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Friday, October 13, 2017

Comments for FEC disclaimer policies:
{My Attempts at submitting this online didn't work.]

I incorporate by reference my already filed comments on this issue, including as to the 1998-AO-22 Leo Smith matter.

When you asked, once before, for comments on whether the FEC should regulate the internet, you received a then-record 1000 comments, mostly saying “Hands off the Internet!” One of those was mine.

The current broad disclaimer policy followed by the FEC is a First Amendment violation, a willful intrusion into core political speech, and is unethical, for those commissioners and staff who are lawyers.

Disclaimer policies are unconstitutional under Talley v California and McIntyre v Ohio. This is well established law. There is no qualified immunity for FEC employees who conspire to violate Talley and McIntyre. [There may be official immunity for some actions but not others.]
Reed v. Town of Gilbert re-establishes that strict scrutiny is the standard of review.

Below, I have listed a series of cases that mostly have upheld the right to political speech without disclaimers.


A narrow disclaimer policy could withstand heightened scrutiny, if it were limited to corporations as per Citizens United, and foreign governments.

Robbin Stewart.
P O Box 29164
Cumberlaand IN 46229.
gtbear at gmail.com


Chronological Table of disclaimer cases

1908 ex Parte Harrison, 110 S.W. 709 (Mo 1908)
1960 Talley v. California, 362 U.S. 60 (1960), http://epic.org/free_speech/talley_v_california.html
1961 United States v. Scott (D.N.D.) 195 F. Supp. 440 (1961)
1964 Canon v. Justice Court for Lake Valley, 61 Cal.2d 446, 39 Cal.Rptr. 228, 393 P.2d 428 (1964),
1962 People v. Bongiorni, 205 Cal. App. 2d Supp. 856 (Sup. Ct. 1962)
People v Drake (CA) cite missing
1968 Idaho v. Barney, 448 P.2d 195 (1968),
1969 Zwickler v Koota 389 U.S. 241 (1967), 290 F.Supp. 244, mooted 394 U.S. 103 (1969) sub nom Golden v Zwickler
1973 Opinion of the Justices, 306 A.2d 18 (Maine 1973)
1973 United States v. Insco, 365 F. Supp. 1308 (M.D. Fla. 1973)
1974 Miami Herald v Tornillo,  418 U.S. 241 (1974)
1974 In re Opinion of the Justices, 324 A.2d 211 (Del. 1974)
1974 New York v. Duryea, 351 NYS2d 978 (1974)
1974 Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast v. Hill, 382 F.Supp. 8011 (S.D.Tx 1974), 42 L.Ed.26 33 dismissed as moot. http://openjurist.org/422/us/937/hill-v-printing-industries-of-gulf-coast
1975 Dennis v. Massachusetts, 329 N.E.2d 706 (Mass. 1975), http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/368/368mass92.html
1976 State of Louisiana v. Fulton, 3.37 So.2d 866 (La. 1976)
1977 Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U.S. 705 (1977)
1978 State v. North Dakota Educ. Ass'n, 262 N.W.2d 731 (N.D. 1978)
1980 Schuster v. Imperial County Mun. Ct., 167 Cal. Rptr. 447 (Cal. Ct. App.
1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 1042 45. http://ca.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5CCA%5CCA2%5C1980%5C19800828_0040409.CA.htm/qx
1987 Illinois v. White, 506 NE2d 1284 (Ill. 1987) http://il.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5CIL%5CIL2%5Carchp%5C1987%5C19870220_0000193.IL.htm/qx
1987 Wilson v. Stocker, 819 F.2d 943, 950 (10th Cir. 1987);
199x N.Dakota v. N.D. Ed. Assoc., 262 N.W.2d 731 http://www.ndcourts.com/court/opinions/612.htm
1995 FEC v. Survival Educ. Fund, Inc., 65 F.3d 285, 298(2d. Cir. 1995)
[upheld disclaimers related to fraud]
1995 Louisiana. v. Moses, 655 So. 2d 779 (La. Ct. App. 1995)
1995 McIntyre v. Ohio, 514 U.S. 334 (1995) http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-986.ZO.html
1995 ShrinkMo v. Maupin, 892 F. Supp. 1246 (E.D. Mo. 1995), aff'd, 71 F.3d 1422 (8th Cir. 1995), http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/95/12/952857P.pdf
1996 W. Va. for Life, Inc. v. Smith, 960 F. Supp. 1036, 1042 (S.D. W. Va. 1996)
1997 Stewart v Taylor (S.D. Ind. 1997)
1997 ACLU of Georgia v. Miller, (977 F.Supp. 1228 (N.D.Ga 1997) http://www2.bc.edu/~herbeck/cyberlaw.acluvmiller.html
1997 ACLU v. Reno, 117 S.Ct. 2329 (1997) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reno_v._American_Civil_Liberties_Union
1997 ALA v. Pataki, 969 F.Supp 160 (1997) http://www.loundy.com/CASES/ALA_v_Pataki.html
1998 Doe v. Mortham, 708 So.2d 929 (Fla.1998)

