Email from The Institute for Free Speech The Latest News from the Institute for Free Speech December 20, 2024 Click here to subscribe to the Daily Media Update. This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Ed. note: The Daily Media Update will return in January. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! In the News RealClearPolitics: How the Left Will Defend Its Censorship Regime Against Trump By Bradley Smith .....To ensure the success of Trump’s free speech agenda, the right must anticipate and prepare for the left’s inevitable attacks. Fortunately, their methods are not hard to predict. In fact, Democrats tipped their hand during the campaign. Back when the party’s out-of-touch leadership thought Kamala Harris would propel them to victory, they set about making plans to silence opposition to their agenda once in office. At the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Chuck Schumer promised sweeping changes to elections, voting, and campaign finance if Democrats won control of Congress and the White House. All of these efforts would slant the political playing field further in the left’s favor. Among the bills was legislation that would strip Americans of their privacy when supporting nonprofit groups that speak out on hot button issues like abortion, crime, the border, or extreme gender politics. The importance of this provision should not be underestimated. The left calls it “transparency” when they publicly expose a private citizen’s personal information, including their name and home address, but Americans know it better as doxxing. They also know the purpose is not good government, but power politics. Exposing donors allows the left to build enemies’ lists and harass anyone who backs the “wrong” cause. NH Journal: NH Judge Sides With Nashua on Banning Pine Tree Flag By Damien Fisher .....The City of Nashua did not violate the First Amendment when it rejected resident Beth Scaer’s application to fly the Pine Tree “Appeal to Heaven” flag at city hall, a federal judge ruled this week. But a free speech organization representing Scaer says the fight is far from over. Magistrate Judge Talesha Saint-Marc issued a report on Monday to Chief District Judge Landya McCafferty recommending the court deny Scaer’s request for an injunction against the city. Scaer was seeking the preliminary injunction to prevent Nashua officials from denying their flag permit applications, or closing down the public flag program. After being slapped with a lawsuit over free speech violations for refusing to allow Scaer to fly the historic Pine Tree Flag, Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess quietly pulled down the city’s flagpole policy entirely. Nathan Ristuccia, an attorney with Institute for Free Speech representing Scaer, called Saint-Marc’s report disappointing, but added it’s not the final word in the case. He plans to file objections to Saint-Marc’s report in the coming days. Supreme Court Washington Examiner: Mitch McConnell pleads with Supreme Court to reject TikTok appeal By Jenny Goldsberry .....Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in favor of Congress’s ban on TikTok. The Senate Majority leader voted to ban TikTok from U.S. app stores beginning Jan. 19, 2025. This pending ban attempts to pressure Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell the social media platform. The ban was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April. “TikTok clearly hopes that the next administration will be more sympathetic to its plight than the incumbent administration. In other words, delay is the point,” McConnell wrote in his brief, referring to President-elect Donald Trump. The Courts Tampa Free Press: Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Florida Abortion Rights Ad By Leslie Bolden .....A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a political committee after state officials threatened TV stations airing an ad in support of a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s Constitution. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the dismissal order on Tuesday after the committee, Floridians Protecting Freedom, decided to drop the case. The lawsuit, filed in October, sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Florida Department of Health, which had sent letters to broadcasters claiming the ad constituted a public “health nuisance.” Hollywood Reporter: Filmmakers Sue to End “Unconstitutional” Permitting Rules to Shoot in National Parks By Winston Cho .....Two filmmakers are suing to overturn government guidelines requiring a permit to film in national parks. