Judicial Advocacy
The NPPA occasionally files lawsuits on behalf of its members when appropriate.
The NPPA participates in a broad range of amicus (friend of the court) briefs when a case pending before an appellate court will have long-ranging impact on First Amendment or copyright issues.
2011
- Leigh v. Salazar (arguing in favor of access for photojournalists seeking to document a wild horse round-up). See related article.
- ACLU v. Alvarez (arguing against an eavesdropping in Illinois that has led to arrests for videotaping police activity even when there is no reasonable expectation of privacy). See related article.
- McBurney v. Hurlbert (arguing that a citizenship requirement in Virginia’s FOI laws is unconstitutional)
2010
- WIAA v. Gannett (arguing that a high school athletic association does not have a right to sell exclusive web broadcasting rights and restrain the length of news footage of a game) See related blog post. See related news article. See related legal article on the dispute over access in high school and college sports.
- Milner v. Dept. of Navy (arguing against a broad interpretation of an exception to the Freedom of Information Act)
- Snyder v. Phelps (arguing, without supporting defendant, that a law against offensive protesting would undermine the First Amendment
- United States District Court for the Norther District of California - The NPPA submited a comment supporting the approval of the revision of Civil Local Rule 77-3Â as an exception to the current prohibition against the taking of photographs, public broadcasting or televising, or recording in connection with any judicial proceeding in the courtroom or its environs. See: NPPA – NDCA Comment 02-28-10
2009
- U.S. v. Stevens (arguing that a law prohibiting documentation of animal cruelty would affect journalists and violate the First Amendment).
2008
- Greenberg v. National Geographic (asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a landmark copyright decision that allowed magazines and newspaper publishers to create and sell electronic archives of their previously published works without infringing on copyright). See related article.
2005
