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New England First Amendment Coalition

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February 2025
 

Follow us on X or Bluesky to receive daily updates and a comprehensive listing of First Amendment and Sunshine News. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please forward it to a colleague or friend. If someone forwarded you this newsletter, please subscribe!
 

Mass. Open Meeting Law



• NEFAC, Mass. Open Government Groups: Governor’s Proposal Will Close the Open Meeting Law | NEFAC


• Advocates Push Massachusetts to Require Hybrid Public Meetings | GBH


• The Pandemic Led to More Access to Local Town Meetings. Beacon Hill Will Decide What Comes Next | CommonWealth Beacon


• What Should Government Meetings Look Like After the Pandemic? | NBC10 Boston







“It will shut people out of the democratic process by only allowing — and not requiring — municipalities to provide hybrid participation options.”


NEFAC, Open Government Groups in Response to Municipal Empowerment Act




 

Maine Public Records


• Proposed Maine Public Records Deadline Too Long and Will Invite Abuse | NEFAC


• Proposed Bill Seeks to Speed Up Responses to Maine Public Records Requests | WGME


• Maine DHHS Says It Would Cost More Than $250,000 to Fulfill Public Records Request | WMTW


“If this legislation passes, the new law will implicitly give permission to every agency to take a month to fulfill a request, no matter how simple it might be.”


NEFAC's Justin Silverman in Response to Maine LD 152


 
 

Other News We're Tracking
 

Trump Administration, First Amendment


• Trump Says He Wants to Protect Free Speech. Advocates Say He's Undermining It | USA Today


• Trump's Attacks on Government Transparency Erode Press Freedom | Reporters Without Borders


• DEI Officers Claim Trump Orders Threaten Free Speech in New Suit | Bloomberg Law


• Legendary First Amendment Lawyer Urges Press to Fight Trump’s Attacks | Freedom of the Press Foundation


• White House Defends Blocking AP From Event for Using 'Gulf of Mexico' | CT Public



Reporter Confidentiality


• NEFAC, Press Groups Argue Against Forced Disclosure of Reporter’s Notes in Karen Read Case | NEFAC


• Judge Orders Publisher of New Yorker Magazine to Turn Over Recordings of Interview With Lindsay Clancy’s Husband | The Boston Globe



Campus Protests


• UNH President Rejects Investigating Police Over Pro-Palestine Protest Arrests | Seacoast Online


• Faculty Reflect on UMass Amherst Protests, No Confidence Vote | MassLive

 
 
Thank You to Our Supporters

NEFAC appreciates the support of all its donors and contributors. In particular, we would like to recognize the Estate of Gloria L. Negri and the following Leadership Circle donors ($10,000+) and Major Supporters ($2,500-$9,999): 


 
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
Rhode Island Foundation
The Boston Globe
Paul and Ann Sagan
The Robertson Foundation
 

MAJOR SUPPORTERS

Boston University

Northeastern University

Hearst Conn. Media Group

Academy of New England Journalists

WCVB-Boston
 

The New England First Amendment Coalition | 111 Milk Street | Westborough, MA 01581 US

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