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A Government Veto on Speech at the Supreme Court
Reason ^ | 6/26/24 | THOMAS W. HAZLETT

Posted on 06/26/2024 11:47:12 AM PDT by CFW

UPDATE: The Court has issued a 6–3 decision in Murthy v. Missouri, holding that the plaintiffs lack standing.

A case pending at the U.S. Supreme Court stems from the efforts a multitude of federal agencies made to remove certain viewpoints from public view. In other words, they sought to abridge freedom of speech—you know, that thing that the First Amendment explicitly bans.

The case, Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden), may support or overturn the 5th Circuit's ruling that the government violated the First Amendment to reduce the circulation of viewpoints that various agencies believed noxious. This included, the court noted in its decision, controversies surrounding the "COVID-19 lab-leak theory, pandemic lockdowns, vaccine side-effects, election fraud, and the Hunter Biden laptop story."

[snip]

Consider one of the most colossal censorship errors ever made in a free, democratic republic. In 1934, Winston Churchill's speech condemning "the danger of ignoring German rearmament" aired over the national radio system, the BBC. Churchill was then silenced—for six years the BBC barred his appearance. Only in 1940, when Hitler was marching through Europe, World War II had come to England's doorstep, and Winston Churchill was prime minister would his anti-Hitler message again be heard on the nation's airwaves. Whatever the chances that Churchill's plan of a tough-minded, preemptive move to block Adolf Hitler may have averted the "gathering storm," the tens of millions who died in the horrors of World War II would never know.

By suppressing his speech, the BBC's censors—the disinformation board of its time—likely contributed to carnage. In lieu of saving face for officials running the policy show, the lower-risk path would be to let competing viewpoints bloom. It's the profound gift of a rule prohibiting government's veto power over free speech.

(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: constitution; firstamendment; murthy; scotus
A bit of censorship history in the above article.

Censorship can change world history...with disastrous results.

1 posted on 06/26/2024 11:47:12 AM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW; CottonBall; spacejunkie2001; Bshaw; ptsal; 11th_VA; Reno89519; newfreep; frogjerk; OneVike; ...

I thought those on the SCOTUS ping list might find this article interesting.


2 posted on 06/26/2024 11:47:53 AM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

Pretty sad...


3 posted on 06/26/2024 11:50:11 AM PDT by Democrat = party of treason
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To: CFW

Isn’t it incredible how Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave,’ written 2404 years ago, remains profoundly relevant today?


4 posted on 06/26/2024 11:52:03 AM PDT by jroehl (And how we burned in the camps later - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - The Gulag Archipelago)
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To: CFW

bttt


5 posted on 06/26/2024 12:06:03 PM PDT by Pajamajan (Pray for our nation. Pray for President Trump. Never be a slave in a new Socialist America.)
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To: CFW

If you want to impeach scotus members for bad behavior, this is it.


6 posted on 06/26/2024 12:08:01 PM PDT by DownInFlames (P)
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To: CFW

and now you know how the nazis came to power


7 posted on 06/26/2024 12:08:19 PM PDT by joshua c
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To: CFW

Thanks!


8 posted on 06/26/2024 12:35:14 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator
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To: CFW

There is no ruling. It’s about standing.


9 posted on 06/26/2024 12:52:25 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

“There is no ruling. It’s about standing.”


Actually, there is a ruling, but the ruling is about standing. The Court stopped at that point and made no determination as to the merits of the case.

Alito’s dissent, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch is worth reading. The dissent begins at page 35.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-411_3dq3.pdf


10 posted on 06/26/2024 1:33:43 PM PDT by CFW
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To: Sacajaweau

Thank you for the sensible observation-a lack of standing means it has to be presented another day in another way-the sky is not falling over this-it just needs a re-do with more attention to the proper protocol...


11 posted on 06/26/2024 1:34:54 PM PDT by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: CFW

2025

Missouri uses eminent domain power to take over physical internet in state to provide uncensored wideband capability to state residents.


12 posted on 06/26/2024 1:56:02 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: CFW

December 2024

Missouri officials have chats with ISPs.

Works both ways.


13 posted on 06/26/2024 1:57:48 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: CFW

2025

Jefferson City

Big Tech in Missouri to get chopped to pieces.

Office space search picks up in St. Louis suburbs.

Missouri shows Big Tech who is really the boss.


14 posted on 06/26/2024 2:04:03 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: CFW

2025

Sacramento

State revenue forecasts revised downward.


15 posted on 06/26/2024 2:06:23 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Texan5

Baloney. This ruling is like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end.


16 posted on 06/26/2024 4:50:16 PM PDT by ohioman
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