First Amendment

BitTorrent, Comcast, EFF Antipathetic To FCC Regulation of P2P Traffic

Whipped and Gagged

Is government spending obscene? Well, it paid to train S&M filmmakers.

Obsession Junction

Fishing with Morgan Spurlock, survivor of the 30-day McDonald's diet

Mecklin

Fishing with Morgan Spurlock, survivor of the 30-day McDonald's diet

Judging Matthew Rothschild

Why is the Democratic Party elite backing an underqualified party operative for the local judiciary?

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch

Politicos, prudes, and the paranoid protest the programming heard on Bay Area radio stations to the highest authority in the land -- the Federal Communications Commission

Still Sticking It to the Man

Politicos, prudes, and the paranoid protest the programming heard on Bay Area radio stations to the highest authority in the land -- the Federal Communications Commission

Court Ruling: Man Officially a Dick For Giving Nazi Salute at City Council Meeting

Welcome to Santa Cruz...​A legal case lasting longer than America's involvement in World War II has ostensibly culminated with the following conclusion: A man who felt the need to give the Nazi salute during government meetings deserved the Stalingrad treatment he got.A Santa Cruz man named Robert ... More >>

S.F. State student who invoked Shield Law reveals murder scene photo in national contest

Welcome to Santa Cruz...​A legal case lasting longer than America's involvement in World War II has ostensibly culminated with the following conclusion: A man who felt the need to give the Nazi salute during government meetings deserved the Stalingrad treatment he got.A Santa Cruz man named Robert ... More >>

Do You Have First Amendment Rights in San Francisco Parks or Not?

Now valid in National Parks! Right?​Jurisdictional lines are funny things. Here in San Francisco you can hoist your banners and beat your drum to express the message of your choosing per your First Amendment Rights -- until you tread onto Ocean Beach, the Presidio, or other federal land. The Natio ... More >>

Key Portion of 'SF Smart Reform' Prop. B Struck Down by Judge

With today's cut, Prop. B just become shorter and easier to read. Will it become easier to evade, too?​A judge today struck down a portion of Proposition B -- "SF Smart Reform" -- that the measure's author, public defender Jeff Adachi, had claimed was critical for actually ensuring the legislation ... More >>

Department of Homeland Security Sued Over Secret Traveller Files

Matt SmithWe'll collect all this personal information, y'see. And then we'll make a giant database...​San Francisco travel writer Edward Hasbrouck has sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over what he says is the agency's refusal to give a complete accounting of secret files detailing his ... More >>

State bill makes malicious sock puppets a crime

Matt SmithWe'll collect all this personal information, y'see. And then we'll make a giant database...​San Francisco travel writer Edward Hasbrouck has sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over what he says is the agency's refusal to give a complete accounting of secret files detailing his ... More >>

Travel writer Edward Hasbrouck sues Homeland Security over travel data

Matt SmithWe'll collect all this personal information, y'see. And then we'll make a giant database...​San Francisco travel writer Edward Hasbrouck has sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over what he says is the agency's refusal to give a complete accounting of secret files detailing his ... More >>

'Skyscraperman' Dan Goodwin May Climb Over Trespassing Charges, Too

Dan Goodwin, possibly not trespassing​You'd think climbing up the side of the Millennium Tower in broad daylight would be an open-and-shut trespassing case. But, then, you'd have thought vaulting a moat and fence to recline in the San Francisco Zoo's Grizzly Bear Grotto would have been a slam dunk ... More >>

Don't Ask Don't Tell Told Off

​The Week In GayLate yesterday, another radical hippie judge in California ruled that queers are protected by the U.S. Constitution. A lawsuit against the military ban on gay service members, Don't Ask Don't Tell, was ruled to be a violation of the First Amendment rights of gay people. The suit wa ... More >>

Violent Video Game Law Court Found Unconstitutional Has 72 Percent Approval: Poll

Ah, but is it Constitutional? ​According to a recent Zogby poll, 72 percent of Americans support a California law preventing the sale of ultra-violent videogames to children. And yet, the validity of that law isn't for Americans randomly picking up the phone to decide, but the nine justices of the ... More >>

PG&E Will Reveal Pipeline Locations -- Sort Of

KTVT/KTXALook! There's one! ​In the wake of the San Bruno disaster, a number of environmental and First Amendment types have demanded PG&E disclose the routes of its riskiest gas pipes. The utility provider has declined, however, citing the risk that terrorists could capitalize on that sort of ... More >>

Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasies: Raunchy Album Covers That Didn't Make It

(Complete scene here.)All-around entertainer Kanye West announced the other day that his forthcoming album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, would come bundled with five different album covers. The only one we've seen so far is a painting by New York-based art-weirdo George Condo that depicts a n ... More >>

'God Hates Fags' Westboro Baptist Church Brings its Insanity to San Bruno

Good Lord. What now? ​The Westboro Baptist Church took a break from picketing military funerals -- churchmembers believe the soldiers' deaths were God's will, as our nation coddles homosexuals. Yesterday, the church, almost entirely composed of members of the Phelps clan, protested at San Bruno's ... More >>

San Francisco Circumcision Ban Unconstitutional, Professor Says

Perform a brit milah, go to jail? ​San Francisco can have its proposed circumcision ban, or it can have the First Amendment. But it can't have both. That's the opinion of Peter Keane, dean emeritus at Golden Gate University School of Law and a constitutional law professor. The potential ballot mea ... More >>

Where are Wikileaks' Media Friends?

