Katie Townsend

The arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are a danger to all Americans | Theodore J Boutrous, Jr and Katie Townsend We are witnessing a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration’s attacks on the press and a clear threat to first amendment freedoms

New opinion for @us.theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The New York Times sued the Pentagon on Thursday, arguing that the Defense Department infringed on the constitutional rights of its journalists by imposing a set of new restrictions on reporting about the military.

Read more: nyti.ms/44CRJZY

NPR and Colorado public radio stations sue Trump White House NPR and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order seeking to ban the use of federal money for NPR and PBS.

NEWS: NPR and three Colorado public radio stations sue Trump White House over effort to ban federal funding for NPR & PBS

The lawsuit calls Trump's executive order "textbook retaliation" for protected free speech - threatening public radio

My story:

www.npr.org/2025/05/27/n...

Five legal, journalism, communications leaders join SPLC board - Student Press Law Center The Student Press Law Center is pleased to announce that veteran journalist Steven A. Holmes has been elected as chair of the SPLC Board of Directors, and five leaders in media law, journalism and com...

We're thrilled to welcome five new SPLC board members, who will help us strengthen our efforts to promote the rights of student journalists. ➡️ loom.ly/2jX6uMU

Welcome @katiefallow.bsky.social, Charlotte Hampton, Katelyn Polantz, @amysummersnyc.bsky.social and @ktownsend.bsky.social. 🎉

I collaborated with the cool dudes at @status.news on this limited edition shirt to coincide with the WHCD.

50% of proceeds will be donated to the legal defense fund of @rcfp.org.

You (yes, YOU) can buy the shirt here: shop.status.news/products/pro...

A snowy mountaintop in Missoula, MT

A beautiful morning at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. I’m excited to be here speaking to documentary filmmakers about navigating defamation threats & other legal risks. Huge thanks to Doc Shop & the amazing folks at the UCLA Doc Film Legal Clinic for having me!

Leading First Amendment Media Litigator Katie Townsend Rejoins Gibson Dunn as Partner in Los Angeles and D.C. Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Katie Townsend has rejoined the firm’s Litigation and Media, Entertainment, and Technology Practice Groups as a partner in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. ...

I’m thrilled to be rejoining this media and First Amendment litigation powerhouse. I was lucky to be able to start my career at Gibson Dunn and I can’t think of a place I’d rather be at this moment. www.gibsondunn.com/leading-firs...

I plan to continue to support the important work of RCFP in every way possible in the months and years to come, and I hope you do too. Its mission is as critical as ever.

While I’m excited to start a new chapter (more on that soon), I will miss RCFP immensely. It has been a remarkable privilege to work at an organization with a mission I believe in so deeply, and alongside such incredible colleagues . . .

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides free legal guides and resources to help reporters understand their rights.

Some, as they say, personal news: After more than a decade, today is my last day at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press . . . www.rcfp.org

You're going to hear a lot about Altadena, a beautiful, eccentric, really special community that suffered massive losses. If you haven't had a chance to visit, help them rebuild when it's time by coming, supporting local businesses and donating; they don't have the resources some other areas do.

Although that video is available on the district court docket at R. 201, it is cumbersome for the public to access. A member of the public must first contact the Certified Copy Desk, wait for an invoice, pay the invoice, wait for the payment to be processed, and then wait for a URL via email. If, in fact, it becomes more common for district courts and appellate courts to decide cases based on video evidence, it will be imperative to have more easily available public access to those videos. A litigant ought to be able to argue to the court about the ways in which the videos in her particular case are similar to or different from the videos analyzed by courts in other cases. Moreover, a transparent court system requires the public to have easy access to the videos on which courts are relying in granting summary judgment

I really appreciate Judge Rovner, of the 7th Circuit, calling out the lack of transparent public access to federal dockets. It is still far too difficult for litigants, the press, and the public to access court records! It's a serious problem! media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/Opin...

Opinion | How much abuse can a local newspaper reporter take? Republicans claim Tom Lisi’s reporting is lies to promote a liberal agenda. How should he respond?

Glad to see erikwemple.bsky.social writing about this; it’s so often overlooked. Local journalists are facing everything from denials of access to threats and harassment - with far fewer resources to defend themselves than national newsrooms.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Wow. And huh

DKRO leaders also enjoy rare access to Putin himself. One of the few Russian officials privileged enough to play ice hockey with the president is the head of the FSB’s first service, which oversees DKRO, Lt. Gen. Vladislav Menschikov. He personally briefed Putin before and after my arrest, the Journal reported while I was incarcerated. Barely known outside a small circle of Russia analysts, the spy chief previously ran the presidential directorate responsible for Russia’s nuclear bunkers.

His subordinate, who runs DKRO itself—the goateed Lt. Gen Minaev—has a hands-on role in selecting which Americans to arrest, and which Russians to trade them for. Awarded the prestigious Hero of Russia medal for bravery during Russia’s war in Chechnya, he is described by intelligence chiefs who have met him as frighteningly perceptive. “He understands everything about his environment—everything,” said one Western officer who has met him several times. “He knows immediately who is a shark and who is a pussy.” Minaev usually stays in the shadows, but he was present from the beginning to the end of the Aug. 1 swap. I first saw him when I was escorted from the Lefortovo prison onto a gray coach with other prisoners on the morning of the exchange. At 10:30 a.m., Minaev climbed aboard and stood at the front, resting his arms on the backs of two seats on either side of the aisle. He was a representative of the FSB, he announced, and we prisoners were gathered for an exchange. He didn’t give his name.

