Newsday LLC has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Nassau County, its legislature, and county executive Bruce Blakeman of unconstitutional retaliation, igniting a battle over press freedom.
The heart of the case revolves around allegations that Nassau County officials retaliated against Newsday for its editorial decisions and coverage that they found unfavorable. Newsday claims this retaliation violates their First Amendment rights. The newspaper asserts that since March 2024, Blakeman and other county officials have engaged in a campaign to punish them for their reporting on sensitive political issues, particularly Blakeman's controversial stance on transgender athletes' participation in sports teams. According to the complaint, this campaign included blacklisting Newsday reporters from receiving press advisories and denying them access to public information. Moreover, Newsday alleges that economic harm was inflicted upon them when they were stripped of their designation as the county's official newspaper—a role that had provided significant revenue through publishing government notices.
The legal filing describes how Nassau County’s Legislature passed a local law in June 2024 purportedly granting Blakeman new authority over selecting the county's official newspaper. This move was allegedly part of an orchestrated effort to replace Newsday with the New York Post due to dissatisfaction with Newsday’s critical coverage. The change was made without a public referendum as required by law for such amendments, rendering it invalid according to Newsday’s attorneys. Despite this legal misstep, Blakeman proceeded to recommend the New York Post as the new official newspaper in December 2024—a decision swiftly ratified by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Newsday is seeking several forms of relief from the court: reinstatement as Nassau County's official newspaper based on neutral criteria devoid of content bias; compensatory damages for lost revenue; and coverage of legal costs under civil rights statutes. They argue these measures are necessary to rectify what they see as an abuse of governmental power aimed at suppressing free speech.
Newsday is represented by attorneys Lynn B. Oberlander, David A. Schulz, and Saumya K. Vaishampayan of Ballard Spahr LLP. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case No. 2:25-cv-1297.