The following was published by The Reporter on July 22, 2026.

Federal Judge Clears Way for Trial in Reporter’s First Amendment Lawsuit Against Delaware County. 

Staff Report

SYRACUSE — A federal judge has ruled that a First Amendment lawsuit between Decker Advertising Inc. and Delaware County will proceed toward trial after finding that key factual disputes must be decided by a jury.

In a 31-page memorandum-decision and order filed July 21, U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci denied competing motions for partial summary judgment filed by Decker Advertising and the county, concluding that a jury must determine whether county officials unlawfully retaliated against The Reporterbecause of its coverage of county government.

The lawsuit, Decker Advertising Inc. v. Delaware County et al., was filed in December 2023 by Decker Advertising Inc., the parent company of The Reporter, a print and digital newspaper based in Delaware County. The complaint alleges county officials violated the First Amendment by retaliating against the newspaper after it published articles critical of county government…