We wrote recently about Sherrod v. Breitbart and O’Connor , the case argued last month in the D.C. Circuit that asks the Court to decide, among other questions, whether the District of Columbia’s anti-SLAPP statute should be applied in federal court...(read more)
A Salute to Anthony Lewis
We would be remiss if we failed to note the recent passing of Anthony Lewis, long-time columnist and Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times. Lewis died on March 25 at the age of 85. Lewis won two Pulitzer Prizes and is the author of two of...(read more)
Timing is Everything -- Breitbart Case Highlights Deadline Issue
Last week, we made our first foray into Sherrod v. Breitbart and O’Connor , which was argued in the D.C. Circuit several weeks ago and which will, hopefully, address the question whether the District of Columbia’s new anti-SLAPP statute should be...(read more)
D.C. Circuit Considers Anti-SLAPP Case
Until now, we have not yet waded into the legal and political morass that is Shirley Sherrod v. Andrew Breitbart and Larry O’Connor . In case you have not picked up a newspaper in the past three years, this is a complaint brought by a former...(read more)
Important N.C. Public Records Question Left Unanswered
The North Carolina Supreme Court last week split 3-3 on an appeal presenting important questions concerning the state’s Public Records Act, apparently leaving it for the General Assembly to close a gap in the law concerning the applicability of the...(read more)
Supreme Court Agrees to Review Virginia Records Law
Last week, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an important case involving Virginia's public records law . The case, McBurney v. Young , involves a challenge to a provision of the state law that says that "public records shall be open to...(read more)
Beware the Clumsy Retraction
A recent Idaho state court opinion ordering an Idaho newspaper to unmask the identity of an anonymous commenter on the newspaper's website demonstrates, among other things, the pitfalls that come with a clumsily worded retraction. The case, Jacobson...(read more)
Court Rules in UNC Football Public Records Dispute
North Carolina Superior Court Judge Howard Manning recently ruled on the scope of protection for documents related to the highly-publicized investigation of irregularities in the University of North Carolina football program. The Court held that the...(read more)