First Amendment

A federal lawsuit alleges St. Louis sheriff's deputies told the Jefferson County man he could not protest in front of the Civil Courts Building — a public area — due to department policy. No such policy seems to exist.

St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts had officers remove a St. Louis Public Radio photojournalist attempting to photograph a land tax sale auction held in front of the Civil Courts Building earlier this week.

If the policy amendment passes, "hate speech, false science, and false historical claims” would be allowed in educational materials — but books would still be banned for containing drug use, descriptions of crime and sexual conduct.

Edgar Springs in Phelps County has refused to pay $80,000 in damages and court costs to woman who it banned from city hall for four years.

While the First Amendment requires the government to not discriminate against speech based on viewpoint, there can be rules imposed on the time, place and manner in which speech is shared.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Missouri, Louisiana and five individuals who were either banned from social media during the pandemic or whose posts, they say, were not prominently featured.

The efforts to remove books from school libraries started with parents in local school districts and eventually led to state legislatures. After two years of controversy, one school librarian says her colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful.

Missouri is one of 36 states with laws preventing large state contracts with companies that boycott, divest from or sanction Israel.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated much of the lower court’s injunction, with the exception of a provision it narrowed concerning alleged coercion against social media companies.

Missouri has had a role in recent First Amendment cases involving tech companies and LGBTQ discrimination.