Weiss v. Perez
Professor challenges university’s unlawful viewpoint discrimination
Dr. Elizabeth Weiss, a highly decorated, fully tenured professor of anthropology at San Jose State University (SJSU), specializes in osteology—the study of human skeletal remains. As part of her work, she has published and spoken about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and similar laws, which require laboratories ...
Total Real Estate Group v. Strode
Real estate brokers fight “love letter” ban for the right to speak freely
At a time when home sales have become a cutthroat business, every bargaining chip matters—to buyers, sellers, and the real estate companies in between. Prospective buyers commonly use so-called "love letters" to move sellers' hearts—and sales—in their direction. ...
Art and Antique Dealers League of America v. Seggos
Antique dealers fight for right to display what they’re allowed to sell
Manhattan's antique district is filled with galleries where customers can physically inspect valuable antiques before buying them. But shops cannot display all the merchandise they are allowed to sell. Federal law allows sales of antiques containing ivory that are at least 100 years old, but if antiques contain more than 20% ivory, state law bans t ...
The Clementine Co. v. Adams
New York City’s unequal COVID restrictions silence theaters
New York City actress and theater manager Catherine Russell began her starring role in Perfect Crime in 1987. Over that time, she missed only four days—to attend family weddings—a record-setting run of more than 12,000 performances that lasted until March 2020 when the pandemic was declared. At that point, Catherine implemented extensive COVID ...
Kissel v. Seagull
Fighting unconstitutional burdens on free speech in fundraising
Adam Kissel looked forward to lending his longtime experience in the liberty movement and higher education to help raise money for the nonprofit Jack Miller Center's civic education program. But he soon discovered several states have overly burdensome registration and reporting requirements for paid solicitors. Connecticut, in particular, required ...
Seider v. City of Malibu
Property rights on the line in family’s battle for beachfront signage
Dennis and Leah Seider simply want to alert beachgoers to where the public right of access to the beach ends, the Seiders' private Malibu property begins, and the way to the nearby public beach. Their best hope to protect their property rights and avoid potential confrontations with beachgoers would be a sign. But that hope faded when they learned ...
Ogilvie v. Gordon
California’s DMV strays from its own lane to act as speech police
To Chris Ogilvie's military friends, he's known as OG—a nickname stemming from boot camp. To his friends back home, Chris is known as Woolf. So, upon his honorable discharge following four tours overseas including Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army veteran bought a car and applied for a personalized license plate spelled "OGWOOLF." The DMV rejected h ...
American Society of Journalists and Authors v. Bonta
California’s freelancer law destroys journalists’ freedom, autonomy
In an effort to regulate the employment status of independent contractors, California passed a law forcing companies in the state to reclassify most freelancers as employees. Under AB 5, freelance journalists and photographers must cap their submissions at 35 per year, per publisher. Anything greater, and they become employees, losing their profess ...
Debbie Pulley v. Janice Izlar, President of the Georgia Board of Nursing
Georgia midwife sues to continue speaking truthfully about her profession
Debbie Pulley has been a Certified Professional Midwife in Georgia for 24 years, both working as a midwife and advocating for midwives. The state's rules changed in 2015, allowing only licensed nurses to practice midwifery in Georgia. So Debbie turned her efforts to reforming Georgia's laws and advocating for access to midwifery care. But in 2019, ...