Michael Jordan sued Jewel-Osco, saying his image was used "commercial speech" in an ad, which ran in a Sports Illustrated issue commemorating Jordan’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. A federal judge ruled that the 2009 ad is protected by the First Amendment. more ›

Urbana native Nina Paley's animated feature Sita Sings the Blues found heaps of praise when it appeared in 2008, winning the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and garnering lots of Big Apple love upon its U.S. debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Eventually the quirky labor of love found its most eloquent and highest profile champion in Roger Ebert, who penned a virtual love letter to the film. The reception has not been as warm this month in Queens, where a planned screening has run into protests from some in the Hindu community. more ›

On January 1st, 2010 an increase in registration fees will make it more difficult for non-profit organizations to lobby the state legislature. The ACLU of Illinois filed suit on Friday asking a federal court to block the increase, calling it a “tax on free speech.” more ›

New York Times reporter Monica Davey took an "unscientific survey" of people at the Cultural Center yesterday, asking them questions from the new citizenship test. People didn't do too well. We decided to do our own "unscientific survey" of Chicagoist staffers and friends, and ... wow. Somewhere, our history teachers are in a corner gently weeping. Highlights of our wrongness: 42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of... more ›

Eighty years ago AT&T was quite the different company when it came to privacy of its customers and free speech. A quote lifted from a Boing Boing post on Thursday where AT&T spoke out against warrantless surveillance, "The telephone has become part and parcel of the social and business intercourse of the people of the United States, and this telephone system offers a means of espionage to which general warrants and writs of assistance were... more ›

Much of mankind's great literature contains conflict, violence, and death. We remember part of our high school curriculum contained Lord of the Flies, which by no means is about children living peacefully on a deserted island. There were many more, but that was just one of the more disturbing ones. more ›

Naperville high-school student Heidi Zamecnik is suing her school for what she claims was a violation of her civil right to freely express her moral opposition to homosexuality. Last April she wore a shirt to school that read "Be Happy, Not Gay." The shirt was worn the day after the school held a Day of Silence, where students can choose to remain silent all day in protest of discrimination against homosexuality. more ›

With the sun out, the temperatures high, one can only think of one thing-- what's going on in the World of the -ist's? Bostonist dug deep to uncover Barack Obama's unpaid parking tickets, their Governor's latest ethical lapse, and a plagarizing sports writer. Chicagoist had everything in twos: two views on having the Olympics, losing two members of their Super Bowl team, and two music festivals. DCist put their noses in legal books as... more ›

In the wake of an election which media outlets say demonstrated “clear popular opposition to the war in Iraq,” DePaul University is holding a forum tonight that will expound upon our governments' plans in the Middle East, particularly with regards to Iran. Two Iranian Studies scholars, Hamid Dabashi, and Golbarg Bashi, will present their views along with anti-war activists. Subjects include global geopolitics, the neocon agenda, Islam, human rights, and feminism, to name a few.... more ›

As if spending the afternoon at Navy Pier weren’t punishment enough, visitors were also subject to religious propaganda. According to CBS, last Saturday, Philadelphia-based evangelical Christian organization Repent America was handing out promotional literature at Navy Pier. A police officer told the group to stop or else face arrest. When the group returned on Sunday, they were told to demonstrate in designated “free speech zones.” Five members of Repent America have filed a suit in... more ›

If there’s one thing Chicagoist hates, it’s unknowingly walking into a porn shop. Apparently it's a problem in Madison, Wis. A big problem. Thankfully, Madison Alderman Tim Bruer agrees, and he’s ready to do something about it – increase porn shop locations. more ›

The Rebirth of Englewood Community Development Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that was founded by US Congressman Bobby Rush to encourage community and economic development in the Englewood neighborhood. Back in 2003, telecom giant SBC’s foundation* gave a $1 million grant to the organization to help establish the Bobby L. Rush Center for Community Technology, which would allow training and business development for the community. It all sounds so great, right? An example of corporate... more ›

Three students at Taft High School on the northwest side were suspended Wednesday for posting threats and obscene remarks about teachers on their blog. The teens--all males--were 7th and 8th graders in an Advanced Placement program at Taft, leaving Chicagoist to wonder why they weren't smart enough to know better. more ›

Chicagoist loves the comfort of representative democracy, knowing that our elected officials are taking care of the important things for us, things that require the leadership and insight of our best and brightest like making sure we call Christmas trees the right name. That's right, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) is on the case, sending a letter to the Architect of the Capitol, asking that he please call the decorated conifer on Capitol Hill a "Christmas tree" instead of "Holiday tree." more ›

Q101 morning show host and nationally-syndicated DJ Mancow Muller is putting up $5,000 of his own money as a reward to help find the hit-and-run driver who struck one of his show's regulars. Raymond "Cowboy Ray" Hofstatter, a mentally handicapped man who frequently called in and appeared on the show, was crossing the street on the 5500 block of South Archer on his way home from a bar early Sunday morning when a woman in a black Honda Civc hit him and kept going. Witnesses told police that the impact threw Hofstatter 20 feet and ripped his clothes off. He is in critical condition after having surgery to remove a kidney. more ›

We couldn’t help but raise our eyebrows when we heard about the event tonight at Darkroom (2210 W. Chicago) celebrating the 50th anniversary printing of Vladmir Nabokov’s Lolita, but we suspect that’s just what the organizers were going for when they thought up “Coming of Age: Lolita at 50.” SAIC professor and novelist Carol Anshaw and free speech advocate Burton Joseph will be on hand to discuss Nabokov’s controversial novel and a cool Goose Island brew will set you back a lean 3 bucks. What’s turning around in our brains, though, is the costume contest: show up in your most creative interpretation of Lolita (with “extra points for avoiding the schoolgirl cliché”) and compete for—what, we’re not sure. Hopefully not a creepy old man’s attentions. more ›

If you've got a craving for some good old fashion public radio today, you may want to tune in at noon to today's Odyssey program on WBEZ 91.5 FM that will explore the question, "How do blogs really relate to society, the academy, and other forms of media?" more ›

The Sun-Times is in fine form today despite an absolutely idiotic front-page headline "Are sisters angels or killers?" Sure, yes, that story is interesting, but the question isn't marathon yesterday. The story itself is worth reading on the off chance you didn't get enough of the case in July, when the girls were actually on trial. more ›