Sonja West
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sonjawest.bsky.social
Sonja West
@sonjawest.bsky.social
6K followers 300 following 25 posts
UGA Law Professor (First Amendment, Media Law, U.S. Supreme Court); Free Press scholar; occasional person of interest but rarely official suspect.

https://www.law.uga.edu/profile/sonja-r-west
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sonjawest.bsky.social
Sonja West @sonjawest.bsky.social · Nov 24
“A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.”
United States v. New York Times Company, 328 F. Supp. 324 (S.D.N.Y. 1971)
Reposted by Sonja West
kashana.blacksky.app
We gotta come up with a better system than “everything rests on whether these twelve billionnaires are nice”
February 4, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
bgrueskin.bsky.social
A publisher who lays off a reporter whose pen is freezing because she's covering a frigid war zone while dodging missiles is not an editor you want to work for, in a more perfect world
Pinned lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Aug 19, 2021 Almost three years ago, my editor called me early one November morning. A wildfire had sparked near a town called Paradise, he said. Could I go? (1/13) 0:02 / 0:10 lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 47m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
pressfreedom.bsky.social
“As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is a leading indicator of the condition of a country’s democracy,” said CPJ CEO @jodieginsberg.bsky.social.

Read more on the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort: cpj.org/2026/01/cpj-...
January 30, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
rcfp.org
@rcfp.org's statement on the arrest of independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who were charged with violating federal law while covering a protest inside a Minnesota church.

🔗 Read more: www.rcfp.org/lemon-fort-a...
RCFP's Gabe Rottman: “It’s obviously concerning any time journalists are arrested in connection with their reporting. To our knowledge, it’s unprecedented for the Justice Department to deploy the federal laws it has previously cited in this case against journalistic activity. Historically, the limited number of cases that have been brought against a journalist documenting a protest on private property have been handled as trespass cases at the state level. Those charges are almost always dropped, or if the cases go to trial, the journalists typically prevail.”
January 30, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
brianstelter.bsky.social
Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists reacts to the arrest of Don Lemon: "As an international organization, we know that the treatment of journalists is an indicator of the condition of a country's democracy. The United States is doing poorly."
January 30, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
freedom.press
The FBI’s raid today on the home of @washingtonpost.com reporter @hannahnatanson.bsky.social is an alarming escalation in the Trump administration’s war on the press.

Watch @trevortimm.bsky.social explain how the DOJ is not only attacking the First Amendment but also ignoring federal law.
January 14, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
ugaschooloflaw.bsky.social
Recent Faculty Presentations! Elizabeth Chamblee Burch presented at Yale University, Pamela Foohey presented at the University of Illinois, and Sonja West presented at the University of Chicago, Yale University and Columbia University. www.law.uga.edu/faculty-high...
Graphic shows headshots of the three professors mentioned, a UGA Law logo along with text that says “Faculty Presentations.”
January 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
thomaskadri.bsky.social
Honored! Anyone curious to read the article can find it here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
January 7, 2026 at 2:26 PM
sonjawest.bsky.social
Thanks to @lsolum.bsky.social for naming my piece with @thomaskadri.bsky.social on Deepfake Torts as one of the top ten “Downloads of the Year” for 2025!

legaltheoryblog.com/2026/01/01/d...
Discover Our Latest Articles and Insights on Recent Topics
Explore our latest posts and stay updated with insightful articles covering a range of topics to enhance your knowledge.
legaltheoryblog.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
willbunch.bsky.social
You know what media is NOT bending the knee in the Trump era? College journalists! The Harvard Crimson's brutal takedown of the lecherous ex-prez Larry Summers is just the latest example of students showing a failing 'grown-up' media how it's done

My new column www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...
College journalism exposes the rot of ‘grown-ups’ | Will Bunch Newsletter
Plus a history lesson on the real ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ and fascism,
www.inquirer.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
knightcolumbia.org
Full house for "The Future of Press Freedom in an Era of Democratic Backsliding" panel. Thank you @randersenjones.bsky.social, @attorneynora.bsky.social, @azmatzahra.bsky.social, @joelsimonsays.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, & @sonjawest.bsky.social for joining us to discuss #pressfreedom.
November 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
knightcolumbia.org
📍TOMORROW: A panel of legal experts and journalists discuss how to protect #pressfreedom and support journalists under Trump. Feat. @randersenjones.bsky.social, @attorneynora.bsky.social, @azmatzahra.bsky.social, @joelsimonsays.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, and @sonjawest.bsky.social. RSVP.
November 4, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
thomaskadri.bsky.social
My new piece with @sonjawest.bsky.social is live in the Journal of Tort Law!

