“A federal judge has struck down an Ohio state law that allows the government to regulate political falsehoods.
“In a Thursday decision, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black sided with the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List against the Ohio Elections Commission in a lawsuit over the commission’s right to regulate and censor political speech that it deems false.
“’We do not want the government (i.e., the Ohio Elections Commission) deciding what is political truth — for fear that the government might persecute those who criticize it. Instead, in a democracy, the voters should decide,’ Black wrote in a decision that orders the state to stop enforcing its falsehood law.”
Cenk Uygur (http://www.twitter.com/cenkuygur), Ben Mankiewicz (http://www.twitter.com/BenMank77), Michael Shure (http://www.twitter.com/michaelshure) and John Iadarola (http://www.twitter.com/JIadarola) break it down on The Young Turks.
* Read more here from Politico http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2014/09/judge-strikes-down-ohio-law-on-election-lies-195333.html
Comments
I totally agree with Cenk. Campaign lies are not the problem; unlimited donations that sponsor those lies are. I’m uncomfortable with the government deciding what truth is, having the power to limit free speech in that way.