Mayor: Madison doesn’t want to be identified with Klan group
The mayor of Madison, Indiana, distancing his community from a local Ku Klux Klan group that is planning a rally in Ohio this month, saying the city doesn’t “stand for any kind of hate.”
First Amendment
Articles
COA rejects ex-teacher’s defamation claims against Elkhart Truth
A former Elkhart teacher who alleged a newspaper defamed him by writing an article about his federal lawsuit against the school that fired him failed to convince an appellate panel that the issue was not of public interest, or that the article was not written in good faith.
Web Exclusive: Chances of changing libel laws unlikely
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stood alone recently when he suggested reconsidering five decades worth of libel law standards. But Indiana media lawyers say chances of changing longstanding First Amendment protections appear slim.
In ‘FUCT’ fashion brand case, justices avoid saying word
The U.S. Supreme Court discussed a trademark case Monday involving Los Angeles-based fashion brand “FUCT.” But the justices did some verbal gymnastics to get through about an hour of arguments without saying the brand’s name.
Say what?: Trademark case tests ‘scandalous,’ ‘immoral’ standards
A First Amendment case just heard by the United States Supreme Court pits an anti-establishment brand — the four-letter acronym for Friends U Can't Trust — against federal prohibitions on trademarks that are “scandalous and immoral.”
WikiLeaks’ Assange faces US charge after London arrest
A bearded and shouting Julian Assange was pulled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and hauled into court Thursday, the start of an extradition battle for the WikiLeaks founder who faces U.S. charges related to the publication of tens of thousands of secret government documents.
COA hears arguments in teacher defamation suit against Elkhart newspaper
An Indiana Court of Appeals panel was asked to consider whether a reporter’s use of the word “incompetent” to describe a former Elkhart teacher’s termination was defamatory language – and ultimately whether a newspaper had the right to publish a story using the contested word.
2 death row inmates make similar requests, get different results
Death row inmates Patrick Murphy and Domineque Ray each turned to courts recently with pleas to stop their executions if their desired spiritual advisers couldn't accompany them into the execution chamber. The Supreme Court allowed Ray’s execution to go forward, but gave Murphy a temporary reprieve Thursday night.
Second Roncalli counselor loses job over same-sex marriage
A second guidance counselor at an Indianapolis Catholic high school will lose her job because she’s in a same-sex marriage.
Justices reject B&B owner who denied room to gay couple
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place Hawaii court rulings that found a bed and breakfast owner violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to rent a room to a lesbian couple. The justices rejected an appeal from Aloha Bed & Breakfast owner Phyllis Young, who argued she should be allowed to turn away gay couples because of her religious beliefs.
Opponents of proposed Carmel mosque lose zoning appeal
The Carmel zoning board’s approval of the construction of an Islamic community center was affirmed Tuesday as an appeals court determined opponents of the planned mosque failed to timely file the board’s record.
Bills targeting revenge porn advancing in Statehouse
In the past year, attorney Alex Beeman has received some 36 calls from individuals impacted by revenge porn. That adds up to at least three requests per month asking how they can navigate a potentially life-altering situation.
Judge rejects Elkhart’s subpoena for newspaper records
A federal judge has rejected the City of Elkhart’s attempt to force a newspaper to turn over records of its reporting on a Chicago man who was pardoned after a decade in prison and is suing the Indiana city for wrongful conviction.
Justices seem open to allowing 40-foot cross monument
The Supreme Court is sounding as though it will allow a 40-foot cross-shaped war memorial to remain on public land in Maryland, but shy away from a sweeping ruling.
High court deciding fate of cross-shaped Maryland memorial
Supporters of a cross-shaped memorial to veterans of World War I are asking the US Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that its location on public land in Maryland violates the First Amendment establishment clause. Justices will hear the case Wednesday.
Indiana superintendent criticized for letter seeking prayers
A southern Indiana school superintendent’s letter asking local churches to pray for the district has led to criticism that he may have overstepped the boundary between church and state.
The woe of Roe: 46 years later, abortion debate still boils
To mark the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, two groups rallied at the Indiana Statehouse Jan. 22, and showed that of the divisions among Americans, the gulf over abortion rights remains among the widest.
Sovereign citizen’s prison religion suit may be revisited
An Indiana prisoner and professed sovereign citizen who claimed his religious rights were violated when he was forbidden from fully participating in certain religious services may get another review, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
NCSC essay contest on free speech open to students
Indiana students in third grade and up are invited to participate in an essay contest in recognition of National Law Day on May 1. Entrants in each category must pen a 100-word essay in response to this year’s question, “Should there be limits to free speech? Why or why not?”
Freedom of religion remains free at Monroe County Jail
Be it rosary beads for a Catholic, a meeting with a rabbi, a prayer mat for Ramadan or a Bible for someone who’s never held one, whatever the religious need, it’s met by the chaplain and staff at the Monroe County Jail.