Ars Technica: Trump’s Twitter blocks violate First Amendment rights, appeals court affirms. “It’s one thing for most of us to block Twitter users who annoy us, but it’s a violation of those users’ First Amendment rights for the president to do so, a federal appeals court confirmed. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday issued an opinion supporting an earlier federal court ruling that as long as Donald Trump is a public official, he cannot block people (which prevents them from reading his feed or responding to his comments) he disagrees with on Twitter.”
court cases
The Star (Kenya): New database to help document ‘fight against corruption’ in courts
The Star (Kenya): New database to help document ‘fight against corruption’ in courts. “Transparency International Kenya recently launched the ‘Rada Database’, which is the most comprehensive and ambitious attempt to track and document all cases on corruption processed through the courts.”
Reason: How Often Has the U.S. Supreme Court Struck Down a Federal Law? Part II
Reason: How Often Has the U.S. Supreme Court Struck Down a Federal Law? Part II. “The Judicial Review of Congress Database is now publicly available. It includes a list of all the cases in which the Court has substantively reviewed the constitutionality of an act of Congress from 1789 through the spring of 2018, as well as a variety of associated information such as identifying information about the statute that was reviewed, a measure of its importance, and the length of time between the passage of the statutory provision and its review by the Supreme Court.”
Wisconsin court: Judge’s Facebook friendship could show bias (Madison/AP)
Madison/AP: Wisconsin court: Judge’s Facebook friendship could show bias. “A Wisconsin judge’s decision to become Facebook friends with a woman whose child custody case he was hearing created at least the appearance of bias, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday in ordering the case to be re-heard by another judge.”
The Verge: Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren’t prepared
The Verge: Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren’t prepared. “Bay Area prosecutors were trying to prove that a man arrested during a prostitution sting was guilty of pimping charges, and among the evidence was a series of Instagram DMs he’d allegedly sent to a woman. One read: ‘Teamwork make the dream work’ with high heels and money bag emoji placed at the end. Prosecutors said the message implied a working relationship between the two of them. The defendant said it could mean he was trying to strike up a romantic relationship. Who was right?”
Lancashire Post (England): Here’s how comments on social media comments can hinder court cases
Lancashire Post (England): Here’s how comments on social media comments can hinder court cases. “The rise of social media has presented a new problem for the legal system and one it is still grappling with. That’s why in 2013, the then attorney general Dominic Grieve, announced plans to discourage social media users on Facebook and Twitter from jeopardising court cases by publishing potentially prejudicial comments.”
Free Law Project: Announcing PACER Docket Alerts for Journalists, Lawyers, Researchers, and the Public
Free Law Project: Announcing PACER Docket Alerts for Journalists, Lawyers, Researchers, and the Public. “Today we are thrilled to announce the general availability of PACER Docket Alerts on CourtListener.com. Once enabled, a docket alert will send you an email whenever there is a new filing in a case in PACER.”