Our original 50-state survey of 466 deepfake laws reveals a complex landscape in which lawmakers are experimenting with novel criminal, civil & administrative tools to address deepfakes. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
As deepfake technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and accessible, American lawmakers are responding with a flurry of urgent legislative action to address its potential harms. Our 50-state survey of proposed and enacted deepfake legislation reveals a complex regulatory landscape in which jurisdictions are adopting a range of legal approaches, including criminal punishments, civil remedies, or a combination of methods. We also find that legislators are frequently turning to tort-law frameworks to address the harms of deepfakes. This article explores the current landscape of tort-based regulations of deepfakes. In addition to providing an overview of the most recent legislative developments, we unpack and compare the various tort-law methods arising at the state and federal level. We further consider how lawmakers are modifying existing tort laws to address the unique concerns raised by deepfakes. While individualistic tort remedies allow victims of deepfakes to seek direct recourse through familiar private rights of action, our analysis also identifies practical and conceptual limitations with this approach. Traditional tort frameworks struggle to address key challenges posed by deepfakes, including anonymous creation, viral distribution at technological scale, and harms affecting both individuals and society broadly. In light of these limitations, legislators are innovatively adapting traditional tort concepts—such as standing, mental states, causation, immunities, and remedies—to address deepfakes’ unique characteristics. Yet the very need for these adaptations reveals some of tort law’s shortcomings and suggests a space for complementary regulatory approaches. We consider some potential approaches that could provide this more complete framework, like tort liability for entities that enable deepfake creation and circulation, and civil enforcement mechanisms that empower state actors to vindicate both individual and societal interests. Ultimately, our finding…
October 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
knightcolumbia.org
📌 11/5 EVENT: A panel of legal experts and journalists discuss how to protect #pressfreedom and support journalists under Trump. Feat. @randersenjones.bsky.social, @attorneynora.bsky.social, @azmatzahra.bsky.social, @joelsimonsays.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, & @sonjawest.bsky.social. RSVP.
October 15, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
thomaskadri.bsky.social
Thanks to @lsolum.bsky.social for the generous recommendation of my forthcoming piece with @sonjawest.bsky.social!
September 6, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
lsolum.bsky.social
Download of the Week: "Deepfake Torts" by Kadri & West,, buff.ly/mHVqTbJ - The Download of the Week is Deepfake Torts: Emerging Tort Frameworks in U.S. Deepfake Regulation by Thomas Kadri & Sonja West.
Download of the Week: "Deepfake Torts" by Kadri & West
The Download of the Week is Deepfake Torts: Emerging Tort Frameworks in U.S. Deepfake Regulation by Thomas Kadri & Sonja West . Here is the abstract: As deepfake technology becomes increasingly…
lsolum.typepad.com
September 6, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
hbwhbwhbw.bsky.social
I wrote for the @nytimes.com about the administration’s abandonment of statistics and data in favor of information as an instrument of raw control
Opinion | Trump Fires Officials, but He Can’t Avoid Facts
www.nytimes.com
August 29, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Sonja West
katygb.bsky.social
The essays written for our @knightcolumbia.org "Future of Press Freedom" project with @randersenjones.bsky.social and @sonjawest.bsky.social are now published in an open-access edited volume from @cambup-law.cambridge.org. 26 essays from an incredible group of scholars 👇
August 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
cambup-law.cambridge.org
The Future of Press Freedom: Democracy, Law, and the News in Changing Times eds. @randersenjones.bsky.social of @sjquinney.bsky.social & @sonjawest.bsky.social of @universityofga.bsky.social

Out Now & #OpenAccess

#Politics #LawSky 💙📚

cup.org/3IYbrHA
August 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
sjquinney.bsky.social
We're excited to announce that Professor @randersenjones.bsky.social has published a new book with @sonjawest.bsky.social!
August 1, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
stevevladeck.bsky.social
Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).

It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.

It has written majority opinions in only 3.

Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*
stevevladeck.bsky.social Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Jul 14
Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:
www.supremecourt.gov
July 14, 2025 at 7:38 PM
sonjawest.bsky.social
Also: Bribing public officials is a federal crime, even when you do it in broad daylight.

This will be on the test.
sonjawest.bsky.social Sonja West @sonjawest.bsky.social · Jul 2
Quick First Amendment refresher: The press is supposed to check the government not write checks to the government.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/b...
Paramount to Pay Trump $16 Million to Settle ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
www.nytimes.com
July 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM
sonjawest.bsky.social
Quick First Amendment refresher: The press is supposed to check the government not write checks to the government.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/b...
Paramount to Pay Trump $16 Million to Settle ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
www.nytimes.com
July 2, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Sonja West
jodieginsberg.bsky.social
This is a major blow for press freedom in the United States - a major news outlet caving to groundless threats from the President over coverage www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/b...
Paramount to Pay Trump $16 Million to Settle ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
www.nytimes.com
July 2, 2025 at 11:37 AM