​Where are the First Amendment's establishment warriors as government-spooked businesses try to shut down Wikileaks? Hackers with computers, not hacks with press passes, have been the first line of resistance. More to come.

Picturing Queer Literary History

​Where are the First Amendment's establishment warriors as government-spooked businesses try to shut down Wikileaks? Hackers with computers, not hacks with press passes, have been the first line of resistance. More to come.

Will New Online Impersonation Law Kill Faux Twitter Accounts?

Illegally funny?​Since the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, it has been a misdemeanor in this state to malevolently impersonate someone on the internet. The "Malicious E-Personization Bill" authored by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) outlaws the impersonation of another person on the web for the p ... More >>

ACLU Defends Student Who Called Teacher 'Douche Bag' on Facebook

Give me liberty or give me death, douche bags!​From the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights comes the latest tale of First Amendment issues in the digital age -- this one sparked by a high school sophomore who was suspended for calling his biology teacher a "douche bag" on Facebook.As California W ... More >>

Internet 'Kill Switch' Bill -- What Is This, Egypt?

You can find Uma on the internet, too...​Looking back at the momentous goings on in Egypt of late, there are plenty of takeaways to go around. Here's one: Should the government have the power to sever society from the Internet?  U.S. lawmakers are considering another attempt to push through a ... More >>

Google Maps Says It's Not to Blame for Pedestrian Hit by Car

Google the phrase "common sense"​If Google maps led you off a cliff, would you jump?Well, if you did make the plunge and got hurt in the process, the Bay Area media giant claims it wouldn't be at fault. Google is finding itself at the center of a bizarre and never ending lawsuit where a pedestria ... More >>

S.F. Plastic Surgeon Wants to Shut Down Negative Web Commenters

Google the phrase "common sense"​If Google maps led you off a cliff, would you jump?Well, if you did make the plunge and got hurt in the process, the Bay Area media giant claims it wouldn't be at fault. Google is finding itself at the center of a bizarre and never ending lawsuit where a pedestria ... More >>

SFPD Tries to Fire Cop for Balking at Conducting Illegal Searches

Google the phrase "common sense"​If Google maps led you off a cliff, would you jump?Well, if you did make the plunge and got hurt in the process, the Bay Area media giant claims it wouldn't be at fault. Google is finding itself at the center of a bizarre and never ending lawsuit where a pedestria ... More >>

SFPD Tries to Fire Cop for Protesting Illegal Search of Journalist's Records

Matt SmithFrank Lee, a 24-year SFPD veteran, is on the docket for resisting an order to search a journalist's records​In this week's column, I describe how the San Francisco Police Department is attempting to fire a 24-year veteran for resisting orders to illegally search a journalist's records.Oa ... More >>

Circumcision Ban Challenged: Religious Leaders File Lawsuit Today

Taylor FriedmanNo, this isn't a bris ceremony ​Update 1:25 p.m.: Jewish and Muslim plaintiffs file lawsuit challenging San Francisco's circumcision ban. Read more after the jump.We knew this was coming -- it was just a matter of time. The Jewish community has united with other religious groups to ... More >>

Supreme Court Shoots Down State Ban on Violent Videogames

Keep shooting, kids​Kids can continue to legally play ultraviolent videogames after the Supreme Court ruled this morning that California cannot restrict kids from buying or renting the shooting games.  The court voted 7-2 that such a ban, which was spearheaded by Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Franci ... More >>

Telling a Cop to F-Off Is Not a Crime

Fuck, I love this story ​A San Francisco jury decided that just because 22-year-old Chris Christopher cusses like an asshole doesn't make him a fucking criminal. Christopher was arrested on April 9, 2010, at Newhall Street and La Salle Avenue after he got into a verbal argument, which included the ... More >>

Guardian Newsroom Hit with Layoffs

Luke ThomasSarah Phelan, seen here with husband Khalil Abu-Saba, has been abruptly let go by the Guardian in a purported cost-cutting move​Veteran reporter Sarah Phelan was last night shown the door along with several others in a round of layoffs at the San Francisco Bay Guardian.Guardian executiv ... More >>

Oakland Discriminates Against Anti-Abortion Activists, Judge Says

​Oakland discriminates against anti-abortion activists by selectively enforcing their "bubble ordinance," which prohibits contact with individuals entering reproductive health clinics, the Ninth Circuit has ruled. The ordinance, which was passed in February 2008, makes it unlawful for anyone to ... More >>

