First Amendment

Ste. Genevieve County Jail Inmates Will Receive Newspapers Behind Bars After ACLU Dispute

Missouri inmates have a right to get married behind bars -- and they also have a right to receive newspapers. So says the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri, which has a record of advocating for the incarcerated and has announced a settlement in a recent dispute regarding newspaper s ... More >>

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Afraid of Pot Reform? Show-Me Cannabis Says It Was Denied

Show-Me Cannabis, Missouri's marijuana reform advocacy group, has been spreading the word across the state about the need for more sensible pot policies -- and eventually hopes to push for legalization. Next week, the group was supposed to run a booth at Pointfest, 105.7 the Point's annual festival, ... More >>

Marijuana: Gary Wiegert's Free-Speech Lawsuit Goes Forward, Sgt. Hopes to Lobby for Reform

Last week, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a marijuana reform proposal that would reduce the punishment for minor pot offenses. The policy change is supposed to save police resources and the mayor is expected to sign it into law. While officials with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Depart ... More >>

ACLU: Ellisville Illegally Prosecuting Drivers Who Flash Headlights, Charging $1,000 Fines

In the city of Ellisville, police officers are regularly issuing citations to drivers who flash their headlights as warnings to other drivers -- and then charging them with fines as high as $1,000. So says the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri, which is challenging the city for a ... More >>

Birth Control: Our Lady's Inn, GOP Pressure Chris Koster to Appeal Contraception Decision

The fight over mandatory birth control coverage in Missouri -- as outlined by federal health care law -- is heating up once again, with renewed pressure this week from from Republican lawmakers as well as Our Lady's Inn, a St. Louis nonprofit that opposes contraception requirements. The individual ... More >>

Catholic Bishops Slam Birth Control Ruling: "Pray for the Protection of Religious Liberty"

The Catholic bishops of Missouri are praying that the legal fight against federal health care mandates for birth control coverage is not over. "We now call upon all people of good will to pray for the protection of religious liberty and for defense of the First Amendment freedoms we all hold dear, ... More >>

Contraception: Tim Jones Still Fighting Birth Control Mandate After Ruling, Cites Free Speech

Should employers and insurers in Missouri be allowed to deny coverage of birth control if it violates their religious beliefs? A federal judge, as we reported earlier this week, ruled that they cannot be exempt -- in a decision overturning a Missouri law that directly contradicted President Barack O ... More >>

Ku Klux Klan Can Pass Out Handbills in Missouri, Court Rules in Free-Speech Case

In a victory for First Amendment supporters -- and white supremacists -- a federal judge ruled yesterday that a St. Francois County city cannot prohibit the Ku Klux Klan from distributing leaflets on city streets. The decision isn't all that surprising. The courts have ruled in favor of the Traditi ... More >>

St. Louis Archdiocese Fight Against Contraception: Mandate Lawsuit Dismissed

Last May, the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Catholic Charities went up against the United States government with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a health care contraception mandate -- and this week, a federal judge decided to dismiss the case. But the battle is not over. So say offic ... More >>

ACLU: St. Genevieve Sheriff Cut Off Newspapers to Inmates After One Penned Letter to Editor

If you're an inmate in St. Genevieve County jail, and you want to keep your newspaper subscription, you'd better not write a letter to the editor that mentions the sheriff or calls out local Christians.  Stanley Schell wrote such a letter, and immediately thereafter, the sheriff -- citing secur ... More >>

Capitalist Pig, Soulard BBQ Joint, Defends Name and Sign Against Complaint to City

Just like the sign that hangs from Capitalist Pig restaurant suggests, owner Ron Buechele started a minor revolution on his Facebook page this week when he announced that someone at the city has a big pig problem with his sign. "Apparently Joe McCarthy has risen from the grave," he wrote. "I had a ... More >>

Anheuser-Busch InBev Gets Free Advertising -- Twice -- from the Movie Flight

Oh, those devilishly clever execs at Anheuser-Busch InBev. First, they discover that Robert Zemeckis' brand-new film Flight contains scenes where Denzel Washington's character -- an alcoholic airline captain -- swills bottles of Budweiser. Let's put that another way: They figure out that millions of ... More >>

Federal Appeals Court Sides Against "God Hates Fags" Church On Law Limiting Funeral Protests

