FIRST AMENDMENT FIGHT Calif. college settles suit over 'free speech zone'

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Published December 07, 2014

This photo, provided by FIRE, shows Citrus College student Vincenzo Sinapi-Riddle.

A California community college has settled a lawsuit with a student who claimed it violated his First Amendment rights when an administrator threatened him for collecting petition signatures outside of a small, designated "free speech zone."

Student Vincenzo Sinapi-Riddle, with help from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, sued Glendora, Calif., Citrus College after the incident, which occurred on Sept. 17, 2013 - the day designated as "Constitution Day." Sinapi-Riddle was collecting signatures for a petition condemning the federal National Security Agency's domestic surveillance activities. When he left the area for a lunch break and headed to the student center, he and another student discussed the petition, prompting an administrator to intervene, according to FIRE. Claiming that a political discussion could not take place outside of the free speech zone, the unidentified school employee threatened to eject Sinapi-Riddle from campus for violating the policy.

- Greg Lukianoff, FIRE

I feel that free speech and the ability to express oneself freely is a very important right for all students, said Sinapi-Riddle.

After a suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the school agreed to pay Sinapi-Riddle $110,000 in damages and attorneys' fees, as well as to revise its free speech policies. In a statement, the school noted the settlement figure was far less than the anticipated cost of fighting the lawsuit and defended its policies as in compliance "with a long line of U.S. Supreme Court cases relating to speech activities in public places, including college campuses." But the school affirmed its support for free speech and agreed to change some campus regulations.

"Freedom of expression is crucial in the higher education community, and the District and its Board of Trustees have done much to protect and advance this cherished right," the statement read. "As part of the settlement, the District will be implementing new procedures that will expand its current free speech area to include most open spaces on campus, enhance the Districts co-curricular program by streamlining internal procedures that apply to activities of recognized student clubs and organizations, and help to ensure the safety and security of students involved in such activities."

FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said his group had taken on Citrus College before, and reached a similar agreement, only to have the school go back to the old policy.

"Citrus College agreed to eliminate its restrictive 'free speech zone' in the face of a FIRE lawsuit back in 2003, but later reinstated its speech quarantine when it thought no one was watching," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said in a statement on the group's website. "But FIRE was watching, and well continue to do so. If the speech codes come back again, so will we."

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FIRST AMENDMENT FIGHT Calif. college settles suit over 'free speech zone'

House panel urged to open federal courts to electronic coverage

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Opening federal courtrooms to electronic news coverage would re-create the public square atmosphere that the framers of the U.S. Constitution envisioned in the 18th century, a Buffalo-based First Amendment expert told a subcommittee of the House of Representatives.

Mickey H. Osterreicher, general counsel for the 7,000-member National Press Photographers Association, appeared before the House judiciary panel considering a Sunshine in the Courtroom bill to open federal courts to the same electronic coverage that now exists in state and local courts.

Osterreicher argued that the framers envisioned an openness of the judicial system as a means of assuring the integrity of our system of justice.

He told the panel that while the Internet has expanded the ability of the print media to cover courts, full electronic coverage of federal court proceedings will bring transparency to the system, provide increased accountability from litigants, judges and the press and educate citizens about the judicial process and assure the public that judicial proceedings are conducted fairly and that government systems are working correctly.

Electronic media equipment now is inaudible, requires no flashes or extra lights that would interfere with court proceedings and can be operated by a limited number of trained professionals, Osterreicher said.

In 2014, electronic coverage is the unblinking eye of the public and to deny its unrivaled potential to convey information instantly and to the widest audience is to deny reality, he told the panel.

Osterreicher conceded that most courtroom proceedings, especially in the average civil case, do not make for compelling viewing and are more like watching paint dry. He also noted that while courtroom artists have greatly contributed to the coverage of courtroom proceedings in the absence of cameras, they are something more akin to cave drawings in an age of high-definition television.

