Monday, May 04, 2020
#FREESPEECH in the News May 4, 2020
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news – and what you should know about – in the past week.
1.) Maryland Sued Over Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Orders
Churches, businesses and several state lawmakers are suing Maryland officials to try to overturn Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order and other restrictions aimed at trying to deter the spread of the coronavirus.
A group known as ReOpen Maryland joined Del. Dan Cox in a lawsuit filed Saturday in federal court. The plaintiffs allege that their right to travel, free speech and assembly have been violated. Hogan addressed the protests Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He said everyone has the right to protest, but said the number of people who died of the coronavirus in Maryland on Saturday exceeded the number of protesters.
Maryland officials on Sunday reported 26 more deaths since Saturday.
2.) U.S. judge strikes down prohibitions on political speech for 1,100 federal court workers
A U.S. judge Wednesday prohibited an administrative agency for the federal judiciary from barring its 1,100 employees from engaging in virtually all forms of partisan political activity outside the workplace. The judge called the ban an excessive effort to protect courts from “hyper-partisanship” and attacks from members of Congress.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. “Casey” Cooper of Washington granted summary judgment to two employees who sued in May 2018, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District, challenging the sweeping new rules as violating their freedom of speech.
In a 46-page ruling, Cooper called the effort to protect the judiciary from perceptions of political influence “laudable.” But, the judge said, that intent did not justify a new code of conduct barring employees from participating in political activities open to virtually all other federal workers, including expressing views publicly or on social media about political candidates, attending events for political parties or candidates, joining parties or making donations.
A California city planning commissioner has been removed from his office after posting on social media that COVID-19 should be permitted to spread and possibly infect people who are elderly, mentally ill, homeless or others he said are “drains on our resources.”
The city council for Antioch, Calif., unanimously voted on Friday during a special council meeting to remove city Planning Commission Chair Kenneth Turnage II in response to a pointed Facebook post the commissioner wrote on April 23. The council members sharply criticized Turnage’s statements and cited a public outcry for the need to address them. Council Member Lori Ogorchock said that she found Turnage’s comments to be “very insensitive and callous, especially towards the elderly” and that she had heard concerns about them from older residents.
In Turnage’s statement, which was re-posted by East County Today, he called for an end to “stay at home” orders, which are intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and to “let nature run its course”. Turnage compared the virus to a forest fire, which will destroy part of the forest “that drain the resources of the forest and [cause] it to be unhealthy.” Turnage said that while many elderly people would be lost to the virus, “that would reduce burdens in our defunct Social Security System, health care cost (once the wave subsided), make jobs available for others and it would also free up housing in which we are in dire need of.”
