First Amendment

MNGOP Rep. Osmek misrepresents marriage equality bill while speaking to students

The presses have been alerted -- a politician has spoken untruthfully.SEE ALSO: Gay marriage opponents waved bizarre signs during Capitol rally [PHOTOS]This time, the culprit is first-term Rep. David Osmek, R-Mound, who either hasn't read the not-especially-long text of the marriage equality bill be ... More >>

Urban cavers fight over turf and free speech

How an exploration dispute between academic Greg Brick and Action Squad's Gabe Carlson became a vicious legal battle

Hennepin County Sheriff's Office won't hire you if you have a visible tattoo

Under the leadership of Sheriff Rich Stanek, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has adopted a no-visible-tattoos policy for new hires.SEE ALSO: Antonio "Savage" Jenkins' tattoo of "pig get'n brains blew out" leads to criminal charge No other Hennepin County department's have a tattoo policy, the S ... More >>

DRE drug scandal: Civil lawsuit against state seeks millions in damages

Today, St. Paul attorney Nathan Hansen and New Jersey attorney Alan Milstein filed a civil lawsuit against the state of Minnesota, State Patrol, and other law enforcement agencies seeking millions of dollars in damages for subjects who participated in the scandalized Drug Recognition Expert program. ... More >>

Michele Bachmann goes on apocalyptic radio show, says Obama supports Sharia law

Constituents of the 6th District who voted for Michele Bachmann instead of Jim Graves last month can't be happy to hear their Congresswoman say she spent a "whole year" fretting about Obama administration's alleged efforts to implement Sharia law here in the United States.SEE ALSO:-- Bachmann doesn' ... More >>

Antonio "Savage" Jenkins' tattoo of "pig get'n brains blew out" leads to criminal charge

Just over a week after news broke that the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples have hits out on all Twin Cities cops, an alleged member of the Bloods faces a terroristic threats charge for his new tattoo.SEE ALSO: Forest Lake school bans Taylor Gang shirts because 'name is code word for marijuana use' ... More >>

Chris Kluwe playing bass at Music for Marriage Equality benefit tonight

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe will be joining singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke on stage for at least one song at the Dakota Jazz Theater tonight for the Music For Marriage Equality benefit concert.See Also:The Dakota to host Music For Marriage Equality benefit Chris Kluwe sticks up for gay m ... More >>

Chris Kluwe sticks up for gay marriage

Plus, high school mural and police brutality start a flurry of controversy

Rush Limbaugh has a crush on Chris Kluwe

SEE ALSO:-- Chris Kluwe to Emmett Burns: Gay marriage "won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster"-- Chris Kluwe says politician is "literally an asshole" for anti-gay marriage stance-- Chris Kluwe coins "turdsloth" while defending Crossfit on GawkerYesterday, Rush Limbaugh devoted a few mi ... More >>

Chris Kluwe to Emmett Burns: Gay marriage "won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster"

SEE ALSO: Chris Kluwe says politician is "literally an asshole" for anti-gay marriage stanceLast week, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe said Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. (D-Baltimore County) is "literally an asshole" for writing a letter demanding that Baltimore Ravens ownership silence linebac ... More >>

Johnny Northside's fine overturned; blogger calls court decision a "complete and total victory"

SEE ALSO:- John Hoff fined $60k for blogging - Best Local Blog 2011: The Adventures of Johnny Northside- Jerry Moore has a controversial past (COVER)This morning, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that local blogger John "Johnny Northside" Hoff is off the hook for $60,000 in damages to the subjec ... More >>

Albert Lea sign controversy: "Deport Illegals" message sparks protest

SEE ALSO:-- Mpls becomes first city to declare support for Obama's DREAM Act policy-- Chipotle faces fresh federal scrutiny more than year after mass firing of Latinos in Minnesota-- Ed Hansen, Confederate flag-flying West St. Paul City Council member, back in troubleLater today, people will gather ... More >>

Allen Quist under renewed fire for 'men are genetically predisposed to lead family' remark

SEE ALSO:-- Arne Carlson on GOP U.S. House candidate Allen Quist: He's "really bizarre"-- Mike Parry, U.S. House candidate, suggests he'd keep troops deployed until economy improves-- Mike Parry's tweet scrubbed on "arrogant black man" ObamaIn 1994, Republican Allen Quist -- then campaigning to oust ... More >>

VIDEO: Was peaceful Occupy activist arrested in downtown Mpls just for filming police?

