Monday, May 22, 2023, Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed HB 1236, a bill that, by the change of a single word, would have significantly neutered Oklahoma's deterrent against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). Deep-pocketed and powerful public figures have used meritless lawsuits to punish critics and chill free speech. The...
Posted by Michael Bates on May 22, 2023 11:42 PM
There's one more reason for Oklahomans to celebrate April 22. Last Tuesday, on the 125th anniversary of the Oklahoma 1889 Land Run, Gov. Mary Fallin signed HB 2366, the Oklahoma Citizens Participation Act, giving Oklahomans valuable protection in the exercise of their First Amendment rights. From the bill: The purpose...
Posted by Michael Bates on April 27, 2014 9:57 PM
The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity has launched a petition drive to ensure that citizen journalists and bloggers enjoy the same legal protections that cover traditional news media. The initiative is called "Protect Your Voice." It makes sense for a group interested in public integrity to get involved...
Posted by Michael Bates on February 16, 2012 9:49 PM
Tulsa District 4 City Councilor Eric Gomez isn't fond of public scrutiny, evidently. He was none too happy that I had my camera running during his answer to this question: "Are you aware of SLAPP lawsuits? Would you consider a lawsuit or threat of a lawsuit against a constituent for...
Posted by Michael Bates on September 2, 2009 9:25 PM
One of the stories that broke while I was focused on the day job involved Tulsa City Councilor Eric Gomez's threats to sue Julie Hall of Who Owns Tulsa? over her criticism of his actions as a councilor. You may have missed it, too, so here's the KOTV News on...
Posted by Michael Bates on March 15, 2009 12:07 PM
Oklahoma has inadequate protections against SLAPPs -- strategic lawsuits against public participation. So argues Laura Long in the Summer 2007 issue of the Oklahoma Law Review. (Click here for a direct link to the PDF of her article.) If you're not familiar with the term, here's the description from Wikipedia:...
Posted by Michael Bates on February 4, 2009 10:23 PM
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