October 14, 2022

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This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].

The Courts

Politico: 5th Circuit blocks Texas social media law as parties turn to SCOTUS

By Rebecca Kern

.....A federal appellate court temporarily halted Texas’ social media law from going into effect Wednesday while tech trade groups seek review from the Supreme Court — the latest twist in months of legal maneuvers over a statute that could upend the online industry’s business models.

Congress

Politico: Republicans Could Regret Their Own Laws on Think Tank Transparency

By Michael Schaffer

.....“Congress, the executive branch, and the American people deserve to know who’s influencing research and public policy in our country,” is how Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, a co-sponsor of the most stringent recent proposal, put it.

Yet while the proximate controversy, and the subject of Grassley’s bill, involve money from foreign sources, the logic of the criticism is that think tanks have an outsize effect on public policy and the public is therefore entitled to know who’s calling the shots. It’s a logic that doesn’t necessarily stop at the water’s edge.

FEC

Center Square: Smiley campaign hits back at Seattle Times, Starbucks, Seahawks over trademark claims

By Jeremy Lott

.....Washington state’s largest newspaper sent the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate a cease and desist letter.

The Seattle Times’ complaint concerned the Tiffany Smiley campaign’s use of the Times logo and some headlines in one ad. Smiley fired back with a letter of her own, this one to the Federal Elections Commission.

“While unfair and bias reporting and commentary is likely protected by the First Amendment…that speech protection does not apply to providing corporate resources to a campaign,” explained the complaint letter to the FEC by Charlie Spies and Katie Reynolds, co-counsel for the Smiley for Washington campaign. “What is illegal is for [the Seattle Times] to provide its resources to Patty Murray, and her campaign committee People for Patty Murray, while at the same time denying such resources to her opponent.”

Independent Groups

Insider: Sen. Cory Booker said 'there should be no super PACs for anyone,' but now he's raising money for one

By Hanna Kang

.....Democratic Sen. Cory Booker used to hate on super PACs, saying "there should be no super PACs for anyone."

Now, less than a month away from the 2022 midterm election, he's raising money for a super PAC — one led by former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Free Expression

Yale Law School: A Message to Our Alumni on Free Speech at Yale Law School

.....Yale Law School is dedicated to building a vibrant intellectual environment where ideas flourish. To foster free speech and engagement, we emphasize the core values of professionalism, integrity, and respect. These foundational values guide everything we do.

Over the last six months, we have taken a number of concrete steps to reaffirm our enduring commitment to the free and unfettered exchange of ideas. These actions are well known to our faculty, students, and staff, but I want to share some of them with you as well.

Online Speech Platforms

New York Times: Misinformation Swirls in Non-English Languages Ahead of Midterms

By Tiffany Hsu

.....Unsubstantiated rumors and outright falsehoods spread widely in immigrant communities ahead of the presidential election in 2020. That is happening again in the run-up to this year’s midterm elections, researchers say, but with an insidious twist: The social media accounts pushing misinformation are now targeting audiences in more languages on more topics and across more digital platforms, with scant resistance from social media companies.

The States

Must Read Alaska: Backers of Ballot Measure 2 are trying to weasel out of complying with ‘dark money’ provision they helped write

By Suzanne Downing

.....The Outside financiers of Ballot Measure 2, the 2020 law voters passed to make campaign funding more transparent and to enact jungle primaries and ranked choice voting, now want to get around complying with the very law they wrote.

FIRE: FIRE vs. Parks & Rec: FIRE threatens lawsuit after Pennsylvania park officials stop political candidate from collecting signatures in a public park

.....On June 11, the Dauphin County Parks & Recreation Department prohibited a candidate and a board member of his political party from collecting signatures in a public park. The department’s actions are a clear violation of the duo’s First Amendment right to political expression.

The Gazette: Newstrack: Iowa ethics board will require attribution for political texts

By Tom Barton

.....The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board will require "paid for by" attribution statements on some political text messages.

Read an article you think we would be interested in? Send it to Tiffany Donnelly at [email protected]. For email filters, the subject of this email will always begin with "Institute for Free Speech Media Update."

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