Grand juries in recent federal cases have declined to indict in matters that prosecutors appeared confident would proceed, suggesting a resurgence of the grand jury’s constitutional role and a growing skepticism among citizens called to serve.
An appellate panel in California upheld a judge’s ruling that a social-media journalist’s posts were political commentary and protected by the First Amendment, rejecting a city councilmember’s attempt to silence him through the court system.
Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor, was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act while covering a protest, in what press freedom advocates and courts have called an unprecedented effort to criminalize routine newsgathering.