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CIR case finder
Query: First Amendment, Free Exercise of Religion, Freedom of Speech cases
Aguilar v. Avis Rent-A-Car
Filed amicus brief contesting court-ordered injunction prohibiting 'offensive' epithets in the workplace as unlawful prior restraint of constitutionality protected speech.
Status: Loss
AHDC v. Fresno
Defended neighborhood homeowner sued by low-income housing developer for federal housing discrimination because of statements made regarding proposed housing project.
Status: Victory. Ninth Circuit ruled citizen speech protected by First Amendment.
Columbia Union College v. Oliver
Represented a private college affiliated with Seventh-day Adventist church in lawsuit challenging Maryland's refusal, solely because of college's religious speech and beliefs, to accord financial aid benefits extended to other private colleges.
Status: Victory
Dale v. Boy Scouts
Filed amicus brief urging U.S. Supreme Court to set aside ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court that the Boy Scouts had no First Amendment right to preclude homosexuals from attaining leadership positions.
Status: Victory
Deborah Morse, Juneau School Board v. Joseph Frederick
Filed amicus brief in student free speech case involving an out-of-school display of a banner containing the words "Bongs for Jesus."
Status: Loss. Supreme Court ruled that schools may restrict speech supporting illegal drug use.
Deming v. University of Oklahoma
Defended geology professor against 'sexual harassment' complaints based upon letter to the editor of college newspaper on matter of public concern.
Status: Settled in Prof. Deming's favor
Father Flanagan's Boys Home v. District of Columbia
Defended First Amendment rights of Washington, DC community activists facing a civil rights lawsuit intended to silence their peaceful opposition to a housing project.
Status: Victory
Friedrichs v. Calif. Teachers Assoc. et al
Suit challenging constitutionality of compusory union dues
Status: Pending
Gee v. Humphries
Challenged state college's suspension and termination of Gerald Gee, a white professor who was said to have "harassed" students at historically black Florida A&M University. Gee used the phrase "nigger mentality" in a conversation with students, which he prefaced by explaining it was a popular phrase.
Status: Loss
Hendrickson v. IRS
Challenged IRS' effort to investigate a book as an "abusive tax shelter".
Status: Victory: All IRS subpoenas withdrawn
Hinkle v. Baker
Represented student punished for "disruption" after attempting to post flier advertising talk by black conservative author Mason Weaver
Status: Victory. University settled on terms favorable to student.
Juan Carlos Vera v. James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Does 1-20; US v. Robert Flanagan, Joseph Basel, James O'Keefe, and Stan Dye; ACORN, Tonja Thompson, and Shera Williams v. James O'Keefe, et al.; Katherine Conway-Russell v. James O'Keefe
Representing citizen journalist James O'Keefe, who videotaped encounters with the employees of ACORN and Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu.
Status: Pending. The Maryland case was dismissed, the Pennsylvania case was settled, O'Keefe entered into a plea agreement in the New Orleans case, and the California case is pending in the district court.
Lyle v. Warner Brothers Television Production et al., No. S125171
Filed amicus brief urging California Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that discussion of sexual themes in writers' meetings for the television show 'Friends' created a hostile work environment and is not protected by the First Amendment.
Status: Victory.
Maas v. Cornell University
Contested, on contractual and other grounds, private university's sanctions against professor over ill-founded sexual harassment charges.
Status: Loss
McConnell v. LeMoyne
Defended graduate student dismissed by school for expressing traditional views concerning classroom teaching style in a course paper.
Status: Victory. New York appellate court ordered immediate reinstatement.
Perez v. Posse Comitatus
Successfully defended freedom of speech for Long Island, NY community group sued because of its peaceful opposition to illegal immigration.
Status: Victory
Project Vote v. MonCrief
Defending free speech rights of ACORN whistleblower against unfounded lawsuit by former employer intended to silence her public criticism of misdeeds of national voter registration and community organizing entities.
Status: Victory: case settled on favorable terms
Rosenberger v. Rectors of the University of Virginia
Challenged the denial of funding to Wide Awake, a religious student newspaper, which was denied student funds because it espoused a religious point of view.
Status: Victory
Rumsfeld v. FAIR
Filed a friend of the court brief with the United States Supreme Court urging it to uphold the Solomon Amendment, which requires colleges and universities to provide equal access to military recruiters as a condition of receiving federal funds.
Status: Victory
Silva v. University of New Hampshire
Professor Silva ran afoul of a University speech code for using a sexual metaphor in class.
Status: Victory
Sypniewski v. Warren Hills Regional Board of Education, et al.
Defended high school student suspended for wearing 'redneck' t-shirt.
Status: Victory. Plaintiff's motion to dismiss remaining claims was granted.
U.S. v. Szoka
Defended owner of low power, non-commercial radio station in 'cease and desist' prosecution brought against him by Federal Communications Commission.
Status: Loss
Waltz v. Brumfield et al
CIR sued several officials of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing ("DFEH") on behalf of California resident Julie Waltz. The suit alleged that state officials used a housing discrimination investigation to stifle criticism of its policies relating to the placement of sex offenders in residential neighborhoods.
Status: Victory. Case settled on favorable terms.
White v. Lee
Successfully set precedent against threats of prosecution by officials of the Department of Housing and Urban Development leveled at private citizens who organized peaceful protests against federally supported housing programs.
Status: Victory
Willand v. North Hennepin Community College
Challenged college speech code and computer policy.
Status: Victory
Wolk v. Olson, et al.
Representing Theodore Frank and David Nieporent, bloggers being sued for defamation over a blog item published on Overlawyer.com.
Status: Victory. While the case was pending in the Third Circuit, the plaintiff agreed to settle the case on terms favorable to our client.
 Last
revised: September 14, 2013
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