Censoring the content of government-subsidized newsletters and other communications between New York state legislators and their constituents does not run afoul of the lawmakers’ right to free speech under the federal or state constitutions, a state appeals court ruled yesterday.
The unanimous, unsigned ruling of the Appellate Division, First Department, dismissed a suit filed nearly five years ago, which accused majority leaders in the Assembly and Senate of impermissibly prohibiting lawmakers from naming legislative leaders, using the words “Democrat” or “Republican,” or expressing negative opinions about legislative matters in constituent communications subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