Federal appeals judges in St. Louis ruled today that yes, in fact, the City of Manchester does have the right under the Constitution to restrict where and when certain folks -- meaning the hate-spewing death-cult, Westboro Baptist Church -- can picket funerals. (Who would want to picket a funer ... More >>

Venue Suddenly Realizes "Cannabis" Means Pot; Rejects Show-Me Cannabis Fundraiser [UPDATE]

The folks over at Show-Me Cannabis just can't catch a break. First, they came up short on signatures for their statewide legalization and regulation bill. Then, the Springfield City Council passed their marijuana decriminalization bill to keep it off the November ballot, then voted to kill it. Now ... More >>

Color of Law: St. Louis officials have more power than ever to regulate public art

Larry Rice Hints that He's Considering a County Location for Next Tent City

Reverend Larry Rice revealed his suit against St. Louis City today for allegedly failing to follow its own procedures for issuing a condemnation notice, and for violating his First Amendment rights. Rice believes that the city impeded his religious rights on the grounds that he was conducting worshi ... More >>

Former P-D Editor Arnie Robbins Lands New Gig

It's been about five weeks since Arnie Robbins announced he was stepping down from his job as editor of the Post-Dispatch. This afternoon, the American Society of News Editors (which goes by the unfortunate acronym ASNE) announced that Robbins would be taking over as its executive director. Conveni ... More >>

Missouri House Passes "Ag Gag" Bill Designed to Stop Factory-Farm Investigations

The Missouri House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill designed to thwart undercover investigations into big agriculture. The legislation (HB 1860) mirrors a similar bill signed into law this year in Iowa and creates the crime of "Agricultural Production Facility Fraud" for anyone who obtains ... More >>

Senate Passes Bill Criminalizing Protests Outside Churches

​State Senator Robert N. Mayer (R-Dexter) successfully passed his bill (SB755) yesterday that makes it illegal to disrupt religious services at any church, mosque, temple or other place of worship. The bill was inspired by the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church at the funeral of Christina Gree ... More >>

Possible Alternative to Illinois "Skin Tax": Annual License Fee for Strip Clubs

​Instead of trying to tax strip clubs $5 per patron in order to fund aid to sexual assault victims, Illinois state senator Toi Hutchinson may instead propose raising the funds by levying an annual licensing fee against the clubs. This update comes from Micheal Ocello, president of the VCG Holdings ... More >>

Is This is a Bomb Threat or a Hoax Phone Call?

A little after midnight on January 15, 2010, the following call came into Lambert Airport: Note that the the bomb-toting passenger was supposedly a black male named "Dorian." Well, no explosion ever happened, but this call was traced back to Dorian Williams, a 36-year-old black male from north count ... More >>

Prosecutors Drop Charge Against Marijuana Petitioners

​Looks like peaceful protest still works. On Saturday morning, St. Charles City Attorney Mike Valenti officially dropped charges against two Show-Me Cannabis Regulation volunteers who were cited by police for "soliciting without a permit" on Sunday, January 15. The two were in fact gathering signa ... More >>

The Salem Witch Trial of 2012 (Right Here in Missour-ah!)

Are good witches banned from the Salem Public Library, too?​It's probably entirely coincidental that the Ozark town that keeps a strict filter on its Internet browsers to ensure that none of its patrons happen to stumble on any websites about Wicca is called Salem. Or that the library director ... More >>

Missouri Supreme Court to Strip Club Owners: "Tough Titties!"

Justices uphold Missouri's nudity ban for strip clubs.​The Missouri Supreme Court yesterday handed strip club owners yet another loss in their legal fight to overturn a sweeping law regulating "adult-oriented businesses." The law passed in 2010 prohibits exotic dancers from displaying their genita ... More >>

OccupySTL Protesters and Reps from Mayor's Office Hold Meeting; Civility Ensues

Albert SamahaHow long will Mayor Slay let the OccupySTL tents stay in Kiener Plaza?​Forty or so OccupySTL protesters and a handful of reporters stood outside the Broadway Central entrance of the Edward Jones Dome, in the rain, waiting for someone to open the doors. They could see security guards a ... More >>

