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First Amendment

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NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU
NJ Homeowner Refusing To Remove Profanity-Laced Anti-Biden Signs Backed By ACLU A New Jersey homeowner who is refusing to remove profanity-laced anti-Biden signs is being backed by the state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter, local officials confirmed. Andrea Dick was warned by Roselle Park code enforcement officers in June that if she didn't remove her signs in a timely manner, she'd face up to $500 in fines. Now, the Willow Avenue resident and her mom, Patricia Dilascio, are trying to appeal the fines in Union County Superior Court, with help from ACLU attorney Alexander Shalom, NJ Advance Media reports. Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello emphasized …

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by Cecilia Levine
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US Supreme Court Rules In Favor Pennsylvania Cheerleader In First Amendment Case US Supreme Court Rules In Favor Pennsylvania Cheerleader In First Amendment Case
US Supreme Court Rules In Favor Pennsylvania Cheerleader In First Amendment Case The Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling in the case of a cheerleader who took to SnapChat to vent her frustrations for not making the cheer squad. When Brandi Levy, of Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County was 14 she posted on SnapChat after she did not make the school’s junior varsity cheerleading squad by posting, “F——— school f——— softball f——— cheer f——— everything,” in a post over a photo of her and a friend giving the middle finger, as the Daily Voice previously reported. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor in this first amendment case, in an 8 to 1 ruling, with Justice Cl…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Prosecutor: Asbury Park Police Justified In Arresting Reporter During Protest Prosecutor: Asbury Park Police Justified In Arresting Reporter During Protest
Prosecutor: Asbury Park Police Justified In Arresting Reporter During Protest Asbury Park police were justified in arresting a newspaper reporter during a June protest, authorities said Wednesday. An internal affairs investigation led by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office concluded that the Asbury Park officers who arrested APP journalist Gustavo Martinez Contreras during the June 1 George Floyd protest "reasonably believed he was one of the protestors," Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said. "Arresting officers had no knowledge they were apprehending a reporter." Martínez was covering the demonstration for APP.com and arrested while live-stream…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Police Unions Respond To 'Inflammatory Hate Speech' Police Unions Respond To 'Inflammatory Hate Speech'
Police Unions Respond To 'Inflammatory Hate Speech' With "vile ideology" festering in their communities in the form of "ACAB" posts and signs, three Bergen County police locals banded together Friday morning to have their say. "Please remember, and remind your children, that police officers in the Pascack Valley are your friends - not your enemies," presidents and delegates of Hillsdale PBA Local 207, Montvale PBA Local 303 and Pascack Valley PBA Local 206 wrote in a public letter issued Friday morning. "We are the men and women who stood tall over these past few months during the health pandemic and put ourselves and our families at risk wh…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Lakewood Rabbi Arrested For Violating COVID-19 Order Promises To Do It Again, Report Says Lakewood Rabbi Arrested For Violating COVID-19 Order Promises To Do It Again, Report Says
Lakewood Rabbi Arrested For Violating Covid-19 Order Promises To Do It Again, Report Says A Lakewood rabbi accused of violating Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order banning gatherings during the COVID-19 outbreak was recently arrested for holding a religious service in his own backyard. Rabbi Yisrael A. Knopfler "absolutely" plans on doing it again, he told NJ.com. Monday's arrest, captured on this FAA Facebook video, came after Lakewood police broke up an event that Knopfler organized on Lag B’Omer, a minor holiday commemorating the end of a historic plague.  Public celebrations, which include bonfires, concerts, graduations and weddings, are prohibited because of coronavir…

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by Jon Craig
News
Justice Dept: COVID-Related Directives Can't Treat Religious Groups Differently Than Businesses Justice Dept: COVID-Related Directives Can't Treat Religious Groups Differently Than Businesses
Justice Dept: Covid-related Directives Can't Treat Religious Groups Differently Than Businesses Although state and local governments may issue coronavirus state-of-emergency directives, "there is no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights," the Justice Department said Sunday. Federal authorities issued the statement in support of a Virginia church whose pastor was charged criminally with conducting a worship service attended by 16 people in a 225-seat sanctuary. But its message extends well beyond the specific case, as federal authorities continue examining state and local emergency orders to see whether they'd stand up to a constitutional challenge. The Lightho…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Woman Who Organized NJ Anti-Lockdown Protest Charged With Violating Lockdown Woman Who Organized NJ Anti-Lockdown Protest Charged With Violating Lockdown
Woman Who Organized NJ Anti-Lockdown Protest Charged With Violating Lockdown A Toms River woman who helped organize an anti-lockdown protest in Trenton has been charged with violating New Jersey's emergency stay-at-home orders during the event, authorities said. Kim Pagan helped organize Friday's Trenton rally against Gov. Phil Murphy's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus crisis, State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan said. Pagan was charged by New Jersey State Police with violating the orders, in which protestors gathered outside the State House and along Trenton streets in their car…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign
County Executive: Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBTQ Teaching 'Repugnant' Should Resign Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco on Monday called for the resignation of a Hackensack School Board trustee who called new state laws that require teaching about LGBTQ history “repugnant.” “Bergen County’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and the thousands of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender help make us all stronger, and help make all of our 70 communities stronger," Tedesco said. “It is important that we stand in solidarity against bigotry, violence, and discrimination and continue to reaffirm our commitment to equal rights for everyone, especiall…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant' Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant'
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Hackensack BOE Trustee Who Called LGBT Teaching 'Repugnant' A former Hackensack Board of Education member filed a complaint with the state School Ethics Commission on Thursday over a current trustee’s contention that new state laws that require teaching about LGBT history are “repugnant,” “incredibly disturbing” and “frankly shocking.” Frances Cogelja also wrote that the new laws, which require that the curriculum be incorporated in New Jersey middle and high school beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, are a waste of time. Former board member Jason Nunnermacker, in turn, filed the ethics complaint. Nunnermacker, an attorney from Hackensack, ac…

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by Jerry DeMarco