State v. Packingham. This opinion just broke. More analysis to come. For now, here are a few nuggets: N.C.G.S. § 14-202.5 bans use of commercial social networking Web sites by registered sex offenders. Defendant, a registered sex offender, had a Facebook account. The case went to trial and, after considering evidence that defendant maintained a …
Spokeo v. Robins, No. 13-1339 [Argument: November 2, 2015] Issue: Whether Congress may confer Article III standing upon a plaintiff who suffers no concrete harm, and who therefore could not otherwise invoke the jurisdiction of a federal court, by authorizing a private right of action based on a bare violation of a federal statute. The issue …
The Fourth Circuit will hear oral arguments this week at Campbell Law School here in Raleigh. They’ll hear three cases at the school. Among them, Melanie Lawson v. Union County Clerk, which asks the question: Does a government official’s termination of a deputy court clerk for campaigning for office of clerk violate the First Amendment? Argument will …
NLRB v. Intertape Polymer Corp. This is a labor case, an appeal from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). But, this is also a First Amendment case, and hence its inclusion here. The NLRB concluded Intertape had violated the Naitonal Labor Relations Act (NLRA). There were three supposed violations: unlawful interrogation of an employee, unlawful …