School employees

Judge rules Ill. eavesdropping law unconstitutional

Lilly Chapa | Newsgathering | News | February 25, 2013
News
February 25, 2013

A former Illinois elementary school principal cannot be charged under the state's controversial eavesdropping law because the law was not narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest, rendering it unconstitutional, a judge ruled last week.

Circuit Judge David Akemann dismissed the Geneva School District’s lawsuit against employee Margaret Pennington because Illinois’ eavesdropping law punishes innocent conduct while restricting the ability of individuals to record conversations.

Shut out at Penn State

Why the “hybrid university” was exempt from releasing records
Feature
Page Number: 
15

AP Photo by Nabil K. Mark

Former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky walks past the media on Jan. 22.

Last fall, a grand jury indicted former Pennsylvania State University football coach Gerald “Jerry” Sandusky on 40 counts related to his alleged sexual abuse of eight young boys.

School employee may have been fired for talking to press

Stephen Miller | Reporter's Privilege | Feature | September 13, 2010
Feature
September 13, 2010

A U.S. District Court judge in Maryland denied the Frederick County Board of Education’s motion to dismiss a former employee’s First Amendment violation claim on Thursday, finding it reasonable to argue that the employee had been fired for releasing information to the press, according to court documents.