1st Amendment and Free Speech/Freedom of the Press

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Expert: - 9/22/2001


Question
What is Britain's Official Secrets Act and how does it work?

Answer
Hi Kenneth,

The OSA was first passed in 1911, and substantially rewritten in 1989.  It's primary purpose is to make it a crime for government employees or contractors to reveal private government information.  However, it has been criticized for being used to prevent any information about the government being leaked out.

The law also applies to people who knowingly receive information from restricted people and disseminate that information.  For this reason, many journalists strongly object to it.

For more info onthe OSA, try these sites:

http://www.ukeyesalpha.co.uk/

http://www.cfoi.org.uk/osareform.html

I hope this helps!
- Mike  

1st Amendment and Free Speech

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Michael Troy

Expertise

I will answer general questions regarding freedom of speech, petition, or religion. I specialize in cases involving public employment or education, as well as issues related to campaign finance. But I can`t give specific legal advice involving specific cases you might have.

Experience

As an attorney for the Center for Individual Rights, I worked on a number of free speech cases, including Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia, in which the Supreme Court upheld my clients' right to run a student newspaper without discrimination because of its religious conent. I also worked on White v. Julian, which protected the right of people to protest against a homeless shelter in their neighborhood.

I also worked for the Federal Election Commission on several cases regarding the right to participate in the election process.

Organizations
Former Attorney for Center for Individual Rights.

Publications
Washington Post
Washington Times

Education/Credentials
J.D. from Univ. of Michigan Law School

Awards and Honors
Truman Scholar

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