I’m a big fan of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, especially the clause about freedom of the press. Part of my interest is self-serving; I’ve been writing about horses since before Secretariat won the Triple Crown. More important, though, is the role journalists play in keeping tabs on government and business. It’s an important job, and someone has to do it.

Laura Leigh is a photojournalist who covers the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse roundups for Horseback Magazine. Leigh’s efforts have been stymied by BLM efforts to limit press access to the roundups, and in September 2010 she filed a lawsuit in federal district court alleging a violation of her First Amendment rights. Leigh also filed motions asking for immediate relief, seeking “unrestricted access” to the roundups of horses from the Silver King Herd Management Area.

After the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, part of our government’s justification for the Patriot Act and other laws that eroded a variety of our rights was this: if you don’t have anything to hide, you shouldn’t complain about the government snooping around in your business.

What’s good for the goose (us) should be good for the gander (them)