On May 11, 56-year-old Minneapolis resident David Cummer was calmly using his iPhone to film police during the 1% Against Democracy rally in downtown Minneapolis when a group of officers approached him and suddenly placed him under arrest."You decide to leave, if not, you're going to be arrested," o ... More >>

"Fifty Shades of Grey" most popular book in Hennepin libraries, banned in Fond du Lac

Forbes calls it "Mommy Porn," citing the controversial book's erotic scenes and perceived demographic -- largely married women over 30.Yet according to the New York Times, E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" is "the most popular book in circulation" in the Hennepin County Public Library system. Meanw ... More >>

KSTP wants answers from Minneapolis police over cameraman shoving incident [VIDEO]

During a "Re-Occupy" Minneapolis demonstration on Saturday night, protesters learned from police they would not be allowed to erect tents in Peavey Plaza. After they marched in the street in protest, 12 people were arrested on Nicollet Mall for public nuisance and impeding traffic. KSTP cameraman C ... More >>

ACLU sues Minnewaska schools after student punished for teacher-bashing Facebook post

​The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit against Minnewaska Area Schools for alleged violations of a 12-year-old female student's constitutional rights.In one string of incidents, the girl was repeatedly disciplined after posting on Facebook that she "hated" a teacher who had been "mean" to her. She ... More >>

TiZA bankruptcy trustee settles for $1,400,000 with ACLU

​TiZA bankruptcy trustee John Hedback announced Friday that he had reached a settlement agreement with the ACLU of Minnesota over attorney's fees and costs. In exchange for the ACLU dismissing its federal lawsuit against Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, Hedback will pay the ACLU $1,400,000. Attorneys for ... More >>

Former foes Arne Carlson and John Marty team up against Citizens United ruling

​In 1994, GOPer Arne Carlson defeated state Sen. John Marty, D-Roseville, to remain Minnesota's governor. But now the former political enemies are working together on a bill that would tighten regulations on political campaign contributions in the state. The legislation would require that the boar ... More >>

Occupy MN and ACLU sue Hennepin County

​The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of four members of the Occupy MN movement. The 92-page filing lists Hennepin County, the county commissioners, Sheriff Rich Stanek, and "unnamed" Hennepin County deputies and security officers as defendants. At the heart of the lawsuit is whether new restri ... More >>

Occupy MN protesters barred from sleeping in Government Plaza starting Monday

Occupy MN FacebookAn occupier gets in Sheriff Rich Stanek's face outside the commissioner's meeting Tuesday.​Hennepin County commissioners voted unanimously in favor of enacting yet another raft of stricter rules on Occupy MN protesters camping out in Government Plaza. According to the new restri ... More >>

Occupy MN protesters defy Hennepin County orders; ACLU threatens lawsuit [UPDATE]

The occupiers are refusing to move from in front of a sign.​This morning, Hennepin County maintenance removed all of Occupy MN protesters' signs from Government Plaza. Just before noon, however, a small contingent of the occupiers started putting them back up. Now, seven occupiers have linked ar ... More >>

Wisconsin middle schooler sues over "I Heart Boobies!" bracelets

Schools across the country have banned the bracelets.​A Wisconsin eighth-grader is suing her principal and school district for the right to wear a somewhat silly bracelet that deals with a deadly serious topic. Kaisey Jenkins, a student at Sauk Prairie Middle School in central Wisconsin, says the ... More >>

Amanda Tatro and Facebook threats: U of M wins against former student

Fox9Tatro got an "F" for threats in a Facebook post.​The threatening messages a University of Minnesota student posted to her Facebook page in December 2009 were fair grounds to punish her, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled yesterday. Amanda Tatro, then a 29 year old mortuary science student, p ... More >>

Michele Bachmann pledges to ban "all forms of pornography" if elected president

​Michele Bachmann just became the first GOP presidential candidate to pledge to ban "all forms of pornography" if elected president in 2012.Bachmann signed the promise yesterday in order to secure the endorsement of Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Iowa activist who is the CEO of The Family Lea ... More >>

William Melchert-Dinkel again claims free speech right in online suicide case

William Melchert-Dinkel is not a First Amendment hero.​William Melchert-Dinkel really is an odious character, and he knows it. He's already admitted to being morally bankrupt for trolling the Internet and encouraging people to kill themselves. He's been sentenced to a year behind bars. But ... More >>

Ribnik Fur protesters Isaac Peter and Michael Lawson protected by First Amendment

