Scott A. Leadingham

Detectives investigating a homicide stumbled upon a Spokane County deputy accused of trading pills and sexting at work, records say A man accused of murder and kidnapping a woman he chained up in his basement in Pend Oreille County had texted about trading prescription pills with a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy who was his neigh...

Every sentence in this had me thinking, surely this will be the most surprising and shocking detail here, and without fail, the next sentence had something else in store! Kudos to @alexdugganreports.bsky.social for reporting it.
www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...

Lying Is Protected by the First Amendment, but Fraud Isn't. Here's Why The First Amendment broadly protects freedom of speech, but fraudulent statements often fall outside its scope.

Lying is (largely) protected free speech, though perjury and defamation are not. Also not protected: fraud. Here's how it's different, and why the First Amendment's broad protection for false speech doesn't extend to fraud. #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/fraud-first-...

Kudos to @merrywanderer.bsky.social + @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social and all at Range for this. A difficult and complicated story to pursue for many reasons. Explaining why they did the story - and how (complete with questions asked) - is solid "show your work" journalism that helps built trust. ⬇️

Look, the WBC is nice and all, but please forgive me for not caring in the least about it. In baseball I care about one and only one thing: living long enough to see the gosh darn Seattle Mariners win a World Series. Anything that distracts from this critical mission is, well, a distraction.

ICE has spun a massive surveillance web. We talked to people caught in it The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Border Patrol, is using a broad web of surveillance tools — purchased as its budget has ballooned under this administration — to monitor, ap...

Good quote from ACLU person: "The ability to criticize the government anonymously is baked into our First Amendment rights. Technically speaking, there's nothing the government should be able to do to them, but that doesn't mean the government's not going to try." #1A ⬇️
www.npr.org/2026/03/04/n...

Can You Protest Inside or Near a Church? First Amendment Analysis We answer some First Amendment questions around protesting inside — and near — churches and houses of worship.

DOJ announced 30 more people would face charges for January protest at Minnesota church that saw Don Lemon arrested. A reminder of what First Amendment does and does not protect for protesters and press rights in houses of worship #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/protesting-a...

Transgender youths are targeted in Scouting America changes pushed by the Pentagon Scouting America says it’s keeping its new name and preserving its service to the 200,000 girls who participate in its programs following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement it’s altering se...

Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) had co-ed elements for 50+ years (Explorers, Sea Scouts, Venturing). Den Mothers + troop leaders are women. Any claim that Scouting became open to "non-boys" in past few years isn't, to quote first point of Scout Law, "trustworthy."
apnews.com/article/scou...

Having not followed this closely, it seems ripe for an attractive nuisance lawsuit...right? Seems like the city would mitigate risk on that basis (not to mention the actual danger to people).

The Pentagon's newly appealed case against Mark Kelly brings up many questions about First Amendment rights for military members (including retirees), which are addressed here #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/first-amendm...

Pentagon appeals order blocking Sen. Mark Kelly's punishment for call to resist unlawful orders Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is appealing a judge’s order that blocks him from punishing Democratic Sen.

Not surprisingly, the Pentagon is appealing a federal judge's ruling that blocked the demotion case against Sen. Mark Kelly on First Amendment grounds.
apnews.com/article/pent...

I'm like a year late to this, but: "Twinless" is a great movie + should have won way more awards (especially for Dylan O'Brien). One complaint is cast mispronouncing Moscow, Idaho (moss-CO, not "cow" like Russia), and not sure if that's intentional.

4.6 / 5 would watch again

Jawboning: What Is It, and Does It Violate the First Amendment? Jawboning sometimes violates the First Amendment, but courts continue to identify appropriate or illegal uses of government authority.

What is jawboning? Sounds like a dental procedure. But it's a big First Amendment issue (example: Jimmy Kimmel's ABC show being suspended + FCC pressure). Here's what to know #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/jawboning/

Worth remembering: We got to this point in the Epstein story due to diligent investigative reporting done by a journalist working for a "legacy" newspaper who had editors -- who all considered and followed tenets of journalism ethics. Kudos to @jkbjournalist.bsky.social and Miami Herald.

First Amendment Rights in the Military Members of the military have many of the same First Amendment rights as civilians, but there are some limits to those freedoms.

The case of Sen. Mark Kelly highlights questions of First Amendment rights of military personnel, including retirees.

How can people who fight for others' right to religion, speech, press, assembly + petition have their own rights limited?

