No. 1:16-Cv-00025-TDS-JEP
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No. 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS, INC.; CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY; ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND; FARM SANCTUARY; FOOD & WATER WATCH; GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT; FARM FORWARD; and AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS Plaintiffs, v. ROY COOPER, in his official capacity as Attorney General of North Carolina, and CAROL FOLT, in her official capacity as Chancellor of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Defendants, And NORTH CAROLINA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, INC., Intervenor-Defendant. BRIEF AMICI CURIAE OF THE REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND 21 OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT Jonathan E. Buchan N.C. Bar No. 8205 Essex Richards, P.A. 1701 South Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28203 Phone: 704-377-4300 Email: [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae [Full Counsel Listing in Appendix B] Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 1 of 33 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is an unincorporated nonprofit association of reporters and editors with no parent corporation and no stock. American Society of News Editors is a private, non-stock corporation that has no parent. The Associated Press Media Editors has no parent corporation and does not issue any stock. Association of Alternative Newsmedia has no parent corporation and does not issue any stock. First Look Media Works, Inc. is a non-profit non-stock corporation organized under the laws of Delaware. No publicly-held corporation holds an interest of 10% or more in First Look Media Works, Inc. Forbes Media LLC is a privately owned company and no publicly held corporation owns 10% or more of its stock. Freedom of the Press Foundation does not have a parent corporation, and no publicly held corporation owns 10% or more of the stock of the organization. Gannett Co., Inc. is a publicly traded company and has no affiliates or subsidiaries that are publicly owned. BlackRock, Inc., a publicly traded company, owns 10 percent or more of Gannett’s stock. GateHouse Media, LLC is a for-profit Delaware limited liability company (“GateHouse Media”). Ultimate Parent Company (indirect): GateHouse Media is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Investment Group Inc., a Delaware i Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 2 of 33 corporation and New York Stock Exchange publicly-traded company. Parent Company (indirect): GateHouse Media is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Holdings I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (New Media Holdings I LLC is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Investment Group Inc.). Parent Company (direct): GateHouse Media is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Holdings II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (New Media Holdings II LLC is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Investment Group Inc.) The International Documentary Association is a not-for-profit organization with no parent corporation and no stock. The Investigative Reporting Workshop is a privately funded, nonprofit news organization affiliated with the American University School of Communication in Washington. It issues no stock. The National Press Club is a not-for-profit corporation that has no parent company and issues no stock. The National Press Club Journalism Institute is a not-for-profit corporation that has no parent company and issues no stock. National Press Photographers Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization with no parent company. It issues no stock and does not own any of the party’s or amicus’ stock. Online News Association is a not-for-profit organization. It has no parent corporation, and no publicly traded corporation owns 10% or more of its stock. ii Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 3 of 33 POLITICO LLC's parent corporation is Capitol News Company. No publicly held corporation owns 10% or more of POLITICO LLC's stock. Radio Television Digital News Association is a nonprofit organization that has no parent company and issues no stock. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is an unincorporated association of reporters and editors with no parent corporation and no stock. Reporters Without Borders is a nonprofit association with no parent corporation. Society of Professional Journalists is a non-stock corporation with no parent company. The Tully Center for Free Speech is a subsidiary of Syracuse University. iii Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 4 of 33 TABLE OF CONTENTS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT ............................................................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ............................................................................................... v STATEMENT OF INTEREST ........................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT .................................................................................. 1 ARGUMENT ....................................................................................................................... 2 I. Section 99A-2 infringes upon the newsgathering rights of journalists. ................... 2 A. Section 99A-2 unconstitutionally abridges the right to make audiovisual recordings. .................................................................................................................... 4 B. Section 99A-2 is an impermissible content-based restriction. ............................. 7 II. Section 99A-2 chills constitutionally protected reporter-source communications. 9 III. Section 99A-2 hampers the ability of the news media to report on matters of significant public concern. ............................................................................................. 11 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 15 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 7.3 ................................................... 16 APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTIONS OF AMICI ................................................................ A-1 APPENDIX B: FULL COUNSEL LISTING .................................................................. A-7 iv Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 5 of 33 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Am. Civil Liberties Union of Illinois v. Alvarez, 679 F.3d 583 (7th Cir. 2012) .................. 4 Animal Legal Def. Fund v. Herbert, 263 F. Supp. 3d 1193 (D. Utah 2017) ................... 4, 6 Animal Legal Def. Fund v. Wasden, 878 F.3d 1184 (9th Cir. 2018)............................... 6, 8 City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, 475 U.S. 41 (1986) ................................................... 7 Fields v. City of Philadelphia, 862 F.3d 353 (3d Cir. 2017) ............................................... 4 First Nat’l Bank v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765 (1978) ............................................................. 12 Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, 343 U.S. 495 (1952) .......................................................... 4 Midrex Techs., Inc. v. N.C. Dep’t of Revenue, 369 N.C. 250 (2016) ................................ 12 Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214 (1966) ............................................................................. 12 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) ....................................................... 7 New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971) ............................................. 12 Police Dep’t of City of Chicago v. Mosley, 408 U.S. 92 (1972) ......................................... 8 R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, 505 U.S. 377 (1982) ................................................................... 7 Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 135 S. Ct. 2218 (2015) ............................................................ 7, 8 Sorrell v. IMS Health, 564 U.S. 552 (2011) ...................................................................... 11 Stanley v. Georgia, 394 U.S. 557 (1969) .......................................................................... 12 State v. Rankin, 821 S.E.2d 787 (N.C. 2018) .................................................................... 11 Turner Broad. Sys. Inc. v. FCC, 512 U.S. 622 (1994) ........................................................ 7 Turner v. Lieutenant Driver, 848 F.3d 678 (5th Cir. 2017) ................................................ 4 W. Watersheds Project v. Michael, 353 F. Supp. 3d 1176 (D. Wyo. 2018). ...................... 6 W. Watersheds Project v. Michael, 869 F.3d 1189 (10th Cir. 2017) .................................. 5 Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc., 427 U.S. 50 (1976) .............................................. 8 v Case 1:16-cv-00025-TDS-JEP Document 106 Filed 09/03/19 Page 6 of 33 Statutes N.C. Gen. Stat. § 99A-2............................................................................................... 1, 5, 8 Utah Code § 76-6-112 ................................................................................................... 3, 14 Other Authorities Ag-gag Across America, Center for Constitutional Rights (2017), https://perma.cc/W34N-2P3P .......................................................................................... 2 Andy Sher, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam vetoing