Tuesday, June 25, 2019

'Judges who need reminders' for a thousand, Alex

In a case raising important First Amendment issues for the Internet age, the ACLU of Rhode Island has taken on the defense of a Massachusetts blogger who was ordered by a Rhode Island Superior Court judge to "immediately remove" from his website "any and all posts, blogs, and comments" regarding a person who sued him for libel [warning: health-threatening overuse of large-and-small-caps -EV], without even hearing from the internet publisher.  Considering the court order a classic example of censorship, ACLU of Rhode Island cooperating attorney Lynette Labinger has removed the case to federal court for adjudication.
The injunction also bars the defendant from, among other things, "cyber stalking, cyber bullying, … annoying, … or otherwise interfering with plaintiff," which is unconstitutionally vague, I think, as well as unconstitutionally overbroad.

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