Could there be a threat to the government’s First Amendment rights?
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made it plain at the Supreme Court’s hearing on Murthy v. Missouri that she very definitely believes so.
“My main worry is that, according to your perspective, the First Amendment severely restricts the government at crucial eras,” Jackson remarked.
“Some people may argue that the government genuinely has a responsibility to protect its citizens, and it appears that you are saying that responsibility does not include the government pushing or even coercing platforms to remove offensive content.”
She went on, “You have the First Amendment working in a hostile environment from the government’s point of view, and you’re arguing that the government can’t connect with the cause of those difficulties.”
Astounded, Glenn Beck remarks that Jackson’s remarks represent a “cry for help in understanding any of the amendments, let alone the first one,” and finds it astonishing that a Supreme Court Justice would make such a claim.
Glenn begins, “I truly don’t know what I’m doing here, but I appreciate your willingness to acknowledge that,” and then lays out the details.
Glenn explains, “There’s a reason the Bill of Rights applies to citizens and not to governments. The government can say and speak, ‘Hey, this is bad, you should not do this,’ but when governments coerce people, especially companies, well, they have a lot of power, and that can turn into tyranny quickly.”
Glenn responds to Jackson, “I’m trying to assist you,” and he continues, “which is why I find it so refreshing that a Supreme Court Justice can’t understand this stuff as well as a talk show host who is a recovering alcoholic and former DJ.”