Osterreicher is currently a counsel to the Buffalo law office of Hiscock & Barclays Media & First Amendment Law Practice Area. He was an award-winning photographer for the former Buffalo Courier-Express and a photographer, reporter and producer for WKBW-TV. He is also a former director of legal affairs for the Erie County Department of Social Services.

email: mgryta@buffnews.com

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Bitcoin Giving Tuesday is Tomorrow — Red Cross Accepts Bitcoin — Bitcoin Price Up! – Video

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Comets finish road trip with another OT win

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Story Created: Dec 5, 2014 at 4:17 PM EST

Story Updated: Dec 7, 2014 at 1:10 AM EST

SANANTONIO, TX - The Utica Comets slipped by the San Antono Rampage in 5-4 overtime win Friday at the AT&T Center for their third consecutive win against their Texan foes. The Comets secured a total of five out of six points on their three-game road trip in the south.

The first star of the game, Dustin Jeffrey saw his best game of the season yet with one goal and three assists for a total of four points. Cal OReilly (0-3-3) and Alex Biega (1-1-2) also helped push the Comets towards tiheir sixteenth victory of the season. Goaltender Joacim Eriksson saved 33 on 37 shots in his third consecutive start for the club.

The Comets found the first goal of the game at the tail end of the first period at 15:04. Roughly thirty seconds after defenseman Shane OBrien took a cross checking penalty, Cal OReilly battled along the boards to keep the Comets on the attack. Once the puck popped away from the boards, Dustin Jeffrey swept the puck away and fed it across for Alexandre Grenier who quickly buried the puck for past Dan Ellis for power-play goal and the 1-0 lead.

The second period had no shortage of goals, with a combined total of five scored.

Utica quickly found their second of the night just 1:04 into the second stanza after a Biega slapshot from the point that slipped through Ellis legs. Ronalds Kenins met with Ellis at the net and knocked in the rolling puck to insure the goal that gave Utica the 2-0 lead. Jeffrey was credited with the secondary assist.

Even after sending Quinten Howden to the box for tripping the Rampage still found their first goal of the night short handed about a minute and a half after the Comets second goal. After a pass was broken up in the Comets offensive zone, Brett Olsen raced ahead for the breakaway and slipped a rolling puck through Erikssons legs to make it 2-1.

Bobby Sanguinetti found the Comets third goal of the night at 7:40 on the power play after rifling one through Ellis from the right point to make the score 3-1. Jeffrey and OReilly received the secondary assists on the play.

San Antonio took a liking to being shorthanded as they found their second of the night while they were killing off another penalty. At 12:52 Conner Brickley popped the puck out the left dot from opposite corner to Steven Kampfer. Kampfer slapped one home past Eriksson to make it 3-2 on the short-handed goal to chip away at the Comets lead once again. Drew Shore also received an assist on the play.

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Comets Add Another Victory and Remain Undefeated

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December 6, 2014 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets TULSA, OK "" The Missouri Comets defeated the Tulsa Revolution 15-5 in front of 506 fans at the Cox Business Center one night after taking the Clash Of Champions Part Two at the Independence Events Center and remained undefeated having won all seven matches in the 2014/15 MASL season.

John Sosa, Max Touloute and Robert Palmer each tallied hat tricks and a total of eight players scored for the Comets, while goalkeeper Brendan Allen played 57 minutes appearing in goal for the first time this year.

For the sixth time in the season, the Comets started off strong and scored the first goal of the match courtesy of team captain Vahid Assadpour, however Sam Guernsey equalized one minute later.

Later on the quarter, Robert Palmer gave the visitors the lead again before Max Touloute added another one assisted by Patrick Kelly who made his professional debut ending the quarter with a 3-1 score.

The Comets carried the momentum into the second quarter where they notched five goals and allowed only one. At the 3:25 mark, Brian Harris extended the lead but four minutes later Brian Beckford would shorten it once again. Nonetheless, the reigning MISL champions scored four consecutive goals from Harris, Touloute, Leo Gibson and Palmer to end the half 8-2.

In the third stanza, John Sosa scored three consecutive tallies in less than a four-minute span after Beckford had notched one for the Revolution to end the quarter 11-3 in favor of the Comets.

Tulsa came out stronger in the last quarter but Allen had an outstanding performance, which motivated the Comets to score four more goals from Perez, Palmer, Andre Braithwaite and Touloute in addition to Michael Poneys' and Guernsey's goals for Tulsa ending the match with a final score of 15-5.

Next up, the Comets will host the Wichita B-52s for the second time this season on Saturday, December 13 at the Independence Events Center with their sights set on another victory.

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