吃瓜大本营

This case in the Minnesota Supreme Court asks whether the MFFIA's protections apply to newsgatherers even if they are alleged to have engaged in trespassing while newsgathering. The ACLU鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative, alongside the ACLU of Minnesota and law firm Biersdorf & Associations, filed a brief representing Unicorn Riot, a media organization that covered protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The brief argues that MFFIA and constitutional reporter鈥檚 privileges, under both the U.S. and Minnesota constitutions, protect Unicorn Riot from having to comply with Energy Transfer鈥檚 subpoenas.

In December 2021, the ACLU and NYCLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking information from nine federal agencies鈥攖he United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Protective Service (FPS), Marshals Service (USMS), and Secret Service (USSS)鈥攁bout nationwide aerial surveillance and flight monitoring of protests in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.

On December 4, 2017, Michael Picard stood on the public sidewalk in front of the Bronx County Hall of Justice with a sign reading 鈥淛ury info鈥� and distributed flyers advocating for jury nullification. Shortly after he began his advocacy, an officer arrested Mr. Picard for violating New York鈥檚 courthouse protest law, N.Y. Penal Law 215.50(7). The law makes it a crime to shout, call aloud, or hold or display signs or placards concerning a trial on a public street or sidewalk within 200 feet of a courthouse.

Can a protest leader be held legally responsible for injuries inflicted by an unidentified person鈥檚 violent act at the protest, when it is undisputed that the leader didn鈥檛 engage in or intend violence of any kind?