FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 19, 2018
CONTACT: Barbara Petersen (800) 337-3518
sunshine@floridafaf.org
U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Fane Lozman in
Lozman v. City of Riviera, Beach FL
~ Lozman wins overwhelmingly (8-1) with the First Amendment Foundation’s support ~
TALLAHASSEE – Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision in the Lozman v. City of Rivera Beach. The Court ruled in favor of Mr. Lozman in an 8-1 majority opinion, with Justice Kennedy writing for the Court.
You can read the entire Supreme Court opinion here.
“This is a fascinating case of great importance for citizens who too frequently find themselves at cross-purposes with government officials elected to represent the public interest,” says the First Amendment Foundation’s President, Barbara Petersen. “It took Mr. Lozman ten years, but in pursuing his case against the city of Riviera Beach, he has done us all a huge service – depending on certain circumstances, a government agency can be held liable for an agency’s retaliatory policy seeking to punish the citizen’s exercise of First Amendment rights.”
“The First Amendment Foundation is proud to have stood with Mr. Lozman in his epic fight to protect First Amendment rights.”
Barbara Petersen attended the Supreme Court oral arguments alongside Lozman on Tuesday, February 27th, and the First Amendment Foundation filed an amicus in support of in Fane Lozman’s case against the City of Riviera Beach. Lozman is the 2017 recipient of the Foundation’s Pete Weitzel/Friend of the First Amendment Award.
About the First Amendment Foundation
The First Amendment Foundation believes that government openness and transparency is critical to citizen trust and involvement in our democratic society – without Government in the Sunshine, civic engagement cannot bloom. Through ongoing monitoring of the state’s public records, open meetings laws, the education of government officials and citizens-the Foundation promotes the public’s constitutional right to oversee and to participate in the governance process.
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