Blog of Rights
Catherine
Crump

Prior to joining the ACLU, Crump clerked for the Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, a judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Crump graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School. She is a non-residential fellow with the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

09/19/2007

Fight for Online Free Speech Continues - Again

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 7:33pm
As expected, the government is appealing the ACLU's March 2007 victory in the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) case. COPA is an Internet censorship law that makes it a crime to place content deemed "harmful to minors" on the Web unless the content is b
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08/29/2007

The Freedom to Read Online

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 10:32am
Together with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, today we asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision (PDF) that the government does not need a warrant to monitor the We
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03/22/2007

COPA: We Won!

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 1:09pm
Today brings excellent news for free speech: A court declared the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), a federal Internet censorship law, unconstitutional, and forbade the government from enforcing it. It has taken nearly a decade of litigation—we first brought the suit in 1998, then called Read More»
11/06/2006

Payment Cards vs. Filtering Software

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 10:57am
Here is a look at what is coming up this week in the COPA trial. We're nearing the end of our case-in-chief. Our only witness left to testify is Professor Ronald Mann.

Remember this? COPA provides an affirmative defense from prosecution for anyone who, in good faith, restricts mino
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11/05/2006

Last Week in COPA Court

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 10:38am

Hello again from the COPA trial! Let me try to fill you in on what happened last week.

First off, the Court heard from a trio of school librarians. They explained that in their experience, Internet filters keep kids safe from inappropriate content. Clover Taylor, a high school librarian from Crozet, Virginia, said that in "talking to colleagues, there were images that came up [on students' computers] that were inappropriate. Since the filter has been installed, that instance has been reduced to near zero." The librarians also described that schools today teach kids how to use the Internet safely.

Second, the Court heard from a parade of Web speakers who fear they will be prosecuted under COPA. The purpose of this testimony was to showcase the valuable speech that will be lost if the law goes into effect.

Especially compelling was the testimony of Dr. Mitch Tepper, founder and President of the Sexual Health Network. Dr. Tepper initially created the organization to provide easy access to sexual health information to those with disabilities and chronic conditions, but has broadened the organization's scope to include everyone.

At trial, Dr. Tepper explained the unique importance for individuals with disabilities of being able to access sexual health information on the web:

 

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10/28/2006

Con Law 101: First Amendment Redux

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 4:55pm
A post for non-lawyers who'd like a more detailed understanding of the legal issues in COPA ...

The Supreme Court has held that "the First Amendment generally prevents government from proscribing speech, or even expressive conduct because of disapproval of the ideas expressed. Content-based regulati
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10/23/2006

Online Free Speech on Trial

By Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at 9:55am
It is a big day at the ACLU. After bouncing around the court system for eight years, our challenge to the federal government's Internet censorship law is finally going to trial.

The law we're challenging is called the Child Online Protection Act (COPA). COPA makes it a federal crime to put material that is "harmful to minors" on the Web. COPA would force massive quantities of c
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