“This law is a violation of a vital constitutional right and will severely thwart attempts to build police accountability. It must be struck down before it creates irreparable community harm,” the ACLU wrote in a statement on its blog.
PHOENIX — A controversial Arizona law restricting how the public can film police faced its first legal challenge Tuesday with a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Maricopa County Attorney General Rachel Mitchell and Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone are all named as defendants. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in July, makes it illegal to knowingly film police officers 8 feet or closer without an officer's permission. An officer can order someone to stop filming even if they are on private property recording with the owner’s consent if an officer finds they’re interfering or deems the area unsafe.It was crafted by Republican state Rep. John Kavanagh, a former police officer, who argued officers need to be able to do their job without interference.
In similar cases, six of the nation's dozen U.S. appeals courts have ruled on the side of allowing people to record police without restriction. Less than a week after the Arizona law took effect, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denverand blogger's lawsuit against a suburban Denver police department could move forward. The blogger claimed an officer blocked him from recording a 2019 traffic stop.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ACLU sues over Arizona law limiting filming of policeA controversial Arizona law restricting how the public can film police faced its first legal challenge Tuesday with a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Read more »
The Republic joins news organizations challenging Arizona law banning close-range recordings of policeSeveral news organizations, including The Arizona Republic, are joining the ACLU of Arizona to challenge a new state law banning close-range recordings of Arizona police.
Read more »
NPPA Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Law Restricting the Recording of PoliceBREAKING: The NPPA has joined with the ACLU and nine other media organizations to file a lawsuit against Arizona’s law that restricts the recording of police.
Read more »
Lawsuit challenges Arizona's new voter eligibility lawFor Star subscribers: Rules taking effect next month create 'arbitrary' investigations into voter eligibility in Arizona, the lawsuit claims.
Read more »
Arizona law requiring voter registration in one county injures poor, minority voters: LawsuitA liberal legal group is challenging Arizona’s new election law, which bars voters from being registered in multiple locations and outlaws forwarding a mail-in ballot to someone who lives out of state.
Read more »
Arizona man arrested, accused of posing as police officerA suspect was arrested in Youngtown after he allegedly handcuffed and searched a man while impersonating a police officer.
Read more »