1998 Washington ex rel Public Disclosure v. 119 Vote No!, 957 P.2d 691 (1998)
1998 Riley v. Federation of the Blind, 487 U.S. 781 (1998) http://laws.findlaw.com/us/487/781.html
1999 Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, 525 U.S. 182 (1999)
1999 Cyberspace v. Engler, 55 F.Supp.2d 737 (E.D. Mich 1999) http://www.cyberspace.org/cyberspace/lawsuit/
1999 doublecheck dates Griset v. Fair Political Practices Commission, 69 Cal. App. 4th 818, 82 Cal. Rptr.2d 25 (1999), reversed on other grounds,
2000 Anonymous v. Delaware, 2000 Del. Ch. Lexis 84 (2000),
2000 Citizens for Responsible Gov't State PAC v. Davidson, 236 F.3d 1174, 2000 (10th Cir. 2000);
2000 N.C. Right to Life, Inc. v. Leake, 108 F. Supp. 2d 498, 510 (E.D. N.C. 2000)
2000 Vt. Right to Life Comm., Inc. v. Sorrell, 221 F.3d 376, 392 (2d Cir. 2000);
2000x Doe v. 2theMart, 140 F.Supp.2d 1088,
2001 FEC v. Public Citizen, 268 F.3d 1283 (11th Cir. 2001),
2001 Melvin v Doe, 2001 Pa. Super. 33044 P.3d 1044 (2002)
2002 Tattered Cover v Thornton, 44 P.3d 1044 (Co. 2002)
2002 Free Speech Coalition, Ashcroft v., 535 U.S. 234 (2002)
2002 Ogden v Marendt 264 F.Supp.2d 785 (S.D. Ind. 2003)
2003 Doe v. Texas, 2003 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 88 (Tex. Crim. App. May 14, 2003).
2003, 2004 Majors v. Abell, 317 F.3d 719 (7th Cir. 2003), 792 NE2d 18 (Ind. 2003), 361 F.2d 349 (2004), http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/153312903321578269?cookieSet=1&journalCode=elj http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/fdocs/docs.fwx?caseno=02-2204&submit=showdkt&yr=02&num=2204A.P
2004 ACLU v Heller 378 F3d 979 (9th cir. 2004) http://openjurist.org/378/f3d/979/american-civil-liberties-union-of-nevada-v-heller
2004 ACLU v. Ashcroft, _ U.S. _ (2004), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACLU_v._Ashcroft_(2004) see Doe v Gonzales, 546 U.S. 1301 (2005),
2008 The Broward Coalition v. Browning (N.D. Fla. 2008)
2009 Center For Individual Liberty v Ireland 1:08-cv-00190 (W.D.WV 2009)
2009 Michael James Berger, aka Magic Mike v. City of Seattle (9th Cir. 2009)
2012 Hatchett v Barland, (E.D.Wi) , on appeal to 7th Cir.

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