Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by adamtaylor_13 262 days ago
> "I'm glad so-and-so is dead" largely can't be a reason to, say, lose your drivers' license, social security benefits, or government employment, because the First Amendment applies to government specifically.

Unless I'm mistaken, that's not happening. If it is, it's wrong and should be corrected.
1 comments
ceejayoz 262 days ago
In Jimmy Kimmel's case, the FCC chair threatened ABC's broadcasting licensure to pressure them to punish his (very, very mild, incidentally) protected speech.
link
adamtaylor_13 261 days ago
I don't believe that the FCC threatening ABC's broadcasting license has anything to do with free speech. There were murmurs about lawsuits for defamation of character all over Twitter. I'm no lawyer, I don't claim to know if that's even possible.

But it's clear that with the emotional tension of the situation, ABC wasn't about to get itself in legal trouble over a second-rate, late-night show host.

So, while the FCC may have been threatening, we have a legal system designed to prevent such over-steps of power, should they occur. It seems pretty clear ABC wanted no part of the storm that was brewing.

link
ceejayoz 261 days ago
> I don't believe that the FCC threatening ABC's broadcasting license has anything to do with free speech.

Even Ted Cruz is able to see it. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kwzgrwdd0o

And Vance is trying to play it off as a joke now: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5521172-vance-fcc-carr-ki...

> we have a legal system designed to prevent such over-steps of power

That legal system recently immunized the President from the protections.

link