For another, DeSantis — the man who signed back-to-back abortion bans into law here — has thrown the full force of the state government behind coordinated efforts to tank the measure. Read more at Rolling Stone
What the First Amendment does is leave matters like that to the public marketplace of ideas,” Stafford said, “not the whims of a government censor.” The decision Walker handed down on Tuesday extends an Oct. 18 order barring state officials from “trampling” on the free speech rights of those they disagree with. “The government cannot … Read more
A lawyer for the Florida Department of Health would not rule out criminal charges stemming from a round of cease and desist letters that were sent by the agency to stop a TV ad promoting this year’s abortion access ballot initiative. Read more at Politico
But Florida stands out for how DeSantis is deploying multiple levers of power within his administration to discredit the amendment and even block political speech about it. While courts have pushed back on some of those efforts, they amount to the most sweeping and brazen government-funded campaigns opposing an abortion ballot measure this election cycle. … Read more
A former Florida Department of Health attorney said in a sworn affidavit that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) office’s top deputies drafted the letters threatening TV stations with criminal prosecution for airing ads that advocated for the passage of an abortion rights ballot measure, and directed him to send them to the stations. The letters from … Read more
Anti-abortion groups could also test the limits of shield laws in more indirect ways. In Texas, says John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life, pro-abortion groups have put up billboards advertising abortion pills: “You can go to people putting up the billboard. That’s aiding and abetting.” His group has also encouraged Texas lawmakers … Read more
“To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” Walker wrote. Read more at NBC News
“The U.S. Supreme Court has resoundingly held that ‘[g]overnment officials cannot to attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors’,” the complaint said. “FPF’s advertisement is pure political speech at the very heart of the First Amendment’s protections.” “‘[T]he advocacy of a politically controversial viewpoint’ is, in … Read more
The DeSantis administration is now trying to intimidate television stations into taking down ads supporting Amendment 4 – the constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would overturn the near-total abortion ban that Ron DeSantis signed into law last year. pic.twitter.com/XIbCCTUfXQ — Jason Garcia (@Jason_Garcia) October 5, 2024 Read more at Talking Points Memo
Abortion opponents say restricting demonstrations infringes on the First Amendment, but abortion rights supporters say it safeguards patients and staff. Read more at NBC News
