the lights on.
| July 8, 2024

Prospero v. Sullivan – Defending citizen’s right to petition

The top of a police car with the lights on.

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic is currently defending Mrs. Emma Jane Prospero’s right to proceed to trial on claims of First Amendment retaliation and malicious prosecution against officers in the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. Mrs. Prospero is a retired resident of Woodbine, Georgia who was criminally prosecuted for exercising her rights of free speech and petition when she called Camden County 911 to request help stopping gunshots near her home.

Keep Reading
| January 16, 2025

Successful defense of community residents’ right to speak on matters of public concern

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic successfully defended the right of four homeowners in Atlanta’s Lakewood Heights Historic District to speak on matters of public concern affecting development in their neighborhood. These neighbors, who include Heather Graybill, Paula Kupersmith, and Zachary Murray, were sued by Atlanta landlord Omar Ali for engaging in speech and petitioning that did not support his development interests. After the court dismissed multiple claims in response to the homeowners’ motion to strike the lawsuit as a Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suit, Ali voluntarily withdrew the rest of his lawsuit.

Keep Reading
Wooden bookshelves ful to the brim with paper records.
| November 20, 2024

Open records and open meetings in Georgia

Wooden bookshelves ful to the brim with paper records.

Georgia’s Open Records Act and Open Meetings Act respectively codify the presumption that public records should be made available for public inspection without delay and that government agencies must hold the meetings of their governing bodies open for public observation.

Keep Reading
The top of a police car with the lights on.
| July 8, 2024

Prospero v. Sullivan – Defending citizen’s right to petition

The top of a police car with the lights on.

The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic is currently defending Mrs. Emma Jane Prospero’s right to proceed to trial on claims of First Amendment retaliation and malicious prosecution against officers in the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. Mrs. Prospero is a retired resident of Woodbine, Georgia who was criminally prosecuted for exercising her rights of free speech and petition when she called Camden County 911 to request help stopping gunshots near her home.

Keep Reading