On the civil rights front

Thanks to Kodiak Konfidential's sharp eye, I found out today that the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case is not dead. A phrase in the Juneau Empire article about it caught my eye: "Without Justice Clarence Thomas' stance, which said that students have no civil rights, there was no Supreme Court majority in favor of restricting student speech..." Apparently, this is correct. Justice Thomas really doesn't think that students have a constitutional right to free speech.

However, this was a federal case. Alaska has, appearences to the contrary, stronger free speech protections than the feds. Frederick is bringing it back to the Court of Appeals in a civil damages case. Bully for him!

And there is more good news: parts of the USA PATRIOT Act have been ruled unconstitutional (again): those nasty national security letters. US District Court Judge Victor Marrero is looking out for our rights.

And then there's Rob Mulford, whose occupation of Senator Stevens' office resulted in trespass charges and trial (and dismissal!)