⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

Michael Jackson, a retired West Virginia police officer, says people-search websites made his home address and unpublished phone number available online without permission. He filed five related class-action suits under West Virginia's Daniel's Law. That law lets certain current and former justice-system officials seek damages for disclosures that would expose someone to harassment or risk of harm. It also has a separate written-request process for taking information down; a damages claim does not require that request first. A federal judge dismissed Jackson's suits, ruling that the damages provision violates the First Amendment because it can penalize publication without first notifying a publisher that the information is protected. Jackson asks the Fourth Circuit to restore his claims; the companies will defend the dismissal. The judges will consider whether this safety rule is narrow enough to survive strict scrutiny, the demanding test for speech restrictions based on their content. Philip Fraietta of Bursor and Fisher will speak first for Jackson.

Michael Jackson v. Thomson Reuters America Corporation (No. 25-2121) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.