Unconstitutional Ordinance Repealed – UGA First Amendment Clinic partners with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to protect free speech rights.
Keep ReadingNorins & Bailey’s social-media-blocking article cited in U.S. Supreme Court briefs
In June 2023, Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins and Clinic alum Mark L. Bailey (J.D. ’22) published “Campbell v. Reisch: The Dangers of the Campaign Loophole in Social-Media-Blocking Litigation” in 25 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 146 (2023).
Keep ReadingClinic wins summary judgment for journalist in #MeToo defamation case
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).
Keep ReadingHassan v. City of Atlanta – Protecting press freedoms and the right to record
The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and civil rights attorneys Gerald Weber and Leigh Finlayson secured a $105,000 settlement from the City of Atlanta on behalf of photojournalist Sharif Hassan who was arrested in Atlanta during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment right to record the police.
Keep ReadingContributing to the public debate: Clinic students publish op-eds in wake of 2023 legislative session
The 2023 legislative session was a busy time for the Georgia General Assembly, with many bills introduced — a good number of which passed — impacting free expression and open government interests.
Keep ReadingNorins featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind”
University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic director Clare Norins was featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind,” which aired March 2, 2023.
Keep ReadingAmicus win: Federal judge in Puerto Rico strikes down ‘false information’ law
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.
Keep ReadingClinic successfully asserts Georgia Shield Law to quash non-party document requests to press collective
Working on behalf of non-profit media collective Atlanta Community Press Collective (“ACPC”), the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic successfully asserted Georgia’s Shield Law to defeat Non-Party Document Requests that ACPC received from Blackhall Real Estate Phase II, LLC (“Blackhall”), a defendant in South River Watershed Alliance v. Dekalb County and Blackhall Real Estate Phase II, LLC; Civil Action No. 21CV1931 (DeKalb County Superior Court, Georgia).
Keep ReadingAmicus victory: The Georgia Supreme Court affirms voters’ right to petition under the state constitution
In Camden County v. Sweatt, the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed an amicus brief asking the Georgia Supreme Court to affirm Georgians’ constitutional petition-and-referendum power to veto legislative decisions by their county commissioners that go against the will of the people they were elected to represent.
Keep Reading4th Circuit cites Clinic’s legal scholars brief in decision enjoining N.C. Property Protection Act
On February 23, 2023, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of North Carolina’s Property Protection Act against animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Keep ReadingClinic successfully advocates to restore citizen’s access to Burke County Sheriff’s Facebook page
After receiving a demand letter from the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office restored Mrs. Traci Hollingsworth’s access to their official Facebook page from which she had been blocked for over two years.
Keep ReadingOpen records and open meetings in Georgia
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 ReadingGray v. Wright – Successful challenge to unconstitutional city permitting ordinance
Unconstitutional Ordinance Repealed – UGA First Amendment Clinic partners with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to protect free speech rights.
Keep ReadingNorins & Bailey’s social-media-blocking article cited in U.S. Supreme Court briefs
In June 2023, Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins and Clinic alum Mark L. Bailey (J.D. ’22) published “Campbell v. Reisch: The Dangers of the Campaign Loophole in Social-Media-Blocking Litigation” in 25 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 146 (2023).
Keep ReadingClinic wins summary judgment for journalist in #MeToo defamation case
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).
Keep ReadingHassan v. City of Atlanta – Protecting press freedoms and the right to record
The University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and civil rights attorneys Gerald Weber and Leigh Finlayson secured a $105,000 settlement from the City of Atlanta on behalf of photojournalist Sharif Hassan who was arrested in Atlanta during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment right to record the police.
Keep ReadingContributing to the public debate: Clinic students publish op-eds in wake of 2023 legislative session
The 2023 legislative session was a busy time for the Georgia General Assembly, with many bills introduced — a good number of which passed — impacting free expression and open government interests.
Keep ReadingNorins featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind”
University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic director Clare Norins was featured on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind,” which aired March 2, 2023.
Keep ReadingAmicus win: Federal judge in Puerto Rico strikes down ‘false information’ law
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.
Keep ReadingClinic successfully asserts Georgia Shield Law to quash non-party document requests to press collective
Working on behalf of non-profit media collective Atlanta Community Press Collective (“ACPC”), the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic successfully asserted Georgia’s Shield Law to defeat Non-Party Document Requests that ACPC received from Blackhall Real Estate Phase II, LLC (“Blackhall”), a defendant in South River Watershed Alliance v. Dekalb County and Blackhall Real Estate Phase II, LLC; Civil Action No. 21CV1931 (DeKalb County Superior Court, Georgia).
Keep ReadingAmicus victory: The Georgia Supreme Court affirms voters’ right to petition under the state constitution
In Camden County v. Sweatt, the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed an amicus brief asking the Georgia Supreme Court to affirm Georgians’ constitutional petition-and-referendum power to veto legislative decisions by their county commissioners that go against the will of the people they were elected to represent.
Keep Reading4th Circuit cites Clinic’s legal scholars brief in decision enjoining N.C. Property Protection Act
On February 23, 2023, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of North Carolina’s Property Protection Act against animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Keep ReadingClinic successfully advocates to restore citizen’s access to Burke County Sheriff’s Facebook page
After receiving a demand letter from the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office restored Mrs. Traci Hollingsworth’s access to their official Facebook page from which she had been blocked for over two years.
Keep ReadingOpen records and open meetings in Georgia
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