A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Governor is taking to social media to decry social media censorship, after a SCOTUS ruling said Louisiana, Missouri and social media users lacked standing to sue over the federal government’s push for platforms to remove COVID misinformation at the height of the pandemic.
“The Court majority has rubber-stamped a way for the federal government to censor speech that it doesn’t like,” posted Gov. Ron DeSantis to X, regarding the 6-3 ruling in Murthy v. Missouri, which overturned a lower court ruling where the Judge bemoaned the feds’ “Orwellian” tactics.
“The Court is telling would be censors: you can’t directly censor speech but if you pursue a sophisticated plan with enough subtlety you can get away with doing indirectly what the Constitution clearly forbids you from doing directly.”
The majority opinion, authored by Donald Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett, traversed ideological divides as it presented skepticism about the facts presented by the plaintiffs. While Facebook and Twitter removed posts, the Court majority questioned the “traceability” of those removals to the Joe Biden White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The liberal bloc of the court, as constituted by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, was joined by a trio from the conservative wing of the high court. In addition to Barrett, Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh joined them.
Meanwhile, conservatives Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas were on the other side, with Alito authoring a dissent joined by his colleagues.
As a presidential candidate, DeSantis hypothesized about how he could transform the court if elected, while suggesting that even those jurists identified as being on the Right weren’t conservative enough for him.
“Republican appointees are not in lockstep,” DeSantis said in Iowa last year, complaining that Kavanaugh was on the “Left” and Gorsuch was “even worse.”
DeSantis also suggested that when the next President replaces conservative stalwarts Thomas and Alito, picking “good Judges” is not enough.
“As a President, you got to know that we’re going to need justices in the mold of it, Alito, in the mold of Clarence Thomas to replace them and then any other vacancies that may occur, because if you don’t get that right, then you’re moving the court in a more leftward direction.”
DeSantis said he expected to be able to replace up to four Justices if elected President. He said he saw a path to a “7-2” conservative majority on the Supreme Court under ideal circumstances.
However, with Trump making the picks if elected, it’s unclear if even the right selection will prove to be far-right enough for the Governor.
12 comments
Silly Wabbit
June 26, 2024 at 12:30 pm
He kwazy.
Paul Passarelli
June 26, 2024 at 12:36 pm
The article states:
“While Facebook and Twitter removed posts, the Court majority questioned the “traceability” of those removals to the Joe Biden White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
So the evidence that the posts were removed is verified, it’s just a matter or demonstrating that the act was committed under the auspices of a “government mandate”.
Well, I guess we all know what the next batch of Classified Documents out of the Whitehouse will contain…
Hopefully, someday, the truth will be revealed as to how scandalous the Democrat’s behaviour was and is.
PeterH
June 26, 2024 at 2:01 pm
The posts were fabricated wingnut lies. When confronted by the Oval Office with PROOF that the posts were frivolous fabricated lies …… Facebook removed them. The White House NEVER removed the posted lies!
Paul Passarelli
June 27, 2024 at 8:03 pm
you wrote:
“The posts were fabricated wingnut lies. When confronted by the Oval Office with PROOF…”
Well, what you call “PROOF” is something the White House lacks the ability to establish! Thank you for admitting that the White House violated the poster’s First Amendment Rights.
What you fail to understand is that whether the statements were factually correct or in error, the government still lacks justification or lawful ability to censor the data, or to ask someone else to censor it on their behalf. You’re supposed to be a Liberal, and Liberals should kinda understand that basic premise.
Kinda reveals that truth about of which political party is actually run by the Fascists & NAZIS (and it ain’t the GOP).
Wow! That was almost too easy. I know Democrats are stupid, but you fell over your own robes on this one.
SepdaState
June 26, 2024 at 12:45 pm
So, “Republican Judges” and “weaponized judicial system” revealed. Add “lockstep” quote by the Scientologist/Catholic and you got a dog whistle. Fight the Theocracy
Cheesy Floridian
June 26, 2024 at 1:14 pm
DeSantis doesn’t like freedom of speech unless the speech is something he has approved.
President Brandon Diaperfull
June 26, 2024 at 1:41 pm
That would be the Left.
PeterH
June 26, 2024 at 2:02 pm
No actually….. republicans preach freedom but it’s really FREEDUMB!
Ron DiSaster
June 26, 2024 at 2:46 pm
So he’s angry he’s not allowed to spew lies on social media anymore and get away with it? Typical Ron DiSaster behavior.
My Take
June 26, 2024 at 2:55 pm
MAGA wants their lies unchallenged.
So did Big Brother.
MH/Duuuval
June 26, 2024 at 9:23 pm
Classic examples of contemporary censorship by elected officials: Both Dee and Trick Scott publicly ordered state employees not to use the term “climate change.”
Why? Because it hurt their feelings and made them sad and ashamed of being…
MH/Duuuval
June 26, 2024 at 9:59 pm
Dee is showing his authoritarian tendency the most as he whittles away public and media access to governmental records.