5th Circuit finds Biden White House, CDC violated First Amendment

Peaces@infosec.pub to Technology@beehaw.org – 68 points –
wapo.st

The Court upheld many restrictions on the White House and Surgeon General’s office’s contacts with tech companies, finding that they ‘coerced’ platforms’ content decisions

WP gift article expires in 14 days.

https://ghostarchive.org/archive/E0sEO

14

Guilty for advocating for public health concerns during a pandemic? What sort of insane land has become the US

One where Republicans block all Democrat court appointments, then push through their candidates at high speed when Republicans are in control.

What I can't figure out is why the Democrats can't use similar tactics successfully. This is how we got a Republican Supreme Court.

Somehow they were able to stonewall Obama's nominees for over a year, then pushed through conservative appointees fast enough to give us whiplash - legal problems be damned.

What I can’t figure out is why the Democrats can’t use similar tactics successfully.

"When I am weaker than you, I ask you for freedom because that is according to your principles; when I am stronger than you, I take away your freedom because that is according to my principles."

2 more...
2 more...

To be fair the 5th circuit aren't judges they're Republican political operatives

The judges wrote that the FBI’s activities were “not limited to purely foreign threats," citing instances where the law enforcement agency “targeted” posts that originated inside the United States, including some that stated incorrect poll hours or mail-in voting procedures.

What does foreign threats have to do with this. The FBI deals with domestic terrorists. Does this not fall within the FBI's jurisdiction as well?

A foreign actor's speach isn't constitutionally protected; that's the relevance.

Free speech does not include subversion of the constitutional right to vote or seditious speech. The judges are clearly partisans. I'll wager they are Republican appointees.

Wow its good this article isn't talking about speech like that

Lying about voting locations and dates aren't subverting the constitution? Really? So we only have the constitutional right to vote if we can figure out the real times and locations on our own, and giving false information that causes people to be unable to Vote is all just lulz?

The problem seems to be that the constitution does not say what free speech is and now everyone thinks they are experts on it.

'Coercing' someone to not spread lies and half truths is exactly their job. These judges seem to be either incompetent or crooked. Possibly both.

I believe it does say what Congress is, though, so it should be pretty obvious that the first amendment does not apply to the executive.

Had they not influenced the propagation of insane bullshit, how many more Republicans would be dead right now?

I'm surprised this isn't studied and reported on much now, or at least I haven't seen it. Trump and the Republicans indirectly killed some non-zero number of Americans with misinformation and the general politicization of the pandemic. If we ever experience another pandemic with a virus that is as deadly as ebola but with a longer period of time before symptoms are evident, Republicans are going to kill many more people.