Samuel Alito Free Speech Advocate

The lengths that the right wing will go for "free speech" gets a glimpse in
the Washigngton Post's report "Alito Calls Free-Speech Limits 'Dangerous' as Court Considers Cases "

On the one hand his vote could pass the US Political system over to the highest bidders in a gutting of the intent of the  McCain Feingold campaign finance reform law.  (I've never figured out why paid political advertisements which cost millions to produce and distribute qualify as "free speech".) One the other it might protect the free speech of the young man who displayed the sign "Bong Hits 4 Jesus".

Sandra Day O'Connor was the swing vote that's missing this time on campaign finance. Samuel Alito is 180 degrees opposed to Ms. O'Connor on the issue.  Funny since we don't even have a decent system to tell the American public who is behind political donations.  Business donations have gone underground entirely after McCain Feingold and into groups like the Wisconsin Right to Life, anyone who will help keep those neocons in charge in DC.

 But this goes even further.  The right wing free speech advocates even tend to believe that business should be free to make any kind of false claim it wants. I'm not sure if that even means that safety labeling and  controls should be dumped as well.  Their twisted minds are hard to fathom for the rest of us.

Sometimes I revere Ms O'Connor for what she kept away, but she did say in 2000 that she wanted a president like George Bush to hand her chair over to (that was just before or after she voted with the gang of 5 to give the presidency to the man).  She also very apparently gave into pressure from the Bush administration on the timing of her announced retirement that helped put a many who hadn't been a judge for even 4 years in as Chief Justice and didn't make a whimper when her seat was steered to a man.  I'm sure she is getting something in return for that.  And I don't respect her as much as I did 20 years ago.

Excerpt WP article (linked above):

 "I'm a very strong believer in the First Amendment and the right of people to speak and to write," Alito said in response to a question of "where's the line" on what can be posted on the Internet. "I would be reluctant to support restrictions on what people could say."

... 

 Alito's vote is expected to be influential and perhaps decisive in two of the court's biggest cases concerning free-speech restrictions.

One is the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case in which the court is examining whether a principal violated the rights of a student who unfurled that message along a parade route across from the school. It's considered the most important student speech case to reach the court in decades.

 ...

And the court is also deciding a challenge to a part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that says corporations, unions and special interest groups may not name federal candidates in ads broadcast in the run-up to elections. A group called Wisconsin Right to Life says that is an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.

tags: supreme court  samuel alito  

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