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Digital Journalist's Legal Guide
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Everything online journalists need to protect their legal rights. This free resource culls from all Reporters Committee resources and includes exclusive content on digital media law issues.

Briefs & Comments

  • Amicus brief in Rosetta Stone v. Google
    April 5, 2011

    Urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to rehear en banc a motion to unseal appellate records

  • Amicus brief in McBurney v. Young
    March 23, 2011

    Urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to hold that the commonwealth citizenship requirement provision contained in Virginia's freedom of information laws is unconstitutional.

  • Letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert in opposition to House Bill 477
    March 7, 2011

    Urging Governor Herbert to veto a bill that, among other things, would categorically exempt text messages and other electronic communications from disclosure under Utah's open records law.

  • Amicus brief in Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan
    March 1, 2011

    Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to find that a state law on conflicts of interest by state officials should not be viewed as a First Amendment-protected restriction of speech.

  • Comments to Virginia General Assembly re: HB 2383
    January 27, 2011

    Urging rejection of HB 2383, a bill to amend the Virginia FOIA to allow state public bodies the ability to seek court permission to ignore harassing, abusive or overly burdensome document requests.

  • Amicus brief opposing motion to seal portion of appellate record
    January 24, 2011

    Urging the Third Circuit Court of Appeals not to retroactively seal portions of appellate filings made by a party.

  • Amicus brief in Kendall v. Virgin Islands Daily News
    January 18, 2011

    Urging the Virgin Islands Supreme Court to affirm a ruling that a retired judge failed to prove actual malice in his defamation claims against the local newspaper and one of its reporters for statements about the performance of his official duties, and asking the Court to extend the mandate of independent appellate de novo review beyond the issue of actual malice to include all constitutional issues in a defamation cause of action.

  • Amicus brief in Norman v. Borison
    January 7, 2011

    Urging the Maryland Court of Appeals to rule that a business owner lacks standing to sue for defamation based on statements about the company and to find that attorneys are privileged to provide journalists with copies of legal filings, as well as fair and accurate summaries of and comments on the documents and other judicial actions.

  • Letter in support of formerly embedded reporter Wayne Anderson
    December 21, 2010

    Urging the military to consider due process requirements in deciding an appeal by a reporter whose status as an embedded reporter was terminated by the military

  • Amicus brief in Too Much Media, LLC v. Hale
    December 7, 2010

    Urging the New Jersey Supreme Court to reject the Appellate Division's alarmingly restrictive view of who qualifies as a journalist and its implication that a trial court must conduct a full, potentially intrusive hearing to determine whether a person claiming protection under the state shield law is entitled to such.

  • Amicus brief in Wolk v. Olson
    December 6, 2010

    Urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to affirm the District Court's ruling that the "discovery rule" may not be applied in defamation claims against the mass media.

  • Amicus brief in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc.
    November 15, 2010

    Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that corporate entities cannot claim "personal privacy" rights under exemption 7(C) to the federal Freedom of Information Act.

  • Amicus brief in support of Siobhan Reynolds' and Pain Relief Network's petition for writ of certiorari
    November 8, 2010

    Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case that would decide when those expressing their First Amendment rights may be protected from overreaching grand jury subpoenas and when secrecy is tolerated in proceedings ancillary to the grand jury process

  • Comments on California Bench-Bar-Media Committee Draft Report
    October 29, 2010

    Comments by the Reporters Committee on the draft recommendations by California's Bench-Bar-Media Committee on various issues, including camera access to courts, gag orders, and the sealing of judicial documents.

  • Motion to Intervene in In Re Grand Jury Proceedings, US Supreme Court No 10M38
    October 8, 2010

    Requesting that the US Supreme Court allow the Reporters Committee to intervene for the limited purpose of opposing the sealing of any filings in the Supreme Court.