"Politicians have been making threatening statements since the early days of the Republic exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Where the FUCK did THIS “Judge” go to law school?!?!?! Liberty University?
People in positions of power are NOT allowed to threaten to use the power of the state in their statements to cow and harass others and override THEIR constitutional rights.
State AG’s cannot for example threaten to have you arrested for fraud because your name is the same as someone else.
That is LIBEL and SLANDER and directly injures you in the process violating your rights.
This is the SAME THING. Just because you share a name with someone else is not grounds to accuse you of a crime (Voter Fraud.)
Judge Biery once sent someone to jail for “aggravated stupidity.” Perhaps we should send him to drain Trumpworld.
From 2011, when he had the temerity to uphold the separation of church and state:
Federal marshals have him on a nearly round-the-clock security detail. The federal courthouse has received more than 500 calls and numerous letters regarding the case. Some writers or callers identified themselves as Christians — then proceeded to say that Biery should “die from cancer” or drink human waste, or that they will “kick his ass.”
Any county election official with any sense would be well advised to tell the Secretary of State, “Thank you very much for this list. We’ll get right on it. Don’t call us - we’ll call you.” Then go back to whatever it is he or she was doing.
The announcement prompted an avalanche of outrage about the threat of voter fraud. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ® tweeted, “VOTER FRAUD ALERT” and promised to deploy the election fraud unit he created last year and to “spare no effort in assisting with these troubling cases.” WaPo 02/06/2019
Unless Paxton tweeted from his personal account this shouldn’t be covered on A1, plus he held a news conference which I assume he was introduced as the Texas AG.
“As the Court noted in its original Order, the Attorney General is only being sued for making an alleged intimidating press release.” Judge Biery said Wednesday. “Politicians have been making threatening statements since the early days of the Republic exercising their First Amendment rights.”
So a public or elected official can make intimidating statements and it’s cool under 1A?
So “Vote Republican or we start cutting domestic programs” is ok?
Tarring and feathering, and being ridden out of town on a rail were likewise widely accepted methods of dealing with double-dealing politicians and knuckleheaded judges from the earliest days of the republic. Times like these make me kind of yearn for the good old days.
Paxton is under felony indictment himself out of Collin County for fraud, so …
Yes it is. This is Texas, folks. Rick Perry was specifically exonerated for doing exactly this Threatening to defund the DA office that is investigating your administration is A-OK. The theory the court used was essentially, if the Governor does it, it’s legal.
The Cohen brothers show how that worked in O Brother Where Art Thou. “Is you is or is you ain’t my constituency?”
Ouch.
Which is wife introduced a bill to render that practice legal…
Un-woke judge.
The flawed list should not be used at all. The impact of the government’s threats should not be waved off as business as usual.