Eighth Circuit Affirms Ruling for Clinic Client in Twitter-Blocking Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed the district court’s ruling that the City of St. Louis is liable for a former President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen’s unconstitutional viewpoint-based blocking of constituent Sarah Felts from his Twitter account. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit confirmed that the City is liable for the First Amendment violation because the Board President has final policymaking authority for the City. The ruling preserves an important First Amendment win for Ms. Felts, the First Amendment Clinic at WashU, and the ACLU of Missouri.
“I am glad the Court spoke clearly: Our elected leaders may not abuse their authority to silence the people they represent just because they disagree,” said Sarah Felts. “Twitter has empowered everyday citizens to engage with our elected officials more than ever before. I am grateful to the lawyers and law students at WashU’s First Amendment Clinic and the lawyers at the ACLU of Missouri for working diligently to protect my First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.”
First Amendment Clinic achieves policy changes following challenge to parent’s ban from school board meetings
The First Amendment Clinic has settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of a parent who was banned from school board meetings after repeatedly criticizing elected officials and staff of the district. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleged that the school district violated our client’s right to participate in a public forum and retaliated against him for exercise of his First Amendment rights. On January 16, 2024, the Clinic reached a settlement with the school district that included changes to district policies to limit the circumstances under which residents may be banned from First Amendment-protected public forums on school property and providing a process to appeal such a ban.
Court grants First Amendment Clinic’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri has granted the Clinic’s motion to preliminarily enjoin a school district from enforcing its unconstitutional ban of a local resident from all school district property.
Clinic challenges critic’s one-year ban from public meetings
The Clinic has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a frequent critic of a local school board who was banned from all school district property for one year after he attempted to speak at a public meeting.
Journalists obtain homicide clearance records after suit filed by First Amendment Clinic
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department refused to turn over records that would show which homicides in the city remained unsolved. The Clinic sued on behalf of Minnesota Public Radio and obtained the records through a settlement agreement with the department.
First Amendment Clinic challenges ban of parent from school board meetings
The Clinic has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a parent who was banned from school board meetings after repeatedly criticizing elected officials and staff of the district. The suit alleges the school district violated our client’s right to participate in a public forum and retaliated against him for exercise of his First Amendment rights.
Clinic moves to unseal court records in lawsuit relating to police shooting
The First Amendment Clinic is representing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on a motion to unseal court records in a case involving a police officer’s shooting of an off-duty colleague. The motion argues that the public has a right of access to the documents under both the First Amendment and common law and that access is required to ensure accountability and allow the public to evaluate the fairness of court proceedings.