With U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) detentions occurring across the country and many communities on edge, journalists must navigate federal and state laws to report on immigration policy and related action. Obtaining public records, however, has become a significant challenge. Federal agencies are preventing local entities from disclosing information. Records on arrests and criminal […]
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The New England First Amendment Coalition recently continued its international outreach and met with a delegation of government officials from 24 countries to discuss transparency and the public’s right to know. The U.S. State Department sponsors short-term visits to the United States for foreign officials, executives, journalists and other professionals to learn about a variety […]
The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of much-needed reform to Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act. Significant changes to APRA have not been made in more than a decade. Senate Bill 909 would update and strengthen this critical statute. Proposed changes include tightening up the exemptions for so-called “investigatory” records […]
The New England First Amendment Coalition expressed its opposition today to a Rhode Island bill that could potentially criminalize common newsgathering practices. H 5655 expands the definition of harassment in the state’s anti-stalking statute to include: “a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person that a reasonable person would consider seriously annoying […]
The New England First Amendment Coalition recently continued its international outreach and met with a delegation of Perúvian journalists to discuss common press battles. The U.S. State Department sponsors short-term visits to the United States for foreign officials, executives, journalists and other professionals to learn about a variety of topics, including the First Amendment. Since […]
City Approves NEFAC Changes to Civility Ordinance, Increases Protections for Expression The City of Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted this week to change its public participation policies to reflect recommendations made by the New England First Amendment Coalition. “It is a matter of constitutional law,” explained NEFAC President Gregory V. Sullivan during the May […]
The New England First Amendment Coalition and its Access/ Rhode Island partners expressed concern today over proposed rules that would limit the public’s ability to access court records online. The rules address how a new online filing system — a Tyler Technologies product called re:Search — will be implemented. The open government groups called those […]
Note: Briefs also filed in Jenner & Block LLP v. U.S. Dept. of Justice and Wilmer Hale LLP v. Executive Office of the President on April 11. The New England First Amendment Coalition and 60 press freedom advocates urged a federal court today to strike down an executive order that imposed sanctions on the Perkins […]
The New England First Amendment Coalition and several national advocacy organizations denounced today the recent detention of Tufts University Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk by federal immigration authorities. NEFAC and advocates including the Student Press Law Center, Freedom of the Press Foundation and PEN America, said the detention appears to be a “blatant disregard for the […]
NEFAC Continues Advocacy Against Speech Ordinances in New Hampshire New Hampshire journalist and New England First Amendment Coalition advisor Mark Hayward testified on March 18 about the unconstitutional speech restrictions imposed by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen. NEFAC and the ACLU of New Hampshire called on the City of Manchester last year to […]