GOP goons push to overturn landmark free speech law
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Billionaire Republican donor Steve Wynn has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court against the Associated Press and reporter Regina Garcia Cano in an attempt to overturn the court’s landmark 1964 case, New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which protects the press from frivolous defamation lawsuits from public figures. Wynn has donated tens of millions of dollars to elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans over the years. In 2018, Garcia Cano reported on sexual assault allegations against Wynn, who rose to prominence as a casino mogul in Las Vegas. The Wall Street Journal also reported that dozens of people had accused Wynn of sexual misconduct. Wynn ultimately resigned from his role on the Republican National Committee. Sullivan, which has been the law of the land for more than fifty years, says that a publication is protected by the First Amendment even if it publishes a false statement about a public figure—as long as it was not done with “actual malice.” U.S. Supreme Court If the conservative court were to overturn this law, it would give a boost to Trump, who has long expressed hostility toward reporting that is unfavorable to him. Trump has even sued multiple news outlets for accurate reporting and has received settlements from companies like Disney, which owns ABC News. Conservatives have frequently and inaccurately described news reports as “liberal media” when they are critical—albeit factually correct—of Republicans, and reversing six decades of settled constitutional law has been a long-term goal of the right. The attack on Sullivan comes during another wave of right-wing anger at the media for doing its job. A report from the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by conservative media mogul and Trump ally Rupert Murdoch, uncovered racist social media posts from DOGE staffer Marko Elez, who was part of the Elon Musk-led coup at the Treasury Department. Elez resigned after the report was released, but Vice President JD Vance said that he should be reinstated. “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that,” Vance wrote on X. The “kid” in question is a 25-year-old man who wrote things like “I was racist before it was cool” and “normalize Indian hate.” Trump later agreed with Vance’s push for reinstating Elez’s employment. Musk is currently conducting an online poll of his most adoring fans, asking whether they think Elez should be reinstated. And in a related post, Musk amplified an attack against the Wall Street Journal reporter who uncovered the incendiary posts. “She’s a disgusting and cruel person. She should be fired immediately,” he wrote. The conservative movement does not like accurate and honest journalism, but rather believes that it should be sued out of existence. Unfortunately, the current majority of the Supreme Court has a recent track record of giving in to Trump, and now the First Amendment could be next on the chopping block. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/7/2302170/-GOP-goons-push-to-overturn-landmark-free-speech-law?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
Billionaire Republican donor Steve Wynn has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court against the Associated Press and reporter Regina Garcia Cano in an attempt to overturn the court’s landmark 1964 case, New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which protects the press from frivolous defamation lawsuits from public figures. Wynn has donated tens of millions of dollars to elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans over the years. In 2018, Garcia Cano reported on sexual assault allegations against Wynn, who rose to prominence as a casino mogul in Las Vegas. The Wall Street Journal also reported that dozens of people had accused Wynn of sexual misconduct. Wynn ultimately resigned from his role on the Republican National Committee. Sullivan, which has been the law of the land for more than fifty years, says that a publication is protected by the First Amendment even if it publishes a false statement about a public figure—as long as it was not done with “actual malice.” U.S. Supreme Court If the conservative court were to overturn this law, it would give a boost to Trump, who has long expressed hostility toward reporting that is unfavorable to him. Trump has even sued multiple news outlets for accurate reporting and has received settlements from companies like Disney, which owns ABC News. Conservatives have frequently and inaccurately described news reports as “liberal media” when they are critical—albeit factually correct—of Republicans, and reversing six decades of settled constitutional law has been a long-term goal of the right. The attack on Sullivan comes during another wave of right-wing anger at the media for doing its job. A report from the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by conservative media mogul and Trump ally Rupert Murdoch, uncovered racist social media posts from DOGE staffer Marko Elez, who was part of the Elon Musk-led coup at the Treasury Department. Elez resigned after the report was released, but Vice President JD Vance said that he should be reinstated. “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that,” Vance wrote on X. The “kid” in question is a 25-year-old man who wrote things like “I was racist before it was cool” and “normalize Indian hate.” Trump later agreed with Vance’s push for reinstating Elez’s employment. Musk is currently conducting an online poll of his most adoring fans, asking whether they think Elez should be reinstated. And in a related post, Musk amplified an attack against the Wall Street Journal reporter who uncovered the incendiary posts. “She’s a disgusting and cruel person. She should be fired immediately,” he wrote. The conservative movement does not like accurate and honest journalism, but rather believes that it should be sued out of existence. Unfortunately, the current majority of the Supreme Court has a recent track record of giving in to Trump, and now the First Amendment could be next on the chopping block. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/7/2302170/-GOP-goons-push-to-overturn-landmark-free-speech-law?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main