One Mann’s Assault on the First Amendment Continues

By Robert Lufrano (Rutgers Law Student) It has been over four years since Dr. Michael E. Mann, climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against conservative magazine National Review and its columnist Mark Steyn, and public policy think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and its former adjunct fellow Rand Simberg. Yet the … Continue reading One Mann’s Assault on the First Amendment Continues

Proposed Indiana Senate Bill 285 Will Fence In Protesters

By  Timothy McMahon (Rutgers Law Student)  When a massive crowd of people takes to the streets marching for a cause it is breathtaking to behold, and could have a symbolic effect that can last generations. From the Selma Marches to The Million Woman March, the images and messages that emerged from these demonstrations have left … Continue reading Proposed Indiana Senate Bill 285 Will Fence In Protesters

The Lanham Act’s Disparagement Clause is in Trouble

By Jason M. Russell (Rutgers Law Student) Simon Tam, an Asian-American musician, author, speaker, and political activist, applied to the federal government to register the phrase “THE SLANTS” as a trademark to identify and distinguish his rock band. According to Mr. Tam, he chose this phrase to reclaim a racial stereotype, hoping that his use … Continue reading The Lanham Act’s Disparagement Clause is in Trouble

Friends Don’t Let Friends Share “Fake News”: FTC Cannot Effectively Regulate “Fake News,” So It’s up to Us to Make News True(ish) Again

By Samuel E. Bordoni-Cowley (Rutgers Law Student) Should we invite the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to extend its reach in regulating online content in the name of stopping the spread of “fake news”? Some scholars might say the marketplace of ideas should not be filtered, others that only public discourse will solve the issue, and … Continue reading Friends Don’t Let Friends Share “Fake News”: FTC Cannot Effectively Regulate “Fake News,” So It’s up to Us to Make News True(ish) Again

SCOTUS to Rule on Social Media Rights of Sex Offenders

By Jace Brown (Rutgers Law Student) To what extent can states regulate the use of social media by registered sex offenders, without infringing their First Amendment free speech rights?  That is the issue to be decided in Packingham v. North Carolina, 777 S.E.2d 738 (N.C. 2016), which has recently been granted certiorari by the Supreme Court. … Continue reading SCOTUS to Rule on Social Media Rights of Sex Offenders