 |
| a relief sculpture of "hell," which appears to have all broken loose in the court battle between Jason Lee Van Dyke and Thomas Retzlaff |
Amicus Brief from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
in Support of Thomas Retzlaff in Van Dyke v Retzlaff
re: TCPA Should Apply in Federal Court
by Susan Basko, esq.
by Susan Basko, esq.
November 28, 2018. The following amicus brief was filed today by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 39 Media Organizations in support of Thomas Retlaff in a lawsuit filed against him by Jason Lee Van Dyke, a lawyer and Chairman of the Proud Boys. The amici argue that the Texas Citizens Participation Act, or TCPA, which is the Texas Anti-SLAPP statute, should apply in Federal Court cases.
The amici are: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, American Society of News Editors, Associated Press, The Associated Press Media Editors, Association of Alternative Newsmedia (“AAN”), California News Publishers Association (“CNPA”), Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting (“CIR”), Courthouse News Service, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The E.W. Scripps Company, First Amendment Coalition, First Look Media Works, Inc., Fox Television Stations, LLC, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Gannett Co., Inc., Hearst Corporation, International Documentary Assn., Investigative Reporting Program, Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, The McClatchy Company, The Media Institute, Digital First Media, MPA – The Association of Magazine Media, National Press Photographers Association, National Public Radio, Inc., The New York Times Company, News Media Alliance, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Online News Association, POLITICO LLC, ProPublica, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Without Borders, The Seattle Times Company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Society of Professional Journalists, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Texas Press Association, Tully Center for Free Speech, and The Washington Post.
The amici are: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, American Society of News Editors, Associated Press, The Associated Press Media Editors, Association of Alternative Newsmedia (“AAN”), California News Publishers Association (“CNPA”), Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting (“CIR”), Courthouse News Service, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The E.W. Scripps Company, First Amendment Coalition, First Look Media Works, Inc., Fox Television Stations, LLC, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Gannett Co., Inc., Hearst Corporation, International Documentary Assn., Investigative Reporting Program, Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, The McClatchy Company, The Media Institute, Digital First Media, MPA – The Association of Magazine Media, National Press Photographers Association, National Public Radio, Inc., The New York Times Company, News Media Alliance, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Online News Association, POLITICO LLC, ProPublica, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Without Borders, The Seattle Times Company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Society of Professional Journalists, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Texas Press Association, Tully Center for Free Speech, and The Washington Post.