Jan. 20, 2018 – The Guild joined the Reporters Committee and 22 media organizations in submitting a brief to the Ninth Circuit Court in support of former journalist Brian Addison, who alleges that Baker City, Ore., and its police chief retaliated against him after he wrote a column critical of the police department. On appeal, the police chief asserted that the district court was wrong to deny him qualified immunity.
The brief argues that First Amendment retaliation claims are critical to journalists, who are at risk of retaliation by government officials because their reporting may be critical of them.