The White House Correspondents Dinner is on Saturday. #journalism #FirstAmendment

Lawfare. A string of court decisions have gone against Donald Trump and his administration, blocking efforts to shut down critical reporting.

No one...knows what Trump might...say...(at White House Correspondents Association dinner)...Trump might let fly... the media has been '..treasonous'... #reporters who don’t rat out leakers will be 'jailed,' that #journalists are 'enemies of the people'—or..." www.cjr.org/the_media_to...

Federal judge blocks reworked Arkansas law restricting minors’ social media  | Arkansas Advocate A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Arkansas law set to take effect Tuesday that would have restricted minors’ social media access.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Arkansas law set to take effect Tuesday (4/21) that would have restricted minors’ #socialmedia access. The law prohibits platforms from engaging in "addictive practices." #FirstAmendment arkansasadvocate.com/2026/04/20/f...

Newest Anti-DEI Trump EO Violates First Amendment, Suit Says (1) President Donald Trump’s executive order directing agencies to cancel federal contracts and subcontracts with businesses that engage in “racially discriminatory” diversity, equity, and inclusion activ...

President Donald Trump’s March 26 executive order directing agencies to cancel federal contracts with businesses that engage in “racially discriminatory” diversity, equity, and inclusion #DEI activities violates the #FirstAmendment, a new lawsuit alleges. news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...

A journalist filmed an ICE protest at a Minnesota church. Then federal agents showed up at her door After Georgia Fort and Don Lemon reported from a church whose pastor reportedly works for ICE, agents arrested Fort in front of her children

@theguardian.com looks at case of protest at Minnesota church resulting in charges against 40 people "that pits #FirstAmendment rights to #protest and report against the free exercise of religion." Two of those 40 were independent Black #journalists. #FreePress www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Kash Patel Files $250 Million Lawsuit Against The Atlantic

FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday sued @theathletic.com and its #journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million, just a few days after it published a report detailing allegations of his "excessive drinking and unexplained absences." #defamation #FirstAmendment www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...

Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled A federal judge has blocked the $6.2 billion merger between local television giants Nexstar Media Group and Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved.

As predicted, a federal judge has put the merger of Nexstar and Tegna on hold until an anti-trust lawsuit is decided. Critics say the merger could harm local television #news coverage. #journalism #legacymedia #media apnews.com/article/next...

Judge rules Trump administration violated the First Amendment in fight against ICE-tracking ICE Sightings - Chicago Land Facebook Group and Eyes Up developer won a preliminary injunction against the government.

More on Illinois federal judge's decision against Trump and co. regarding pressuring #Facebook and #Apple to get rid of app tracking #ICE: president violated #FirstAmendment and the apps' maker is likely to prevail in a higher court. From @theverge.com www.theverge.com/policy/91461...

Judge rules in favor of Indiana ICE-monitoring app creator A federal judge sided with an Indiana man who alleges the Trump administration violated his First Amendment rights by ordering the take-down of his app

A federal judge in Illinois has ruled in favor of an Indiana man who sued the Trump administration for pushing Apple to remove an app he created that allows users to post and monitor the activities of #ICEnforcement. #FirstAmendment #FreePress #FreeSpeech www.indystar.com/story/news/p...

Harry Keyishian, Lead Plaintiff in Academic Freedom Case, Dies at 93

#English #professor who refused to sign a loyalty oath and subsequently sued the NY state Board of Regents has died. Harry Keyishian's case eventually resulted in a #SCOTUS decision seen as one of two victories for #academicfreedom. #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech www.nytimes.com/2026/04/19/u...

Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, with 'Sold' topping the list The American Library Association says book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs. Efforts to remove titles have become more coordinated and politicized.

#Book bans & attempted bans remain at record highs, according to @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social Among the most frequently banned are: Patricia McCormick’s “Sold,” a #novel about sex trafficking; Stephen Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower; Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” apnews.com/article/bans...

“Libraries exist to make space for every story and every lived experience,” @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social President Sam Helmick said in a statement. “As we celebrate #NationalLibraryWeek, we reaffirm that #libraries are places for knowledge, for access, and for all.”

I actually had a #poem #accepted today. A miracle. Thank you editors.

Yale Report Finds Colleges Deserve Blame for Higher Education’s Problems

#Highereducation: we've been doing it wrong, @yale.edu says. ( #Colleges, #universities need to "zealously" guard #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment ) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/u...

How paddleboarding is reviving a dying language The millennia-old language of Gumbaynggirr was critically endangered. Now, a series of tourism initiatives are helping to bring it back from the brink of disappearance.

In 1788, Australia was home to more than 800 #dialects. By 2019, just 120 Aboriginal #languages remained & 90% were threatened with extinction. But a new tourism initiative is bringing back one of those languages, Gumbaynggirr. www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

And by the way, it's National #Poetry #Rejection Month. For some of us #poets. Although that could be said about every month, couldn't it?

