Burke v. Doe
CIR is representing an anonymous Wikipedia editor in a precedent-seeting case designed to establish the First Amendment right of anonymous internet authors to remain anonymous.
Status: Victory
Read More →Department of Human Services re Zoey and Lyric Mays v. Phillips
CIR earlier had filed an amicus brief before the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of Wali Phillips, a Michigan father whose parental rights were terminated without any finding that he was an unfit parent. We argued that one parent’s rights should never be terminated based solely on the conduct of the other
Status: Victory. The Court held that the trial court’s termination of the father’s rights was clear error.
Read More →Doe v. Department of Health and Human Services
Successfully challenged the unconstitutional exclusion of “Michelle Doe,” a sixteen year old high school girl, from a “minorities-only” summer study program solely because of her race. The program was funded in part by the National Institute of Health and Texas A&M University.
The case settled prior to trial for damages and
Status: Victory
Read More →Fraternal Order of Police v. Montgomery County, Maryland
Status: Pending before Court of Appeals of Maryland
Read More →Hampton v. National Research Group
Filed amicus brief contesting court-ordered $1 million damage award as unlawful restriction of constitutionally protected speech.
Status: Settled by stipulation filed July 6, 1999.
Read More →Lyle v. Warner Brothers Television Production
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
Read More →Maas v. Cornell University
Prof. James Maas
“THE CASE READS LIKE A TWISTED VERSION OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS, ONLY THIS TIME THE ‘WITCH’ IS A PROFESSOR AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY AND HIS ACCUSERS ARE FORMER STUDENTS EGGED ON BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE WOMEN’S STUDIES PROGRAM.” LINDA CHAVEZ, USA TODAY
CIR contested, on contractual and other
Status: Loss. N.Y. Court of Appeals upheld lower court dismissal of case.
Read More →McConnell v. Le Moyne College
Graduate student expelled for traditional views
In 2005, CIR filed suit against Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, for removing a graduate student in education solely because of the point of view he expressed in a paper. The school purported to exercise its educational judgment and justified the student’s removal
Status: Victory. New York appellate court ordered immediate reinstatement.
Read More →Russell v. Brandon
CIR asks state court to order schools to follow Prop. 2
The Center for Individual Rights has filed a classaction lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Washtenaw County, MI, on behalf of Eric Russell and all other similarly situated individuals applying to Michigan state schools this year.
In papers filed January 4,
Status: Case withdrawn when state schools agreed to implement new amendment.
Read More →