The social media law is a part of Senate Bill 54, also known as Amy Hestir Student Protection Act [materials]. The bill passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate during the regular legislative session. MTSA filed an action on August 19 opposing the prohibition of social media because it would inhibit the ability of the teachers to communicate with students through social media sites such as Facebook and through text messaging.

FG Hemisphere Associates has sued Congo and certain corporations in courts in several nations around the world. The company is attempting to recover over $100 million owed for a series of power stations built in the 1980s. The US does not recognize sovereign immunity for foreign nations in all cases involving business transactions. In March, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled [opinion, PDF] on Congo's appeal from a district court decision in FG Hemisphere Associates' favor, which the appellate court affirmed. US courts often deny sovereign immunity. In February, a federal judge ruled that former Somali prime minister and defense minister Mohamed Ali Samantar was not entitled to immunity from civil lawsuits [JURIST report]. Samantar, who had lived in the greater Washington, DC, area for more than 15 years, was sued in 2004 by two Somali men who alleged he spearheaded a campaign of ethnic repression against the northern Somali Isaaq clan during his tenure in office. Immunity was also denied in a clergy abuse case against the Vatican [JURIST report] in January.

The First Amendment issue here is, as the parties frame it, fairly narrow: is there a constitutionally protected right to videotape police carrying out their duties in public? Basic First Amendment principles, along with case law from this and other circuits, answer that question unambiguously in the affirmative. It is firmly established that the First Amendment's aegis extends further than the text's proscription on laws "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press," and encompasses a range of conduct related to the gathering and dissemination of information. ... The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles. 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.

The police officers arrested Gilk and charged him with violating of the wiretap statute, disturbing the peace, and aiding in the escape of a prisoner. The Commonwealth dropped the last charge recognizing that they did not have probable cause. The other two charges against Gilk were also dismissed by a Boston Municipal Court. In February 2010, Gilk filed a complaint under 42 USC § 1983 [text] for violation of Gilk's First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. The officers appealed to the First Circuit court after the district court denied the officers motion to dismiss the case because the officers had qualified immunity.

OPA does not mention punitive damages; thus, while punitive damages are not available under OPA, the Court does not read OPA’s silence as meaning that punitive damages are precluded under general maritime law. Congress knows how to proscribe punitive damages when it intends to... Thus, OPA does not displace general maritime law claims for those Plaintiffs who would have been able to bring such claims prior to OPA's enactment. These Plaintiffs assert plausible claims for punitive damages against Responsible and non-Responsible parties.

Last month Judge Barbier dismissed [JURIST report] consolidated racketeering claims against BP in connection with the spill brought under the US Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) [text]. In February, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood [official website] asked the district court to order the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) [official website] to fulfill its legal obligations to aid victims of the spill and to remedy inadequate claims mechanisms [JURIST report]. The GCCF began processing claims in August following the completion of negotiations [JURIST reports] between BP and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website]. Former Alabama Attorney General Troy King filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] in August of last year against BP for damages to the state's coast and economy, claiming that the oil giant has failed in its efforts to accept responsibility for the oil spill. In July 2010, a class action lawsuit [JURIST report] was filed against the company in a Louisiana state court alleging that its negligent actions led to the spill and that BP was further negligent in its oversight of the cleanup effort, resulting in volunteers falling ill due to inadequate protective equipment. One month prior, US Attorney General Eric Holder [official website] announced that the DOJ would review whether any criminal or civil laws were violated [JURIST report] by BP.