Heroes behind
@thebaltimorebanner.com
are buying the almost defunct
@post-gazette.com
so it won't close and this is great news for #journalism #legacymedia #media #newspapers AND #DEMOCRACY www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/b...

A Progressive Group Rolls Out a Campus Competitor to Turning Point

Building a national network of #student storytellers to compete w/Turning Point USA conservative activists on campus: nonprofit #newsroom @moreperfectunion.bsky.social announces More Perfect University. (Not sure a newsroom should build a student movement but hey.) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/u...

Opinion | Don’t Use A.I. to Do This

"Do you realize how much water and power it'd take to replicate the average #writer's narcissism, self-loathing and despair?" My fave rave #writer #author @colsonwhitehead.com 's arguments against artificial intelligence #AI replacing #artists and their art. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/o...

‘Charlie Kirk Bill’ going through Tenn. Legislature raises debate on campus free speech The bill in question, Senate Bill 1741, would require educational institutions to adopt policies affirming they will protect free speech.

Will Senate Bill 1741 in Tennessee protect #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment rights on college campuses or will it criminalize #protests against invited speakers? The bill is named for late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/charlie...

Princeton residents raise First Amendment concerns over potential event permit rule changes ⋆ Princeton, NJ local news % Speakers urge officials not to impose fees or barriers on public gatherings and demonstrations

In Princeton, N.J., residents #speak against potential proposal to charge fees to #protest organizers and the sponsors of fairs, races, festivals, and food trucks. #FirstAmendment planetprinceton.com/2026/04/14/p...

Helen DeWitt turns down $175k Windham-Campbell prize over promotional requirements The novelist says she couldn’t accept the award after being told it would entail ‘extensive promotion’

#Novelist turns down big award because she doesn't have the time/wherewithal/resources for the required publicity campaign. I've heard about this from other sources; this is the first mainstream #media account I've seen. Posted without comment. #publishing www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Hampshire College to close at year's end - Daily Hampshire Gazette AMHERST — Hampshire College will close at the end of the calendar year, bringing to an end an institution that began in 1970. Trustees this week voted to permanently shutter the campus following the f...

@hampshirecollege.bsky.social aka Hampshire #College is closing, according to @dailyhampgazette.bsky.social #highereducation Oh this is bad. gazettenet.com/2026/04/14/h...

Bill that would have allowed firings of library board members fails in Alabama Legislature | Alabama Reflector The legislation allows for cities and counties to remove members of local library boards at their discretion with or without cause.

In some good news, the Alabama bill that would have allowed easy firing of library board members–the folks who won't follow in lock-step with partisan book banning–has failed.

alabamareflector.com/2026/04/14/b...

extortion

3/
Extortion refers to imposing an action or obtaining something by force or coercion...Under the color of office, a public or private authority may abuse their authority to commit extortion. www.law.cornell.edu/wex/extortion

Trump administration’s lawsuits against Harvard and UCLA have roots in a decades-old fight over civil rights law In 1976, a small Christian college refused to comply with Title IX. The ensuing legal back-and-forth still matters today as the Trump administration places pressure on universities.

2/ But in March 2026, Trump and company again sued @ucla.edu , (along w/ @harvard.edu ), re-upping the charges of antisemitism it made earlier. theconversation.com/trump-admini... Now is all this extortion of #highereducation or is there something I'm not understanding?

Newsom blasts Trump’s $1 billion settlement proposal to UCLA as ‘extortion’ The president's proposal targets one of the nation’s largest public university systems.

1/ In August 2025, @governor.ca.gov Newsom blasted a Trump deal w/my alma mater, @ucla.edu, calling it extortion. www.politico.com/news/2025/08... In November 2025, a federal judge blocked the $1 bil fine Trump and co. wanted. www.latimes.com/california/s...

We've seen Trump admin reach agreements w/ #colleges & #universities about discrimination/antisemitism charges only to re-file the charges again. @cornelluniversity.bsky.social is one example. Now it's happening to @harvard.edu
#highereducation www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/u...

Threats to Library Funding End With Settlement by Trump Administration

In a victory for "every American's freedom to #read and learn," agreement between @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social, "union of cultural workers" and Trump admin ends dismantling of the Institute of Museum and #Library Services, a federal source of funding for #libraries. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/a...

Ohio judges free to endorse candidates after Supreme Court ruling The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that judges have free speech rights when it comes to endorsing in political races.

"Judges do not give up their #FirstAmendment right to engage in political speech simply by assuming office," Ohio Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion issued April 2, so now judges and judicial candidates can endorse political candidates there. www.dispatch.com/story/news/p...