Jimmy Tebeau's Lawyer Moves to Dismiss Charges

Jimmy Tebeau's lawyer wants the feds to dismiss the charges against him.​Attorneys for musician/concert impresario Jimmy Tebeau -- who currently faces felony charges alleging he ran a 350-acre campground in rural Missouri for the purpose of facilitating the sale of illegal drugs -- have filed a mo ... More >>

Jimmy Tebeau's Lawyer Pushes Back on Criminal Charges

Jimmy Tebeau's lawyer wants the feds to dismiss the charges against him.​Attorneys for musician/concert impresario Jimmy Tebeau -- who currently faces felony charges alleging that he operated his 350-acre campground in rural Missouri to facilitate the sale of illegal drugs -- have filed a motion a ... More >>

Westboro Baptist Church Wins Another Legal Battle in Missouri

​Whatever your thoughts are about the "God Hates Fags" mantra of the Westboro Baptist Church, it cannot be said that the organization does not know its rights and how to defend them in court. Once again the controversial, Kansas-based church has won a legal decision in Missouri. The latest came ye ... More >>

Angry Wash. U. Students Protest Ad in Student Newspaper, Calling it Racist

WikipediaHorowitz​The United Nations isn't the only place where Jewish-Muslim tensions have escalated this week. On the campus of Washington University, a small imbroglio over an advertisement placed in the student newspaper has generated quite a buzz. The dust-up began Monday, when the prin ... More >>

Banned Books Restored to Republic, MO, School Libraries -- Sort Of

image viaGuess who left Hogwarts to go work at the Republic school libraries?​Hey, guess what kids? Banned Books Week starts on Saturday, and the fine, upstanding citizens of Republic, Missourah, are all ready to celebrate. In June, you may recall, Republic's school board banned two books from ... More >>

America's Got Talent Winner Runs for Missouri Office: Eight Musicians He Should Learn From

Neal Boyd's American dream includes serving in Missouri House of Representatives.​Neal E. Boyd of Sikeston has already won lots of American votes. Enough to win the 2008 season of America's Got Talent, when he wowed audiences with his pop opera skills. Before finding reality-show fame, Boyd ... More >>

Facebook Seeks to Dismiss Illinois Class-Action; Mothers Claim Children Exploited

​Facebook has asked a federal judge in southern Illinois to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed in June on behalf of two Granite City moms. The suit filed on behalf of the children of Melissa Dawes and Jennifer DeYoung alleges that Facebook inappropriately uses its "like" feature to monitor the ... More >>

Internet Filter for Missouri Schools Censored LGBT Websites

The Trevor Project was one of at least 23 LGBT issue sites blocked by Netsweeper.​Internet security software used by dozens of school districts in Missouri censored students from accessing websites dealing with LGBT issues. The Missouri Research & Education Network (MOREnet), a division of the ... More >>

Student Suspended Over Threats to Kill "Midgets, Fags and Negro Bitches" Loses Appeal

A sophomore in the Hannibal School District fantasized about killing classmates -- but later claimed he was just blowing off steam. ​In 2006, a sophomore in the Hannibal, Missouri, school district confided to a classmate in a series of instant messages that he was angry about (what else?) being sp ... More >>

Don't Worry Folks, Your Truck Nutz Are Safe in Missouri

trucknutz.comFake bull testicles swing into court this month.​If you haven't heard (and how could you not, given the gravitas of the issue!?), a 65-year-old woman in South Carolina is scheduled for trial this month for having the, ahem, balls to flout the state's obscenity laws. Last month, Virgin ... More >>

East St. Louis Discriminated In Not Hiring White Officers, Federal Jury Finds

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergMayor Alvin Parks did not have much to smile about Wednesday.​Two black residents of East St. Louis won a civil rights lawsuit this week in southern Illinois complaining that they were harassed and discriminated against when they recommended that the predominately black c ... More >>

City's Sign Code Violates First Amendment, Appeals Court Rules

Jim Roos' big ol' sign at Interstates 44 and 55. ​Activist Jim Roos got slapped down in 2007 when he applied for a permit for his huge "End Eminent Domain" mural near Interstates 44 and 55. The city said "No," citing the sign code. But yesterday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in turn slapped ... More >>