TCIndyMediaIsaac Peters and Michael Lawson.​As far as animal rights protests go, this one was pretty mild. No ink thrown on ladies wearing fur coats. No naked women chained to the front doors. And Isaac Peter and Michael Christopher Lawson figured they were on pretty firm First Amendment grou ... More >>

KDWB Hmong parody song brings protesters to station's front door

Saying sorry, again.​KDWB has been forced to apologize again for that tasteless Hmong parody song aired by the "Dave Ryan in the Morning Show" crew a few weeks ago. The latest mea culpa came as a crowd of protesters showed up outside the station's front doors on Friday morning carrying signs ... More >>

Daryn McBeth, agribiz lobbyist: People who photograph farms should be felons

dobakMaybe photos like this should be illegal?​It was just a week ago that lawmakers unveiled a new bill aimed at making it harder for the public to know what goes on in farms, slaughterhouses and puppy mills. But in that week, the bill has come in for a torrent of abuse. It's not hard to see ... More >>

Anti-abortion group sues St. Michael-Albertville High School

ADF attorney Matt Sharp wants the pro-life club at high school​A Christian legal organization is suing St. Michael-Albertville High School for denying students the right to meet as an anti-abortion student club. The Alliance Defense Fund is claiming that the high school violated students' rel ... More >>

Pastor Karsten Nelson prays for Vikings stadium bill at Legislature

Does god wants a new Vikings stadium?​The last time a Christian minister raised eyebrows with an invocation at the Legislature, he drew rebukes for failing to take note that Jewish lawmakers deserved as much respect as their Christian colleagues when it came time for prayer. Now, a minister ... More >>

U of M's Gary Remafedi joins fight against "anti-gay" iPhone app

Dr. Remafedi is still chasing his own research down the "anti-gay" rabbithole.​Nearly a year ago, Dr. Gary Remafedi learned his research for the Youth and AIDS Project was being used in a campaign urging schools to eliminate gay-straight alliances and other forms of support for questioning teens. ... More >>

John Hoff fined $60k for blogging

John Hoff exercised his First Amendment rights.​A jury has concluded that there was nothing untrue in "Johnny Northside" blogger John Hoff's writing about the alleged shady business dealings of Jerry Moore. Then the same jury decided that Hoff's writing caused Moore to lose his job at the Uni ... More >>

Madison police chief, mayor troubled by Scott Walker's comments

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray.​There's more bad news for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker after his embarrassing conversation with a phone prankster posing as a billionaire Republican donor. Walker was caught in a very Nixonian moment admitting he'd thought about placing undercover troublemakers ... More >>

William Melchert-Dinkel waives jury trial in online suicide case

Melchert-Dinkel waives his right to a jury trial.​William Melchert-Dinkel is accused of persuading a Canadian and a Briton to kill themselves via online suicide chat rooms. The Minnesota nurse says he's not guilty, and at one point tried to using a curious application of his First Amendment ri ... More >>

Where are #Wikileaks' media friends?

Photo: New Media DaysJulian Assagne of Wikileaks.​ By Michael Lacey Executive Editor, Village Voice Media Where are the First Amendment's establishment warriors as government-spooked businesses try to shut down Wikileaks? Hackers with computers, not hacks with press passes, have been the first l ... More >>

Minnesota Majority sues for right to intimidate at the polls

Photo by debairdElection Integrity Watch wants to see your ID​A group of Tea-partying conservative activists is suing for the right to wear campaign slogans and intimidating buttons to polling places on Nov. 2. And oh yeah -- they just might ask to see your ID. So far, 7,390 people have signed up ... More >>

Rev. Brad Brandon wants his GOP endorsements to be tax exempt

God: Now in the endorsement business via Brad Brandon.​Despite what the Rev. Brad Brandon says, his First Amendment rights are not in jeopardy. Without anyone stifling his speech, he's used his Berean Bible Baptist Church pulpit in Hastings to endorse a slate of conservative politicians. And ... More >>

Justin Bieber's Bronx beaver isn't alone

​Aw, just look at him. That there is Justin Beaver, so named after the Bronx Zoo held an open vote - in other words, an open door to the inevitable. He's the second beaver to take New York in 200 years, keeping Jose company whilst they free-float down the Bronx River (which if you've never smelled ... More >>

Al Franken will rescue net neutrality after he deals with his in-laws

Al Franken doesn't want to tick off the in-laws​For months now, Sen. Al Franken has used every available microphone to warn about the dire future of net neutrality: The principle that demands no Internet Service Providers or governments be allowed to tamper with the content, access, speed and ... More >>

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