Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
First Circuit rules that videotaping police officers protected under First Amendment
|
August 31, 2011
Boston, MA The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit issued a major ruling this week, guaranteeing the right of citizens to videotape on duty police officers under the First Amendment. The original case was filed by a Boston based attorney who was arrested for videotaping police officers. However, the case addresses issues in numerous communities in the First Circuit where local police have arrested citizens for videotaping, especially New Hampshire where cases in Weare, Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth and Keene have led to three proposed bills to alter the state law and protect the citizens. In the ruling, the court stated, "Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting ‘the free discussion of governmental affairs’" and "“a citizen’s right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties in a public place is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment.”[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
| |||||
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Hampshire • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Hampshire
State courts:
New Hampshire Supreme Court • New Hampshire Superior Courts • New Hampshire Circuit Courts • New Hampshire Probate Courts • New Hampshire District Court • New Hampshire Family Division
State resources:
Courts in New Hampshire • New Hampshire judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Hampshire
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
