Franklin mayor sued for blocking resident on Facebook after BLM video
The mayor of Franklin has been sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana after he allegedly blocked an individual from accessing his Facebook page.
First Amendment
Articles
Justices rule for cursing cheerleader over Snapchat post
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Pennsylvania public school wrongly suspended a student from cheerleading over a vulgar social media post she made after she didn’t qualify for the varsity team.
Court: If bias rules have exceptions, faith groups qualify
Justice Samuel Alito called it a “wisp” of a decision — a Supreme Court ruling Thursday that favored Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia but was far from the constitutional gale wind that would have reshaped how courts interpret religious liberty under the First Amendment.
High court sides with Catholic agency in foster care dispute
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples as foster parents. The justices said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency’s policy.
Baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman, a state judge has ruled.
High court rejects 2 Virginia white nationalist rally cases
The Supreme Court is leaving in place the convictions of two men who as members of a white supremacist group participated in a white nationalist rally in Virginia in 2017 that turned violent.
Student’s arrest for racist post sparks free speech debate
The arrest of a Connecticut high school student accused of posting racist comments about a Black classmate on social media is being supported by civil rights advocates, but free speech groups are calling it an unusual move by police that raises First Amendment issues.
Fired Cathedral teacher appeals dismissal of his lawsuit against archdiocese
Joshua Payne-Elliott, a foreign language and social studies teacher, sued the archdiocese after his contract with Cathedral was terminated in June 2019.
Fired Cathedral teacher’s suit against archdiocese over same-sex marriage dismissed
In a one-page order, Marion Superior Special Judge Lance Hamner did what a previous special judge and the Indiana Supreme Court had not done – dismiss the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a gay teacher against the archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not an indefinite one
Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — at least not yet. Four months after Facebook suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans but told Facebook to specify how long they would last.
Wary Supreme Court weighs student’s Snapchat profanity case
A wary Supreme Court on Wednesday weighed whether public schools can discipline students for things they say off campus, worrying about overly restricting speech on the one hand and leaving educators powerless to deal with bullying on the other.
Student’s Snapchat profanity leads to high court speech case
Fourteen-year-old Brandi Levy was having that kind of day where she just wanted to scream. So she did, in a profanity-laced posting on Snapchat that has, improbably, ended up before the Supreme Court in the most significant case on student speech in more than 50 years.
Sikh community calls for gun reforms after FedEx shooting
Members of Indianapolis’ tight-knit Sikh community joined with city officials to call for gun reforms Saturday as they mourned the deaths of four Sikhs who were among the eight people killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx warehouse.
SCOTUS to consider civil forfeiture case of truck seized over 5 forgotten bullets
Gerardo Serrano ticked off the border crossing agents by taking some photos on his phone. So they took his pickup truck and held onto it for more than two years. Now the U.S. Supreme Court might take up the case.
Web Exclusive: NCAA, broadcaster in contract dispute over COVID cancelation of March Madness 2020
After the fanfare of the 2021 NCAA March Madness Tournament, the Indianapolis-based college athletics organization is heading back to the court — this time, an actual courtroom in the Circle City — in a contract dispute over a radio broadcast contract canceled during the pandemic.
High court halts Calif. virus rules limiting home worship
The U.S. Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that have limited home-based religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings.
Lawmakers adopt penalties for failing to protect monuments
The Indiana Legislature passed a bill Thursday that allows the state to withhold funding to cities that fail to protect public monuments and memorials from vandalism, part of an attempt by Republican lawmakers to deter protests that have elevated since the death of George Floyd.
Pence inks two-book deal, launches political advocacy group
Former Vice President Mike Pence has a book deal. His autobiography, currently untitled, is scheduled to come out in 2023. In addition, the former Indiana governor on Wednesday launched an advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, which will promote the Trump administration’s record and could serve as a springboard for a Pence presidential run in 2024.
Woman pleads guilty to striking Indianapolis protesters
An Indianapolis woman has pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness for driving her minivan into several people protesting the death of George Floyd last year.
Indiana Senate approves ‘abortion reversal’ requirement
Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature on Tuesday voted to advance a bill that tightens state abortion laws despite objections that it would force doctors to provide dubious information to their patients.