34 Anti-Defamation League It would be hard to find any American who did not want to protect and fight for our First Amendment right to free speech. But it gets complicated when that right collides with other interests, such as ensuring public safety and protecting women’s access to health care. A Massachusetts statute that created a 35-foot buffer zone around entrances to reproductive health care facilities to give patients unhindered access was challenged by anti-abortion protesters as impinging on their freedom of speech. “Havingabufferzoneisn’tsayingyoucan’ttalktopeopleorexpressyour point of view,”says Mintz Levin attorney Chip Phinney, who along with attorneys Rob Buchholz, Sue Finegan, Jeff Robbins, and Rebecca Zeidel filed a Supreme Court amicus brief in the case, McCullen v. Coakley, on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League and a dozen other religious and cultural organizations in November 2013. “It’s just saying, ‘give people some space,’literally and figuratively. It’s a tool of government to use to keep order while respecting people’s rights.” The amicus brief argued that Massachusetts didn’t act out of thin air when creating its buffer zone statute for reproductive health care facilities. As Rebecca notes, the brief shows that buffer zones have been used in different contexts at the local, state, and federal levels, and “courts have relied on case law upholding buffer zones around reproductive health care facilities to evaluate the First Amendment implications for buffer zones for houses of worship and funeral services.” “This was a collaborative effort between ADL’s civil rights department and Mintz Levin,” says Jeff, who also serves on the board of the Anti- Defamation League in New England. “Amicus briefs are tremendously nuanced things. When you’re filing in the Supreme Court, it has to be exacting and sophisticated.” The Supreme Court concluded that the law was content neutral and served legitimate government interests, but also held that the statute was not sufficiently narrowly tailored. The Anti-Defamation League’s National Chair Barry Curtiss-Lusher and National Director Abraham Foxman said in a statement issued after the decision, “We welcome the Court’s unequivocal endorsement of other buffer zone laws and its recognition of the importance of women’s unimpeded access to reproductive health care facilities.” A new statute is already in the works for Massachusetts. Greater Boston PFLAG Greater Boston PFLAG consists of parents, families, and allies of LGBT people, all working together to change attitudes and advance equality and societal acceptance of LGBT individuals. In addition to sponsoring parent support groups and engaging in public advocacy, Greater Boston PFLAG conducts anti-bullying and diversity trainings in schools, religious organizations, and businesses throughout Massachusetts. During the past year, Mintz Levin attorneys Jessica Catlow, Meryl Epstein, Anthony Hubbard, and Patricia Moran and former Mintz Levin attorneys AdamVeness and Martha Zackin have worked with the organization on corporate governance, nonprofit, contract, and employment matters. Guitars Not Guns Using music as a catalyst, Guitars Not Guns helps divert children and teens from self-destructive influences such as drugs, alcohol, and gang-related activities by encouraging them to use their creativity to foster personal development. The Guitars Not Guns program provides free guitars and lessons to at-risk youth, hoping to engage their creative potential. Students who stick with the program and learn some basic songs and music theory participate in public performances and get to keep their guitars so they can continue to develop as musicians. Mintz Levin attorneys David Barmak and Thomas Boisvert, and legal specialist Jacobo Dib, have been assisting the organization at both the national and local Washington, DC area chapter levels. Mintz Levin’s work has included helping with various general corporate matters, including registration of Guitars Not Guns in DC, Maryland, and Virginia; review of a number of contracts; and helping to address and stop another organization from using the Guitars Not Guns name in an ongoing dispute that has helped to maintain the survival of DC Guitars Not Guns.The firm has also helped get“Guitars Not Guns”trademarked by the US Patent and Trademark Office.