Latest Freedom of speech News
Case against Alex Jones can proceed, Connecticut judge says
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge on Monday cleared the way for a defamation lawsuit in Connecticut to proceed against Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The case was filed by relatives of some victims of the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary...
Court: Mask order didn't violate shop's free speech rights
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Dane County health officials didn't violate free speech protections when they cited a Middleton cafe for advertising itself as a “mask-free zone” during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Helbachs Cafe posted a sign in July 2020 saying the shop was...
Judge again refuses to block use of law in NC AG probe
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday again refused to block a North Carolina district attorney from pursuing charges using a specific state law about a 2020 television commercial run by state Attorney General Josh Stein’s campaign. Campaign lawyers for Stein, a...
Salman Rushdie 'on the road to recovery,' agent says
MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Salman Rushdie is “on the road to recovery,” his agent confirmed Sunday, two days after the author of “The Satanic Verses” suffered serious injuries in a stabbing at a lecture in New York. The announcement followed news that the lauded writer was...
Author Salman Rushdie stabbed on lecture stage in New York
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (AP) — Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” drew death threats from Iran’s leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York. A bloodied...
Colorado to spar over discrimination case in Supreme Court
DENVER (AP) — Colorado is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold its anti-discrimination law in the face of a challenge by a Christian web designer who does not want to create custom wedding websites for same-sex couples and claims the state law violates her right to free speech. ...
At 75, India’s democracy is under pressure like never before
NEW DELHI (AP) — The Aug. 5 demonstrations by India’s main opposition Congress party against soaring food prices and unemployment began like any other recent protest — an electorally weak opposition taking to the New Delhi streets against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s massively popular...
Hong Kong population shrinks for 2nd year under virus curbs
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s government says its population has shrunk for a second year as anti-virus controls hampered the inflow of new workers and births declined, but it made no mention of an exodus of residents following a crackdown on a pro-democracy movement. The...
Guatemalans march in protest of corruption, cost of living
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Hundreds of Guatemalans set out from various points of the capital Thursday to protest alleged corruption by a deeply unpopular government, the high cost of living and attacks on freedom of expression. University students, faculty and other employees marched...
ReAwaken Tour host says he feels harassed by NY prosecutor
BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) — A Christian pastor in western New York said he felt intimidated and harassed after the state's attorney general, a Democrat, sent a letter saying she believed a planned far-right political event at his church this week could lead to racial violence. In the...
