MMA webinar to offer guidance for 1st Amendment ‘audits’

A MMA webinar on Oct. 22 will offer protocols for dealing with so-called First Amendment audits and an extended opportunity for questions and answers about them. Speakers include Attorneys Lauren Goldberg (left) and Janelle Austin (right) of KP Law.

An interactive MMA webinar on Oct. 22 will offer protocols for dealing with so-called First Amendment audits and an extended opportunity for questions and answers about them.

Attorneys Lauren Goldberg and Janelle Austin of KP Law will discuss practical tips for calmly communicating with “auditors,” who record interactions with local government officials and post them online. The attorneys will explain how to prepare for audits, report the interactions, and determine follow-up measures.

Goldberg and Austin will also review the implications of the Baron v. Kolenda and Shurtleff v. City of Boston court cases, which reinforce the need to respect First Amendment rights and neutralize uncivilized public discourse.

This session will offer updated guidance, while building upon the content explored in a previous MMA webinar on First Amendment audits, held in January 2023.

The 75-minute webinar will begin at noon. Online registration is available.

Note: This webinar was originally scheduled for Oct. 3. Those who had registered for Oct. 3 are automatically enrolled for Oct. 22, using the same Zoom link. The webinar will be recorded and sent to all attendees.

Only MMA members may register for this webinar. Members include municipal officials from MMA member communities across the state. Media members are not permitted to attend.