ADF to Supreme Court: Keep the free press free

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President for Appellate Advocacy John Bursch regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Friday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review in Villarreal v. Alaniz, a case in which a citizen journalist is challenging government officials who claim they can evade responsibility after violating her First Amendment rights:

“All government officials have a duty to uphold the Constitution, and they are not immune from being held responsible if they illegally punish a citizen simply because she asks questions and publishes facts that they don’t like. The First Amendment guarantees journalists the freedom to both seek out and disseminate information, which allows a free press to keep government officials accountable. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s decision to ignore these pillars of First Amendment law will have a tremendous chilling effect that reaches far beyond the ability of journalists to expose government corruption. We are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 5th Circuit’s decision and affirm the ability of citizens to speak and publish information of critical value in a free society.”

ADF attorneys filed the brief on behalf of Young America’s Foundation—a national nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values—and Manhattan Institute for Policy Research—a nonpartisan public policy research foundation whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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