Another Blow for IL Anti-Eavesdropping Law

WKMS | By The Associated Press,

Whitney Jones

Published November 27, 2012 at 7:38 AM CST

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to an Illinois anti-eavesdropping law. The high court let stand a lower-court ruling Monday that said the law violates free-speech rights when used against people who tape police in public. Violators of the law face a maximum 15-year prison term. The laws opponents say the right to record helps guard against police abuses. American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Harvey Grossman says the decision sends the case back to U.S. District Court. A federal judge could now make a temporary injunction against the law permanent, and legislators are already making moves to change the law.

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Whitney Jones

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.

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