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There Is No Constitutional Right to “Protest”
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

There Is No Constitutional Right to “Protest”

By Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB” | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The “Right” is to “…Peacefully Assemble and to petition the Government…” In the heated discourse surrounding civil unrest and public demonstrations, a common phrase echoes through media and activism: the right to “peacefully protest.” Contrary to popular opinion, this term appears nowhere in the United States Constitution. The document does not grant a specific right to protest at all. Instead, the First Amendment protects “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  This precise language underscores a limited safeguard, one focused on orderly gatherings rather than disruptive actions often labeled as protests. The Consti...
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Federal Lawsuit Challenges Northglenn Over Church Activities At Public Park
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Federal Lawsuit Challenges Northglenn Over Church Activities At Public Park

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Several recent legal motions related to an ongoing lawsuit against the City of Northglenn seek dismissal of citations issued to members of three Colorado churches for hosting a public worship and charity event at a city park. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a public interest law firm specializing in religious freedom, filed a lawsuit in federal court in November on behalf of those cited and other church members. Northglenn, with around 38,000 residents, is a home rule municipality in the north metro Denver area. Starting in July 2020, Brave Church, and The Crossing Church–both located in neighboring Westminster–as well as Next Step Church located in Thornton, began hosting religious ministry gatherings ...
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SCOTUS Asked to Decide If Schools Can Punish Teachers for Off Duty Speech
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Just The News, Approved, National

SCOTUS Asked to Decide If Schools Can Punish Teachers for Off Duty Speech

By Greg Piper | Just the News Appeals court said teacher who privately shared views about George Floyd riots on summer vacation caused "disruption" because of media attention. Jury rules against district that suspended student for memes about principal. Public employees may lose their First Amendment rights to express "controversial views while off the job" without suffering professional discipline without Supreme Court intervention, according to lawyers for a suburban Chicago teacher fired for Facebook posts about George Floyd's death in 2020. Judicial Watch petitioned the high court to review a 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that said the Board of Education of Township High School District No. 211's interest in "avoiding disruption" from Je...
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“You don’t get to ride both horses”: Appeals court presses both sides in Tina Peters case
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“You don’t get to ride both horses”: Appeals court presses both sides in Tina Peters case

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice “Reset the clock.” Defense attorney John Case used a football analogy as the Colorado Court of Appeals sorted out timing for oral arguments in Tina Peters’ appeal. It had nothing to do with the case itself—just how much time each side would have. But the aside drew a brief laugh before judges turned to a record years in the making. Defense attorney Peter Ticktin, who represents Peters and spoke with RMV after the hearing, said the depth of the judges’ questions tracked the briefs closely. “This is a big file,” Ticktin said. “This isn’t something you can read in an afternoon. They clearly did the work. They were chasing down each avenue and each argument that we had in our briefs.” Watch the full oral arguments below ...
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Federal Court Hits Colorado With $5.4 Million Bill Over Pro Life Clinic Ban
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Life News, Approved, State

Federal Court Hits Colorado With $5.4 Million Bill Over Pro Life Clinic Ban

By Ryan Colby | Life News The State of Colorado must pay $5.4 million in attorneys’ fees to Becket following the state’s unconstitutional effort to outlaw abortion pill reversal. Becket represented Bella Health and Wellness, a Denver-area Catholic pro-life healthcare clinic, defending them against Colorado’s attempt to make it illegal for doctors and nurses to help women who take the first abortion pill but then decide to continue their pregnancies. A federal court found that Colorado’s attempt to ban abortion pill reversal violated the First Amendment. A federal law now requires the state to pay attorneys’ fees and court costs. “At least 18 moms who received abortion pill reversal care at Bella just celebrate...
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Federal Judge Rules Parents Must Be Informed on Student Gender Changes
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I Stand for Freedom, Approved, National

Federal Judge Rules Parents Must Be Informed on Student Gender Changes

By Noah Stanton | I Stand for Freedom There’s something uniquely corrosive about a secret kept between a child and an institution, especially when that secret is deliberately hidden from the child’s own parents. It’s the kind of arrangement that should make any reasonable person uncomfortable. And yet, for years, that’s exactly what California’s public schools were doing, though most families had no idea. Under guidance from the California Department of Education, adopted by more than half the state’s school districts, teachers were explicitly prohibited from telling parents if their child began identifying as a different gender at school. A student could change their name, change their pronouns, and undergo what educators called “social transition”—all while mo...
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Court Halts Colorado Effort to Mandate Gas Stove Health Warnings
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Uncategorized, Approved, Complete Colorado, State

Court Halts Colorado Effort to Mandate Gas Stove Health Warnings

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–A federal judge on Friday sided with an appliance manufacturing trade group in pausing enforcement of a Colorado law requiring consumer warning labels on gas stove appliances. Plaintiffs see the ruling as a win against state compelled speech, albeit a temporary one, as the litigation will likely continue. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) filed a complaint in August against the state regarding House Bill 25-1161. In effect since Aug. 6, the law requires retailers to attach air quality warning labels to gas-fueled stoves sold in Colorado. The yellow label reads: “Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove.” It includes a QR code linking to a Colorado Department of ...
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Fort Lewis College Student Stands Firm After Turning Point USA Chapter Sparks Backlash
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Fort Lewis College Student Stands Firm After Turning Point USA Chapter Sparks Backlash

By Elizabeth Pond | Colorado Politics Before Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn became president of the newly formed FLC Turning Point USA chapter, he described himself as a liberal-leaning atheist. Flynn, a senior studying philosophy and Spanish, gained local and national attention after the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College initially denied his request to start a Turning Point chapter at an Oct. 29 meeting. Outcry from conservative students and community members led to an emergency on Nov. 7 meeting, where the Associated Students decision was reversed. Since then, the 25-year-old has appeared in numerous news outlets, including CBS and Fox News, where he spoke on a panel alongside activist Jack Posobiec. Flynn said he has been heckled on campus and ...
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Colorado’s systems have failed Tina Peters again and again
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s systems have failed Tina Peters again and again

By RMV Editorial Board On December 8, 2025, three events collided in Colorado that no honest observer can dismiss as coincidence. A federal judge dismissed Tina Peters’ habeas corpus petition, admitting she raised “important constitutional questions” about whether a state court punished her for her speech, then refused to consider those questions because of the Younger doctrine. Hours later, Colorado’s Department of Corrections moved Peters into Isolation Detention Observation: twenty-two hours a day in a concrete cell, lights on around the clock, no yard time and a single explanation—“this is for your safety.”  That same afternoon, the United States Department of Justice opened a civil-rights investigation into Colorado’s prisons and youth facilities, citing po...
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