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Week of August 30, 2009 - September 5, 2009

Money=Free Speech?


The Supreme Court will interrupt their summer break to decide whether the need to avoid all restriction on speech requires lifting restrictions on politically-funded media torpedoes like "Hillary: The Movie", a 2008 attempt by conservative group Citizens United to discredit Senator Clinton during the presidential primaries. That they are altering their schedule is interesting, suggesting to me that they want to hurry up and overturn the McCain-Feingold provision prohibiting corporations, unions and special interest groups from using money from their general treasuries for "any broadcast, cable or satellite communications" that refer to a candidate for federal office during election season. A lower court ruled against allowing the 90-minute movie to be distributed over cable TV, citing the law.

Former Solicitor-General Ted Olsen, who previously encouraged David Brock to publish known falsehoods against Anita Hill in order to undercut her attack on Clarence Thomas, is going to argue in front of Thomas, Alito, Scalia, Roberts, and Kennedy (the likely majority) that "When the government of the United States of America claims the authority to ban books because of their political speech, something has gone terribly wrong and it is as sure a sign as any that a return to first principles is in order."

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« August 16, 2009 - August 22, 2009 | Home | February 28, 2010 - March 6, 2010 »

Tom Wright

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Musician, Chicago Symphony; photographer, www.digitalskyllc.com

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