Bill Introduced in Congress To Codify the First Amendment Right To Film the Feds and Sue for Violations
Bill Introduced in Congress To Codify the First Amendment Right To Film the Feds and Sue for Violations
Two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress today that would create a right to sue federal law enforcement officers who stop someone from filming or observing police activity.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D–Conn.) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D–Fla.) introduced the “Right to Record Act of 2026,” which they say would create new consequences for individual federal officers who violate a person’s First Amendment right to document and record police.
The legislation would create a right to sue a federal law enforcement or immigration officers who engage in wide range of retaliatory behavior, including threatening and harassing videographers, surveilling them, and seizing and destroying their equipment.
The lawmakers cited recent allegations of federal officers targeting videographers in New Jersey, Memphis, and elsewhere across the country, as well as the importance of video evidence in refuting the false government narratives of several shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration agents.
“Over the last year, I’ve investigated dozens of cases of Americans brutalized by agents of their own government, and across the board, video footage corroborated their testimony – showing the world what they experienced and making sure that justice was served,” Blumenthal said in a press release. “Without recordings, we wouldn’t know the truth of what happened to Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, Marimar Martinez, George Retes, and so, so many others.”
The bill highlights a growing free speech battle: Civil liberties groups say filming the police is a well-established First Amendment right. Although the Supreme Court hasn’t directly addressed the issue, seven federal circuit courts have upheld the right to record and monitor the police, so long as one doesn’t physically interfere with them. However, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have repeatedly suggested that such activity is doxing and obstruction of justice. Over the past two years, videos from around the country—from Oregon to Maine to the Florida Keys—have shown federal immigration agents arresting or threatening to arrest people for filming them.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which endorsed the Right to Record Act, filed a lawsuit in May alleging that a federal police task force in Memphis is systematically retaliating against residents who try to document its activity.
“The right to observe and record law enforcement is fundamental to our democracy,” Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel with the ACLU, said in a press release. “We can’t hold our government accountable if we can’t see for ourselves what they’re doing in our communities. Observing and filming allows people to create an independent record, share information with their communities, and demand better from our government. Protesting for what we believe in is a core American value, and observing and filming government activity can drive the protest movements that spark change. All of these rights are squarely protected by the First Amendment, and we’re hopeful that Congress will codify them into law by enacting the Right to Record Act.”
The bill would also be notable, if it passed, because it is currently next-to-impossible under current law and Supreme Court precedent to sue an individual federal law enforcement officer for a constitutional violation.
The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legislation.
The post Bill Introduced in Congress To Codify the First Amendment Right To Film the Feds and Sue for Violations appeared first on Reason.com.
Trinity College in Loughborough closed in 2022 with just 14 pupils on its roll.
Dozens of people are dead and hundreds more injured following an earthquake in the country’s south.
Teacher Gary Day-Davies, 55, targeted his victim both at the school where he taught and at his home.
The catcalls came after ticketholders faced airport-style security to enter the venue at Madison Square Garden.
The Conservative leader will argue that the rules have become a “minefield that exposes almost every significant public decision to legal challenge”.
Iran and Israel declare a halt to fighting as President Trump says both are seeking an “immediate ceasefire” after a major escalation in the 101-day war.
“We’re trying to finish it up,” Trump told ABC News on Monday.
By Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK, June 9 (Reuters) – More than 5,500 Myanmar refugees living in camps along Thailand’s border have found jobs since Bangkok eased employment curbs last year, an approach that
Police attended an incident Kinnaird Avenue following a report made shortly after 22:30 GMT on Monday 8 June.
Israel’s PM says his country is holding fire “at the moment”, after Iran’s armed forces said they had stopped military action.
At least 100 people have died from Ebola less than a month after authorities declared an outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo, authorities said. Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the spread. The latest Ebola disease outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which does not have an approved vaccine or treatment unlike the Zaire virus responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.
Iran appears emboldened by the outcome and its leaders may sense Trump’s appetite for risk is low.
The council wants to simplify the A140 junction at Earl Stonham with the A1120.
TAIPEI, June 9 (Reuters) – Chinese coast guard ships operating around Taiwan in recent days have been “harassing” commercial shipping by asking them information about their point of origin and
Swiss business leaders and unions are mobilising ahead of a vote Sunday on capping immigration, which has triggered fears of dire impacts on employment and trade relations with the European Union.Major employers’ organisations and unions have dubbed it the “chaos initiative”.
Seven Georgian nationals will be tried in Paris starting Tuesday for the theft of rare editions of Russian literary classics from prestigious French libraries, including works by Alexander Pushkin.The thefts targeted rare Russian classics worth millions of euros in total, including by 19th-century literary greats Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol.
Beagle 2 reached the surface in 2003, but it was not known until 2015, a professor says.
The town council says the rodent has returned to Batford Springs after 40 years.
By Heejin Kim and Josh Arslan SEOUL/BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China’s Xi Jinping agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of politics, economy and culture at a
By Colleen Howe BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. has added some of the world’s largest solar and battery manufacturers to a list of companies it believes are aiding China’s military.
Powered by WPeMatico