Archdiocese Not Liable For Pedophile Priest Robert Johnston

courtesy of SNAP MidwestRobert Johnston: not the archdiocese's fault that they hired a perv.​Score one for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. Because, as a legal ruling today makes clear, even if a Christian ethicist would hold the church accountable for allowing a predatory priest to run roug ... More >>

Nacho Cheese, Raw Chicken, Bacon are Victims in Food Crime Wave

glocktalk.comDo not steal bacon.​ We know food prices are high, but is that an excuse for all the food crimes that have gone down in the past few days? Quincy D. Davis, DaQuan Marquis Wright, and an unnamed minor from Anderson, Indiana, were arrested on Sunday for bacon theft. The trio's ac ... More >>

Canadian Libel Judgment Quashed by Missouri Appeals Court

The cover of Udis Sanchez Lord's autobiography, which got her in big trouble with her cousin -- and a Canadian court.​Kidnapping! Land fraud! Cousins fighting with cousins -- even as one cousin rises from working as a fieldhand to achieve both her Ph.D. and win (drumroll!) the title of Ms. Asia In ... More >>

UPDATE: Missouri Muslims Oppose Anti-Sharia Legislation

More than a hundred Missouri Muslims visited Jefferson City Wednesday to voice concern over anti-Islam legislation.​Jim Hacking of the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent Daily RFT the photo above. Would you look at all those frightening people! Thank God (t ... More >>

Homophobia is Protected Speech

It's a marketplace of ideas. Some of them are terrible.​It's been a great week for folks who hate lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people -- and want the world to know about it.The Supreme Court today ruled 8-1 that those hate-spewing assholes from Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas are pr ... More >>

Collinsville High Suspends Student for Wearing Rosary

Warning: Today's special deal on Overstock.com could get you suspended.​Rodrigo Avila, a Collinsville High School sophomore, has been suspended for five days for carrying a rosary. It's not that Avila has been disrupting classes by reciting his devotions, annoying non-Catholics by conspicuous ... More >>

Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Challenging Nudity Restrictions on Missouri Adult Businesses

​A Cole County judge last week granted a summary judgment request that has -- for now -- thrown out a lawsuit challenging Missouri's recent restrictions on strip clubs and adult bookstores. The Missouri Legislature last year passed sweeping reforms that outlaw nudity at such businesses in addition ... More >>

Where are WikiLeaks' Media Friends? [Updated]

​Updated, click here: WikiLeaks Betrayed by MediaWhere are the First Amendment's establishment warriors as government-spooked businesses try to shut down WikiLeaks? Hackers with computers, not hacks with press passes, have been the first line of resistance. More to come.By Michael LaceyExecutive ... More >>

The "God Hates Fags" Church Sues St. Charles County For Restricting Funeral Protests

godhatesfags.comShell hath no fury!​On Monday, St. Charles County passed an ordinance restricting one's ability to protest a funeral. Huge bummer for members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, who like to picket at military funerals. They believe that God orchestrates the murder of Ameri ... More >>

Strip Clubs Challenge Financial Impact of New Law

The new law bans strippers from appearing nude. They can't even wear thongs. ​Attorneys for sexually oriented businesses argued yesterday in court in central Missouri that the state legislature violated its own rules in passing a strict new law on sexually-oriented businesses. The law that went in ... More >>

Concerned Citizens Win Round in Crystal City -- Internet Anonymity at Issue

A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge erred when he threw out a lawsuit filed by gadflies in Crystal City, the Missouri Court of Appeals said in an opinion released today.Jennifer SilverbergConcerned citizens rose up to fight a smelter in Crystal City -- and won one round today.​The gadflies -- w ... More >>

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Nudity Ban in Missouri Strip Clubs

​It's on. The lawsuit Daily RFT first told you was in the works back in June was officially filed yesterday in Cole County. The suit names Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster as defendant and questions the constitutionality of S.B. 586. It further claims that lawmakers refused to do a proper f ... More >>

Unreal Ponders: Should Yoga Centers Be Subject to State Sales Tax?

​Today the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an interesting story about the Missouri Department of Revenue's determination that yoga studios are fitness centers and therefore subject to the state's 4 percent sales tax on the latter.The yoga lobby -- OK, that's a stretch, but Unreal couldn't resist -- co ... More >>