Law Day 2019

Free Press: Media of Nebraska Works to Protect Access to Public Information

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 12:00am

Journalists might take for granted their right to report utterances made in open court, but they have the organized efforts of Nebraska media outlets to thank for a landmark Supreme Court decision establishing that right.

The media coalition came together to fight a North Platte judge’s order in 1975 to stop the publication and broadcasting of accounts of a confession or other facts “strongly implicative” of guilt in a Sutherland murder case.

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Free Speech: UNL Incident Highlights University Speech Issues, Challenges

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 12:00am

Displaying a middle finger is so mundane that it has its own emoji.

Yet the vulgar gesture, along with some derogatory language, sparked a political firestorm at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, igniting a debate over freedom of expression that lingers nearly two years later.

The result has been condemnation by national advocacy groups, challenges to university policies and political pressure to further protect conservative values at UNL.

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Free Speech: ACLU Nebraska: Defenders of Free Speech for Everyone

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 12:00am

It’s a subject Danielle Conrad and Amy Miller often find themselves addressing, but let’s be clear: Free speech needs to be defended.

It’s true, and somewhat surprising, that an organization which has been around 99 years – and for more than 50 years in Nebraska – the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) often is more than a little understood.

Miller, the ACLU Nebraska’s legal director, feels the confusion stems from people not understanding the organization is nonpartisan.

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Ellick Award: Johnson Helped Spark Referrals For Unbundled Legal Services

Published by admin on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 12:00am

Karisa D. Johnson knows she will be volunteering on the second Monday of every month, but she was surprised when that few hours of commitment each month translated into recognition for her impact on the legal community.

Johnson is the recipient of this year’s Alfred G. Ellick Lawyer Referral Award for her volunteer efforts over the past decade and for helping to establish that referrals for limited scope representation are permitted through the Omaha Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service.