Today, a federal judge blocked HB 2319, a law which makes it a crime to record police officers within eight feet of law enforcement activity, from temporarily going into effect. The following is a statement in response from K. M. Bell, staff attorney for the ACLU of Arizona:
“Today’s ruling is an incredible win for our First Amendment rights and will allow Arizonans to continue to hold police accountable. At a time when recording law enforcement interactions is one of the best tools to hold police accountable, we should be working to protect this vital right – not undermine it. HB 2319 is a blatant attempt to prohibit people from exercising their constitutional right to record police in public and we're glad to see the court take action to stop it from going into effect.”
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