Federal Judge Temporarily Stops State Texting Prosecution: At Wall Street Journal Blog, Dionne Searcey reports that yesterday a federal judge blocked a Pennsylvania prosecutor from filing pornography charges against girls engaged in the practice of sexting. Searcey reports that a group of teenage girls had been discovered sending text messages of nude or partially nude photos of themselves to their buddies in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. The district attorney apparently told the girls he would file charges against them unless they agreed to complete classes teaching them "what it means to be a girl in today's society." The girls refused, and the ACLU sued, claiming the photos did not violate any obscenity laws and were protected under the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge James Munley agreed and said the action would violate parental rights. Doug Berman also has this post at Sentencing Law and Policy.
ACLU and Others Ask White House to Change Anti-Lobbyist Rule: Marisa McQuilken posts on Blog of the Legal Times that the ACLU and the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have teamed with American League of Lobbyists in asking the White House to rescind its directive that bars federal agency heads from having in-person or telephone conversations with registered lobbyists about particular projects and funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Obama Administration issued the directive on March 20 as part of a broader memorandum meant to ensure that funds under the Recovery Act are spent responsibly and transparently. McQuilken reports that the ACLU and CREW sent a letter to White House Counsel Gregory Craig asking the White House to rescind this "ill-advised restriction on speech" that is "not narrowly tailored to achieve the intended purpose."