ACLU files lawsuit over Puerto Rico fake news laws

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit over Puerto Rico ‘fake news’ laws. ACLU claimed that the two laws passed in 2017 and 2020 violate the First and 14th Amendments and leave journalists in a vulnerable position to report on the COVID-19 crisis. ACLU is representing two journalists, Sandra Rodríguez Cotto and Rafelli González-Cotto. They are both challenging provisions of the bill that criminalize false alarms and transmission of false information during emergencies arguing that the provisions are vague and violate constitutional right to free speech and free press.