Posts by Zach Drennan

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 699 by a vote of 419-0.  The law requires law enforcement to get a warrant before asking service providers to turn over emails that are more than 180 old.  The bill does not require that the owner of the email account be notified.  The bill’s future in the…

Lester Packingham has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a North Carolina law that limits the speech rights of convicted sex offenders.  Read the Packingham Petition here.

In an important 6-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court held that a demoted employee could pursue his Section 1983 action against his employer.  At the heart of the case was the significance of whether “a government official demoted an employee because the official believed, but incorrectly believed, that the employee had supported a particular candidate for mayor.”  Plaintiff…

The Journal, represented by SMVT partner Amanda Martin, persuaded Superior Court Judge Eric Morgan to deny closure motions filed by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education in a civil suit arising out of an incident in which a school board employee was convicted of a felony sexual offense involving a student.  The school board moved…

“Does the First Amendment still matter?”  That’s the question that  SMVT partner Amanda Martin addressed on Constitution Day (September 17) in a talk to students, faculty and alumni of the UNC School of Law.  You can see how she answered the question here: https://vimeo.com/139614635  

According to an email sent out by the Middle District, the Court is going to re-evaluate previously sealed docket entries and may modify their status as sealed documents.  Reporters might be interested to take a look back at past cases to see if anything new has become available.  Here’s the email: “Please note that the Court…

On September 16, 2015, SMVT partner Amanda Martin will give the NCPRSA Development Luncheon talk, Public or Protected: Copyright Law and Compliance.