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Supreme Court Opinion on Wedding Cake for Same-Sex Couples Provides Cautionary Tale for Public Entities

On June 4, 2018, the United States Supreme Court decided theMasterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case in a 7-2 decision. While this case had the potential to provide new guidance on the complex intersection between the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and the rights of individuals to religious freedom, Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion is narrow and leaves many qu

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Another Court Rules that Consultant Contracts May be Void Due to Conflict of Interest

A school district consultant's services agreements may be void under Government Code section 1090, even though the consultant is not an officer or employee of the school district.

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Court Rules that Trump's Viewpoint-Based Twitter Blocking Violates the First Amendment

In Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al., the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that President Donald J. Trump's act of blocking Twitter users who criticized his policies from the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account violated the users' right to free speech.

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California Supreme Court Limits Employers' Ability to Classify Workers as Independent Contractors

In Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, the California Supreme Court adopted a new test for determining whether a worker should be considered an employee or an independent contractor for the purposes of wage orders adopted by California's Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC).

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California Adds "Nonbinary" Gender Option to Identification Documents, Impacting All Public Entities

On October 15, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 179, known as the "Gender Recognition Act," which adds a "nonbinary" gender option to state driver's licenses, identification cards, and birth certificates.

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When Politics and Walkouts Come to the Workplace: Considerations for Teachers, Superintendents, and Governing Boards

The February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has inspired a groundswell of political activism at K-12 schools across the country. Lozano Smith previously reported on considerations and implications of student activism surrounding this issue.

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School District Policy Prohibiting Active Strikers from Entering School Grounds Violated the First Amendment

A public school district's policies prohibiting picketing and the display of signs and banners on District property violated the free speech rights of picketers and their supporters, the Ninth Circuit has ruled.

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Retiree Work Hour Limitation Suspended for Fire and Mudslide Response Work

Governor Jerry Brown has suspended the 960-hour per year work hour limit for retired annuitants who assist California counties battling fires and mudslides.

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