Some answers #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/first-amendm...

DOJ drops charges against 2 men accused of assaulting ICE officers in Minneapolis, citing new evidence "inconsistent" with complaint A judge dismissed charges against two men charged with assaulting ICE officers after the Justice Department said "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent" with the allegations.

DOJ drops charges against two men, one shot, for assaulting ICE officers in Minnesota, citing "newly discovered evidence" that was "materially inconsistent" with what federal agents said happened
www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-dro...

I have many great memories and stories (and rough next mornings) from Volume. Was such a great event for the city!

Worth a read from @leahsottile.bsky.social, who frames journalism pay/industry issues well (and who Spokanites have to thank for helping launch Volume Music Festival). ⬇️

Reminders:
1) The First Amendment protects hate speech and whatever else kind of speech this is (absent true threats, etc.)
2) The Fifth Amendment protects people from being imprisoned because of their sex.
3) The person who said these things had dinner with Donald Trump at his private club.

That one gave me a hearty chuckle/gasp/chortle.

Also, the presence of so many exclamation points in this opinion does not bode well for defendants. (!!!!!)

Order in Mark Kelly case US District Court DC

Judge rules in Mark Kelly’s favor, saying Sec. Pete Hegseth “trampled on [Kelly’s] First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees," for response to a video with fellow lawmakers last year. #1A ⬇️
Ruling: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Trump Sues the BBC: First Amendment Analysis Here's what you need to know about the First Amendment issues implicated in the Trump v. BBC lawsuit.

President Trump is suing the BBC in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit. A US judge has scheduled the trail for next year. Here's a helpful First Amendment analysis of what's up with the case + what Trump would have to show to win #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/trump-bbc-la...

Not even sure what I'm supposed to be taking from this chart, but I am hoping Captain Planet somehow emerges from the combined powers of...trend lines representing completely different cities that are in no way peers?

Much has been and will be said about Green Day's Super Bowl set (and whether there was or was not "censorship"), but let's not overlook that the NFL knowingly trotted out all these retired quarterbacks, led by Peyton Manning + Tom Brady, to take the stage during...American Idiot. *chef's kiss*

I Had a Dream Journalism Job. Here's Why I Quit. The rot that hollowed out trust in corporate media finally reached OPB. I had to go.

"The OPB on your coffee mug, or on your window sticker, might not be the exact place you think it is."

This week, we're telling you why we started the @thewesternedge.bsky.social. Today read @ryanjhaas.bsky.social's devastating essay about local media:

www.thewesternedge.media/p/i-had-a-dr...

All I know is no list is complete without Bobby Ayala...'s goatee. Say what you will about his pitching (and window punching), the man knew how to harness 90's facial hair culture for promotional purposes.

Joon Lee on the Future of Sports Journalism 2012 Free Spirit Scholar Joon Lee spoke with Freedom Forum about how his YouTube channel aims to do sports journalism differently.

Journalist @joon.bsky.social found a new path after being laid off from ESPN. My colleague writes about Joon's upbringing in Boston and his path from youth athlete to covering athletes, and how a high school journalism conference helped. Worth a read! ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/joon-lee-spo...

Recording Law Enforcement: First Amendment Right or Arrestable Offense? Is recording law enforcement protected by the First Amendment or an arrestable offense? Here's everything to know.

In the news of late: people recording law enforcement (especially in Minnesota) and sometimes being arrested/detained in the process. So the question: Is it always a First Amendment right to record police? What are the legal limits? Some answers #1A ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/recording-la...

I’ve Been Laid Off. I’m Not Done. After 20 years at The Washington Post, I’m suddenly on my own — and still writing about books.

From the Washington Post's recently laid off books critic:

"Honestly, the worst aspect of this impoverishing, family-wrecking, confidence-crushing ordeal is that it will inspire David Brooks to write an essay about the hubris of American media." ⬇️⬇️⬇️
roncharles.substack.com/p/ive-been-l...

Are Non-Citizens Protected by the First Amendment? Are non-citizens protected by the First Amendment? The answer isn't as clear-cut as you may think. Here's everything to know.

An article and question that's been quite relevant the past year: Does the First Amendment protect non-citizens?

Answer: Sort of depends. Not a clear-cut yes/no cleanly answered by Supreme Court. #1A MORE ⬇️
www.freedomforum.org/non-citizens...