Comments on: SCOTUS OVERTURNS 1ST AMENDMENT

By: John Lemon

John Lemon — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

This is unbelievable! I was shocked when I first heard this. There is also a subtext to the reporting on this. As of this moment, MSNBC's "breaking news" headline focuses on the "soft money issue." The story also highlights the "soft money" story in the first several paragraphs, and doesn't mention the ban on political ads until later in the story. While both elements of this decision are horrific (money is a form of free speech*), the latter (i.e., the ad ban) is the more direct assault on the First Ammendment. Indeed, it might be the greatest assault on free speech in recent memory (putting all those people whining about porno filters on libraries to shame -- I know, it will make it hard for bums to do research on breast cancer). Shouldn't the political ad ban be at the top of the story - it packs the bigger (at least more direct) punch? I suppose that the media doesn't mind all that much. * Remember Econ 101 folks. Money is a "store of value" -- i.e., I worked really hard and saved that work to use another time. Giving money to a campaign, party, etc., means that I am volunteering to work for that campaign -- i.e., I'm presenting my stored work value to chip in with announcing my candidates name and policies on a street corner or door-to-door or on the radio! (Liberals will have a hard time with that whole "store of value" thing since money is the root of all evil. Right?)

By: John Lemon

John Lemon — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I forgot to add:

This decision is soooooo outrageous that it almost makes me want to resume blogging.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Say it ain't so!

By: bryan

bryan — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Talk about your enemies of free speech, look at who signed the majority opinion. thomas? No. Rehnquist? No. Scalia? No. It was the left wing of the court who gutted the FA in this instance.

The ad ban is less surprising, given that television and radio have traditionally been given less FA protection. Of course, there were a lot of legal authorities who thought the court was retreating from medium-specific standards for free speech. Apparently, they were wrong.

By: John Lemon

John Lemon — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Yeah... Dang right-wing court! All those conservative ideologues quashing free speech and trampling on the rights of homosexuals.

Oh, wait... that was an old script I was reading from. Sorry.

By: John Lemon

John Lemon — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Breaking News from CNN.com at 1:00 pm CST.

People are getting sick from the flu and this worries some people.

Ted Turner's dollars at work.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Less for him to give the UN, I guess.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Lemon you'd have at least one daily visitor! LOL

By: bryan

bryan — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

It's the end of the semester, gotta be. The work load lightening up a bit. Good to see the Lemon back.

By: Little Miss Attila

Little Miss Attila — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Glad to see Prof. Lemon lurking about.

Absolutely disgusted to see the court dicing and slicing the Bill of Rights.

By: One Fine Jay

One Fine Jay — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Death to the first
Doc J says it all in his post title: SCOTUS Overturns 1st Amendment. From the article he cites, let's look at the usual suspects, shall we?

Justices John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer s...

By: The World Around You

The World Around You — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Campaign Finance Law Upheld
The Supreme Court has upheld major provisions of the McCain-Feingold-Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance legislation in a landmark decision,A sharply divided Supreme Court upheld key features of the nation's new law intended to lessen the influence of money ...

By: Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin'

Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin' — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Well shut my mouth James of OTB posted a most shockin' headline: SCOTUS OVERTURNS 1ST AMENDMENT. And it appears that when it comes to campaigns and campaign contributions, the Constitution receives strict construction no consideration. Appallin', simply appallin'. Here, ...

By: Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin'

Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin' — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

By: Interested-Participant

Interested-Participant — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Supreme Court Upholds Campaign Muffling Finance Law
The SCOTUS ruled that the government may limit campaign contributions today. This is one more absolutely wrong decision made by the current court.

---