Freedom Center of Missouri

VICTORY: Eighth Circuit Rules First Amendment Protects Citizen Activists’ Speech

November 1, 2019 Dave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 1, 2019 CONTACT: Dave Roland, (314)604-6621 Eighth Circuit: First Amendment Protects Unpaid Activists Who Share Policy Ideas With Legislators Nearly three years ago the Missouri Ethics Commission ordered Ron Calzone, an unpaid grassroots activist, to pay a $1,000 fine and prohibited him from discussing policy with lawmakers until he registered and filed reports as though he was a professional “lobbyist.” Because the First Amendment guarantees the freedom to share one’s policy ideas with public officials, Calzone…

PRESS RELEASE: Court of Appeals Rules Task Force “Substantially Complied” with Sunshine Law, Despite Failure to Respond to Four Requests

September 12, 2018 Dave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2018 CONTACT: Dave Roland Mexico, Missouri—In an unpublished opinion filed on September 11, 2018, in Malin v. MUSTANG, a panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that, although attorneys for the MUSTANG Task Force admitted that the Task Force had failed to offer any response to four separate requests for public records, the court would affirm a judgment stating that MUSTANG “complied or substantially complied” with the Sunshine Law. An unpublished opinion has no precedential…

VICTORY: Circuit Judge Rules St. Louis City Officials Violated Sunshine Law

July 19, 2018 Dave

14779 Audrain Rd. 815 Mexico, Missouri www.mofreedom.org (573) 567-0307 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Dave Roland July 19, 2018 (573) 567-0307 VICTORY: Circuit Judge Rules St. Louis City Officials Violated Sunshine Law Mexico, Missouri—St. Louis City Circuit Judge Mark Neill ruled Wednesday afternoon in Malin v. Metro Multi-Jurisdictional Undercover Drug Program, et al., that St. Louis City officials committed multiple violations of Missouri’s open records laws when they failed to produce documents related to…