Practice Areas

First Amendment and FOIA

Every communications entity, regardless of the medium in which it operates, benefits from the protections afforded by the First Amendment. Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC attorneys represent major trade associations and content providers in the newspaper and Internet publishing fields and assists broadcast, cable, and other communications clients on a host of issues related to the First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act. Our lawyers have significant experience in all areas related to the First Amendment and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including:

• Advocacy before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures on legislation that would affect the ability to gather or publish news and information; and
• Prepublication and prebroadcast review for legal concerns such as defamation, invasion of privacy, and copyright and trademark infringement.

We also specialize in the rapidly-evolving area of Freedom of Expression outside the United States. Set out in Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the principle is an international one. Our attorneys specialize in:

• Drafting and filing of amicus briefs on freedom of expression and freedom of the press protections before federal and international tribunals, including the United States Supreme Court, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights; and
• Building these principles into new laws, policies, regulations and private rules being drafted to govern online and emerging forms of communication, commerce, and publishing.