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Wyoming federal court, Alexander Rienzie and Connor Burkesmith challenge the constitutionality of federal permit and fee requirements on First Amendment grounds. They accuse National Park Services of censoring speech by requiring advance permission to film commercial content. In a statement, Burkesmith stressed that “independent filmmakers don’t have the resources of the big production companies.” He added, “It’s a gut punch every time we throw down hundreds of dollars, only to be denied permits for reasons that are vague, arbitrary and unfair. As someone who needs to film outdoor sports where they happen, it’s a threat to my livelihood.” Free Expression New York Times: Surveilling Speech Won’t Increase Birthrates By Jessica Grose .....President Vladimir Putin of Russia recently signed a bill into law that will fine anyone who is promoting “child-free propaganda.” Meant both to shore up “traditional values” and to increase Russia’s tanking birthrate, it stipulates that any individual found to be disseminating such “propaganda” may be subject to fines of up to about $4,000; considering the average monthly Russian salary as of 2023 was around $800, that’s a frightening potential penalty. Companies could be fined up to about $50,000. This law joins other Russian legislation that attaches fines to expressions of support for the “international L.G.B.T. social movement,” such as posting a rainbow flag online. The new law gives no clear examples of what “child-free propaganda” could mean. Would a single, childless Russian movie character enjoying his life be against the rules? Would a woman writing on a message board about struggling with postpartum depression be verboten? Would a parent making a video about how difficult it is to make ends meet on the aforementioned low monthly salary be penalized? … Perhaps I am being paranoid, but it makes me nervous to think about the way any government could clamp down on speech like this. The ever-growing claims of artificial intelligence’s ability to parse text, for instance, could be used to chill free speech and expression, and accelerate this trend. We already have examples of our government urging the media to downplay or remove information. Donor Privacy People United for Privacy: Anonymous Donors are Unsung Heroes of the Holiday Season By Luke Wachob .....Famed children’s TV host Mr. Rogers once said that his mother reacted to frightening stories in the news by telling him, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Everywhere you look, people are doing good for their families, friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers. They give out of a desire to bring happiness to others, to share their good fortune with those who haven’t been so lucky, and to help create a better world for everyone. Many do not seek the spotlight but, in fact, go out of their way to avoid glorifying themselves through acts of charity. But Mama Rogers was right: if you look for them, you will always see the helpers. The holiday season brings out a particularly generous spirit in many people. From feeding the hungry, to providing toys for children, to finding new homes for cats and dogs, and everything in between, anonymous donors are giving back in force and spreading holiday cheer. Candidates and Campaigns Common Dreams: James Zogby Launches Bid for DNC Leadership With Pledge to Take on 'Dark Money' By Jake Johnson .....Longtime Democratic National Committee member James Zogby formally launched his candidacy for DNC vice chair on Thursday, citing the urgent need for internal party reform in the wake of the disastrous 2024 election… Eliminating dark money from Democratic primaries is one of five points on Zogby's platform, which also includes changes to ensure "accountability and transparency" with the DNC's finances, building the "organizing capacity" at the state and local levels, and "increasing Democratic Party membership." … On his website, Zogby writes that the massive influx of dark money into Democratic primaries is "something that we and our state parties can regulate or call out." "Democratic voters should decide who wins our primaries, not outside groups," he added. The States Cleveland.com: Ohio legislature votes to ensure ‘medical free speech’ — but not worm medicine for off-label use By Cliff Pinckard .....A bill the state legislature approved in the final hours of the lame-duck legislative session this week would protect “medical free speech” and prohibit regulatory boards from disciplining medical experts for “expressing a medical opinion that does not align with the opinions” of health authorities. New York Times: Trump Sues The Des Moines Register, Escalating Threats Against the Media By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Maggie Haberman, David Enrich and Alan Feuer .....President-elect Donald J. Trump sued The Des Moines Register for running a poll before the election that showed him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris, escalating his threats to seek retribution against the mainstream media and his political enemies. New York Post: By denying Adams funds, the undemocratic Campaign Finance Board is election-meddling By Post Editorial Board .....The unelected city Campaign Finance Board just denied Mayor Adams access to more than $4 million in matching funds for his reelection fight — showing yet again the profoundly undemocratic nature of New York’s public-campaign-finance system. The board declared Adams ineligible to receive public monies on the strength of alleged crimes and corruption, yet his trial on federal charges — and thus any factual finding of guilt — won’t even start until April. And those charges themselves sure look like they’re motivated by politics (i.e. payback to Adams for challenging President Biden on the border crisis). Yes, when it comes to the public fisc, even the appearance of impropriety is supposed to be a big no-no. And Adams can appeal the decision; he still has millions in his war chest; etc. etc. But this is at least a serious wound to his candidacy. 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