Home : Free Speech : Censorship

Booksellers, Publishers, Librarians and Others Challenge Censorship Law (04/28/2008)
PORTLAND, Ore. - Should a grandmother have to risk being charged with a crime if she gives her 7-year-old grandson a copy of "It's Perfectly Normal," a sex education book widely regarded as among the best available?

ACLU Urges High Court to Uphold Free Speech Ruling (03/17/2008)
Washington, DC - The Court announced this morning that it will hear an appeal of a lower court ruling in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, et al. that found the FCC failed to provide adequate justification for its regulations governing the broadcast of "fleeting expletives." The Department of Justice is appealing that decision on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

ACLU Asks Judge To Review Lawsuit Challenging FBI Brutality (03/05/2008)
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - The American Civil Liberties Union today will ask a federal appeals court to allow a case brought by journalists who were kicked, punched and pepper sprayed by FBI agents to move forward. The ACLU will ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reverse an earlier decision by the district court that sided with the FBI agents and ignored important constitutional issues raised by the journalists.

NYCLU and Journalist Sue to End Secrecy Surrounding NYPD Press Passes (02/20/2008)
The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in state court challenging the NYPD’s refusal to disclose information about its policy for issuing press passes to journalists covering the cops.

University Officials Trample Free Speech (11/02/2007)
OXFORD, OH – The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio expressed concern Friday over the reaction of officials at Miami University to a student art display. The art piece, created by a group of students, was intended to symbolize the Tree of Life and featured a tire swing and seven ropes. The display stood for several hours until police were called and removed it because it was deemed controversial. Following the removal of the display, university officials and police have threatened action against the students involved.

ACLU of Arizona Says Arrest of Newspaper Owners Stifles Freedom of Press, Violates Privacy Rights of Readers (10/19/2007)
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today blasted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for arresting two Phoenix New Times owners, saying the arrests appear to be retaliatory in nature and part of a dragnet effort to uncover confidential information about New Times readers.

ACLU of Virginia Challenges Dismissal of Censored Art Teacher (10/04/2007)
Richmond, VA - Lawyers for the ACLU of Virginia today filed a lawsuit in federal court in Richmond to challenge the dismissal of Stephen Murmer, a Chesterfield County high school art teacher, who was fired over paintings he produces and sells on his own time. Murmer, who uses his buttocks and other parts of his body to transfer paint onto canvasses, lost his job last December after a video of him demonstrating his technique surfaced on YouTube.com.

ACLU ‘Howls’ Against FCC Destroying the Best Poems of a Generation (10/03/2007)
Washington, DC – On the 50th anniversary of a court ruling that deemed Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ not obscene, the American Civil Liberties Union lamented an ironic reversal of First Amendment rights. A New York public radio station chose not to air the poem in its news story commemorating the decision, fearful that massive FCC fines that would have effectively shut down the station. WBAI instead posted the poem online, out of the reach of the FCC.

ACLU Says Pickering Bill Treads on First Amendment (09/19/2007)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union said today that legislation that attempts to regulate the content of television programs introduced today by Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) treads on the First Amendment. The legislation would attempt to regulate “indecent” television programming by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to implement a policy that would make a single word or image “indecent.”

Wardrobe Malfunction Case Demonstrates the Government Makes A Lousy Parent (09/11/2007)
WASHINGTON – Today the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has an opportunity to make clear to the Federal Communications Commission that the job of parenting belongs to parents and not to government. The U.S. appeals court today considers the case of singer Janet Jackson's famous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 American football Super Bowl halftime show.

ACLU of Arkansas Supports Judge Facing Discipline for Criticizing Bush Administration (07/10/2007)
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed a letter today with the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission in support of State Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen, who is facing disciplinary action by the commission for making public statements that are critical of the Bush administration. The ACLU said that any discipline by the commission would violate the judge's right to freedom of speech.

ACLU Decries Scientific Censorship at Smithsonian (05/23/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced the Smithsonian Institution’s censorship of an Arctic climate change exhibit. Smithsonian scholars watered down a climate change report by scientists, believing it would cause a stir in Congress and the White House.

ACLU of Southern California Settles Free Speech Lawsuit Over Cable TV Censorship (05/22/2007)
LOS ALAMITOS — The Los Alamitos City Council voted unanimously yesterday to settle a lawsuit over its censorship of public-access television programming last year. The city agreed to adopt new policies to protect free speech at Los Alamitos Television Corporation, whose LATV Channel 3 is available to Time Warner customers in Los Alamitos and Rossmoor.

ACLU Scores Free Speech Victory for Columbia Residents (03/22/2007)
ST. LOUIS - The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals today affirmed a lower court’s ruling prohibiting the city of Columbia and the nonprofit corporation, Memorial Day Weekend Salute to Veterans, from restricting free expression at Columbia’s annual air show.

“Santa’s Butt” Can Come to Maine (01/04/2007)
PORTLAND, ME - In what may have been the most talked about censorship case of the holiday season, Santa and the brewing company that wished to put him on their labels came out on top. In a letter dated December 22, 2006, Maine’s Liquor Licensing Unit Inspector Supervisor Jeffrey Austin told Shelton Brothers Brewers that they could register the label for “Santa’s Butt Winter Porter”, which features Santa’s fully-clothed derriere perched atop a barrel (or “butt”) of beer.

Toledo Sign Law Restricts Free Speech, Says ACLU of Ohio (12/12/2006)
TOLEDO, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sent a letter today urging Toledo city officials to abandon attempts to cite resident Jeffrey Nelson for displaying four anti-war signs in his front yard. Nelson received a notice from the city's Division of Building Inspection on December 2, 2006 stating that he must remove his signs within 24 hours or risk incurring a fine.

ACLU of New Mexico Defends Homeowners After Neighborhood Association Attempts to Censor “Impeach Bush” Sign (12/05/2006)
RIO RANCHO, NM - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico announced today that it would take legal action against a Rio Rancho homeowners’ association if it made good on a threat to fine a local couple for projecting a sign that said “Impeach Bush” on the side of their home

ACLU Files Free Speech Lawsuit Against Rhode Island College for Censoring Reproductive Rights Signs (12/04/2006)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today filed a federal lawsuit against Rhode Island College (RIC) for censoring signs posted by students in support of reproductive freedom. The lawsuit charges that the college's restrictive sign policy, which was adopted after the student signs were removed, violates the First Amendment.

Writers, Filmmakers, Performers and Free Speech Groups Urge Court to Reject FCC Censorship (11/30/2006)
NEW YORK-New standards adopted by the Federal Communications Commission to censor “indecency” on the airwaves are overly vague and unconstitutional, a coalition of 20 free speech organizations, community broadcasters, filmmakers, performers and writers argued in a legal brief filed today.

Maine Civil Liberties Union Challenges State Censorship of Artistic Beer Labels (11/30/2006)
PORTLAND, ME - The Maine Civil Liberties Union today filed legal papers challenging the state's refusal to issue permits to a beer distributor because their labels were deemed "undignified or improper." One beer features Santa Claus on its label, while another features a well-known French painting that hangs in the Louvre.