No. 21-388

John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, Inc., et al. v. Tony Evers, Governor of Wisconsin

Lower Court: Seventh Circuit
Docketed: 2021-09-10
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Amici (4) Experienced Counsel
Tags: circuit-split equal-access first-amendment forum-analysis government-exclusion press-access press-clause public-forum speech-clause viewpoint-neutrality
Key Terms:
FirstAmendment
Latest Conference: 2021-12-10
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the government's selective exclusion of members of the press implicates the equal treatment guarantee of the First Amendment's Press Clause, as the First, Second, and D.C. Circuits have held, or instead should be analyzed under the Speech Clause's forum analysis, as the Seventh Circuit below and the Fourth Circuit have held

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED Petitioner William Osmulski is an award-winning reporter for the Maclver News Service, a project of Petitioner John K. MaclIver Institute for Public Policy. Osmulski and another Maclver reporter had long been credentialed journalists covering the Wisconsin governor, among other things, but when a new administration took office, the incoming governor removed the Maclver reporters from his press list without notice. This action prohibited the journalists from being invited to and participating in official press conferences and briefings. The First, Second, and D.C. Circuits have consistently recognized a principle of equal access for journalists, and subjected any individual exclusions to strict scrutiny. The Seventh Circuit in this case, however, chose to join the Fourth Circuit in applying forum analysis from Speech Clause cases and held that because this selective exclusion took place in a nonpublic forum, the removal of Petitioners from the press list did not violate the First Amendment because it was viewpoint neutral and reasonable. The question presented is: Whether the government’s selective exclusion of members of the press implicates the equal treatment guarantee of the First Amendment’s Press Clause, as the First, Second, and D.C. Circuits have held, or instead should be analyzed under the Speech Clause’s forum analysis, as the Seventh Circuit below and the Fourth Circuit have held.

Docket Entries

2021-12-13
Petition DENIED.
2021-11-23
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/10/2021.
2021-11-19
Reply of petitioners John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, INC., et al. filed. (Distributed)
2021-11-09
Brief of respondent Tony Evers in opposition filed.
2021-10-12
Brief amicus curiae of the Honorable Scott Walker filed.
2021-10-12
Brief amicus curiae of Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence filed.
2021-10-12
Brief amici curiae of Goldwater Institute, et al. filed.
2021-10-11
Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Legal Foundation filed.
2021-09-30
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted in part and the time is extended to and including November 9, 2021.
2021-09-29
Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 12, 2021 to December 13, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
2021-09-07
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 12, 2021)

Attorneys

Atlantic Legal Foundation
Lawrence S. EbnerAtlantic Legal Foundation, Amicus
Lawrence S. EbnerAtlantic Legal Foundation, Amicus
Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence
Anthony Thomas CasoConstitutional Counsel Group, Amicus
Anthony Thomas CasoConstitutional Counsel Group, Amicus
Goldwater Institute, Reason Foundation, Main Policy Institute
Jacob H. HuebertGoldwater institute, Amicus
Jacob H. HuebertGoldwater institute, Amicus
John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, INC., et al.
Daniel Robert SuhrLiberty Justice Center, Petitioner
Daniel Robert SuhrLiberty Justice Center, Petitioner
The Honorable Scott Walker
Richard Michael EsenbergWisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Amicus
Richard Michael EsenbergWisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Amicus
Tony Evers
Gabe Johnson-KarpWisconsin Department of Justice, Respondent
Gabe Johnson-KarpWisconsin Department of Justice, Respondent