Jewish Students Sue UC Berkeley for Allowing "Violent Anti-Semitic Attacks"

Apartheid Week on the UC Berkeley Campus, 2009​Two Jewish UC Berkeley students are suing the school, claiming that the UC Berkeley administration failed to halt "violent anti-Semitic attacks and a hostile environment" created by two pro-Palestinian groups on campus. Plaintiff Jessica Felber, who ... More >>

Tech Blogger Off the Hook for iPhone Exposé

Screenshot from Jason Chen's video, April 2010​Gizmodo tech blogger Jason Chen has been let off the hook for buying and writing about an unreleased iPhone 4 prototype left in a Redwood City bar by an Apple engineer. Chen, a senior editor at Gizmodo, made headlines last April when he released photo ... More >>

Five Ways BART Could Make Your Ride Home Less Crappy

​Despite the ongoing weekly protests, BART is trying to keep things real by unveiling designs for their new line of cars, named Fleet for the Future. We all know how utterly disgusting BART cars are --  it has oldest fleet of trains in the nation. So yeah, updated trains are long overdue even ... More >>

Why Parking Spots Make Great Beds for the Homeless

LBennett AustinIs she going to take a nap?​ast week we regaled readers with stories about how residents were converting highly coveted parking spots into parks, offices, and even nudist camps. Perhaps that's where Bennett Austin, a local advertising student, got the idea to turn metered spots in t ... More >>

Not Just Any Old Amendment

LBennett AustinIs she going to take a nap?​ast week we regaled readers with stories about how residents were converting highly coveted parking spots into parks, offices, and even nudist camps. Perhaps that's where Bennett Austin, a local advertising student, got the idea to turn metered spots in t ... More >>

Obama's New Marijuana Policies Also Target Alt-Weeklies and the Bill of Rights

Say, is that hemp? Kill it!​​In their unrelenting quest to kill legal medical marijuana dead, President Barack Obama and the United States Department of Justice appear content to incur collateral damage. Last week, property owners who rent to dispensaries were informed that the federal governmen ... More >>

Republican Party Chair Threatens to Sic Government on Newspaper

Write an offending article, face the consequences​If you write a newspaper article in San Francisco that rankles a political leader, the government can step in and punish you. That sounds like red meat for right-leaning forces on the Internet, setting off a firestorm of rants about the liberal idi ... More >>

Republican S.F. Chair: I Never Wanted to Sic Government on SF Weekly

No, no, you guys at SF Weekly are fine...​Last week, we told you about how the head of San Francisco's Republican Party threatened to sic big government on our newspaper. Harmeet Dhillon, the boss of the local GOP, now tells SF Weekly that was never her intention. She didn't want to abridge our Fi ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee Tries to Appease Occupy SF Protesters, Cops

Ellen Huet​After five people were arrested Sunday at Justin Herman Plaza, Occupy SF protesters gathered at City Hall Tuesday afternoon to tell Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors to just leave them alone. Tuesday's affair was nothing quite like what Rome experienced over the weekend, rather ... More >>

Another Student Suspended for Dissing Teacher on Facebook

​We've seen a few times over the past year that the casual contact facilitated by Facebook is proving to be a sticky wicket for teachers and their students. Now a Louisiana high-school senior is arguing in federal court that he's the latest victim of unfair policing of online social space.The stud ... More >>

South Bay Students Lose Court Battle Over "Incendiary" American Flag T-Shirts

You are not free to wear this t-shirt in Morgan Hill schools​Three Morgan Hill students got a crash course in American civics this week when they lost a lawsuit against high school officials who sent them home for wearing American Flag t-shirts to school. A judge dismissed the case against Live Oa ... More >>

Occupy SF Prepares for Police Raid Tonight

Kate CongerIs San Francisco next?​Update (5:45 p.m.): Department of Health officials led reporters through the encampment this evening as they inspected the area for violations. SF Weekly's Lauren Smiley says that Barbara Garcia, the director of the city's Health  Department, claims the toile ... More >>

Hate Expectations: Police and Prosecutors Are Quick to Claim the Presence of Racism — but Juries Are Not So Sure

Kate CongerIs San Francisco next?​Update (5:45 p.m.): Department of Health officials led reporters through the encampment this evening as they inspected the area for violations. SF Weekly's Lauren Smiley says that Barbara Garcia, the director of the city's Health  Department, claims the toile ... More >>

Alameda Gun Ordinance to Go Before Full 9th Circuit Appeals Court

​The quest for the rights of ordinary, hardworking Americans to carry bazookas and roll Abrams tanks across government property continues its slow advance. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has  agreed to revisit an Alameda County couple's claim that a law banning guns on county land ... More >>

Appeals Court Judges Grill Arpaio's Lawyer on Alleged First Amendment Violations

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio​An 11-member panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had some tough questions today for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's lawyer about why "America's Toughest Sheriff" should be exempt from a lawsuit claiming he violated an Arizona ... More >>