Just four months after his release from Russian prison, Evan Gershkovich has the lead byline on an incredible story about the ultrasecret Russian agency behind his kidnapping. He and the Journal identified the precise individuals involved. Astonishing. www.wsj.com/world/russia...

RCFP’s 2024 year in review RCFP is prepared for the press freedom fight ahead — just look at what we accomplished in 2024.

In 2024, RCFP attorneys litigated over 60 matters on behalf of journalists and news outlets, bringing cases against city officials, state agencies, the Pentagon, and more.

Read about all of our work defending #pressfreedom in RCFP's year in review.

Federal court blocks enforcement of Indiana’s police ‘buffer zone’ law The ruling “is a huge win for press freedom” in the state — and for the RCFP-led media coalition that challenged the law in court last year.

Huge kudos to my @reporterscommittee.bsky.social colleagues @ktownsend.bsky.social and @graysonclary.bsky.social, who successfully litigated this challenge to Indiana's "buffer zone" law that made it a crime to approach within 25 feet of a cop after being told to stop

www.rcfp.org/indiana-poli...

The journalist can contact the Reporters Committee hotline: hotline@rcfp.org

First Amendment Coalition is another good resource in CA, specifically.

Hard to believe that I’m celebrating my 10th year at the Reporters Committee. I’m so fortunate to have such wonderful and talented colleagues, including @a-marshall-plan.bsky.social who made this amazing illustration of our work over the last 10 years. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Elon Musk’s X reveals investors in court filing A judge ordered Elon Musk’s X to reveal its shareholders, showing who helped with his $44 billion purchase of the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

New: We finally have an official list of the major investors in Elon Musk's X, after a judge ordered it unsealed in response to a motion by @silverman.bsky.social.

They include Jack Dorsey, a16z, a Saudi prince, and of course Sean "Diddy" Combs. Story by Trisha Thadani: wapo.st/3WYQaB5

New Louisiana Law Serves as a Warning to Bystanders Who Film Police: Stay Away or Face Arrest Louisiana is the fourth state to enact a so-called police buffer law, which allows officers to order people to keep their distance. Journalists say the law will make it harder to document when police ...

Today, attorneys at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, representing a coalition of news organizations that work in Louisiana, filed suit to challenge this unconstitutional law.
www.propublica.org/article/loui...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange expected to plead guilty to felony charge A new court filing in a remote U.S. jurisdiction indicates Julian Assange is preparing to plead guilty to a single felony count of violating the Espionage Act.

Breaking news: Julian Assange, the founder of the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks, has reached a tentative deal to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act for his role in obtaining and publishing classified documents in 2010, according to a court filing.

We FOIA'd every federal agency for their ‘Glomar’ responses. Here’s what we learned. An RCFP analysis provides important insights into the federal government’s use of the “Glomar” doctrine to “neither confirm nor deny” the existence of records.

The Reporters Committee FOIA’d every federal agency for their ‘Glomar’ responses. Here’s what we learned:

www.rcfp.org/glomar-denia...

#FOIA #SunshineWeek

Steve Coll discusses collaboration with RCFP attorneys for new book, "The Achilles Trap" “The Reporters Committee was just invaluable to this whole project,” said Steve Coll, author of “The Achilles Trap."

Very proud to have helped Steve Coll obtain material for his new book out today--The Achilles Trap--though FOIA litigation with my colleagues @ktownsend.bsky.social and Gunita Singh at @reporterscommittee.bsky.social. Read all about it! www.rcfp.org/steve-coll-a...

We're headed to the Supreme Court to fight for the public's right to know. Here's why, and how you c... At long last, we have our date in (Supreme) Court. On Feb. 8, the Nebraska Journalism Trust and Flatwater Free Press head to Lincoln to argue that the

When a state agency tried to charge its reporter $44,000 (!) to process a public record request, this Nebraska nonprofit news org fought back. The Reporters Committee is proud to support the Flatwater Free Press in its battle for greater gov’t transparency. flatwaterfreepress.org/were-fightin...

NewsNation journalist Evan Lambert was wrongfully arrested last year covering a press conference by Gov. Mike DeWine about the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The City of East Palestine & Columbiana County are now paying Lambert $80,000 to resolve his federal civil rights claims.

😬🫢 oops!

Reporters Committee Local Legal Initiative expands to Indiana RCFP will hire an attorney to work in Indiana and provide direct pro bono legal support to local journalists and news organizations.

I’m thrilled RCFP is expanding its Local Legal Initiative into Indiana. That means a lawyer dedicated, full time, to pro bono legal support for local enterprise & investigative reporting in the state. We’ve seen what it can do for local journalism in other states; now it’s Indiana’s turn!

LAist’s Josie Huang reaches $700,000 settlement with LA County Attorneys from RCFP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher helped the journalist reach a settlement related to her unlawful arrest while covering a protest in 2020.

Last night, public radio journalist Josie Huang--represented by @reporterscommittee.bsky.social's @ktownsend.bsky.social & lawyers from Gibson Dunn-- reached a $700,000 settlement with LA County & Sheriff’s Department related to her violent and unlawful arrest while covering a protest in 2020

IndyStar, TV stations sue Indiana over 25-foot police buffer law An Indiana law requiring a buffer zone between law enforcement and citizens violates the First Amendment, a new federal lawsuit asserts.

Our legal team @ the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is representing a coalition of Indiana news orgs challenging an unconstitutional state law that interferes with journalists’ rights to gather news and report on law enforcement activity