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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Rights groups back lawsuit challenging US limits on journalists' drone use

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The ACLU, its Washington affiliate and the National Press Photographers Association filed a court brief supporting photographer Rob Levine's lawsuit against the FAA.
  • The restriction, issued during immigration operations in Minnesota, barred journalists from flying drones within specified distances of DHS facilities and mobile assets.
  • The FAA withdrew the nationwide ban in April, but the groups still want a court ruling on whether the original restriction violated constitutional rights.

Civil liberties groups are supporting a lawsuit that challenges a U.S. restriction on journalists flying drones near Department of Homeland Security facilities and vehicles.

The American Civil Liberties Union, its Washington affiliate and the National Press Photographers Association filed a brief in federal court backing Minnesota photojournalist Rob Levine's case against the Federal Aviation Administration. The restriction was issued on January 16, during immigration operations by President Donald Trump's administration in Minnesota.

The FAA restriction forced journalists covering immigration operations to keep their drones on the ground or risk facing criminal charges.

· Scarlet KimThe ACLU lawyer described the practical effect of the challenged restriction.

It prohibited drone flights within 914 meters horizontally and 305 meters vertically of DHS facilities and “mobile assets,” including vehicles used by immigration agents. The organizations said journalists could not reliably know whether they were near an official vehicle because the vehicles could move and were sometimes not marked.

Violations could lead to fines, criminal charges or the loss of a drone operator's license. “The FAA restriction forced journalists covering immigration operations to keep their drones on the ground or risk facing criminal charges,” ACLU lawyer Scarlet Kim said, calling the measure “unacceptable” and “unconstitutional.”

Unacceptable

· Scarlet KimShe used the term to criticize the restriction.

The groups argue that the restriction violated the First Amendment right to document the actions of public officials. Levine filed the lawsuit in March in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The FAA withdrew the nationwide prohibition in April and replaced it with guidance that does not carry the same civil and criminal penalties.

The organizations and Levine are nevertheless seeking a ruling on whether the original restriction was unlawful and violated constitutional rights.

Unconstitutional

· Scarlet KimShe characterized the measure as a violation of constitutional rights.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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