Did DeSantis violate First Amendment with Fox News-only bill signing?

[TexasTowelie]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis not only broke from decades of precedent on Thursday when he blocked all news outlets except Fox News from covering the signing of a voting bill into law. He also may have violated the U.S. Constitution.

That’s the opinion of First Amendment experts who told the Tampa Bay Times it is illegal for DeSantis to hand-pick which media can cover a public proceeding.

“The law leaves no question as to the impropriety of banning certain media while allowing only friendly media,” said Pamela Marsh, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation, an organization that advocates for open government and represents news organizations, including the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald. “That is viewpoint and content discrimination.”

Decades of precedent in federal courts have affirmed that elected officials cannot block certain news outlets from reporting on public events just because they don’t like the coverage.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/05/07/did-desantis-violate-first-amendment-with-fox-news-only-bill-signing/

[Fullduplexxx]

1. And they cry about cancel culture

[Sibelius Fan]

2. A bonus for Desantis.

Violating The Constitution no doubt gives him a thrill.

[bahboo]

3. Wake me up when anything is done...

about it. Never any consequences.

[blueinredohio]

6. Amen!

[Dreampuff]

8. Sadly, you are right.

He is just like Teflon Don. No matter what he does, there are never any consequences for it.

[Sneederbunk]

4. The least of his crimes.

[Timewas]

5. They don't care

Why would they? None of them have paid any price at all for breaking any laws and shredding the constitution.. Way to much slack allowed for those asshats

[FBaggins]

7. I doubt it

Bill signings have become a bigger deal in recent years, but that doesn’t make them official events.

The articles gives a court example of a press conference that excluded some media groups... but that case wouldn’t have kept the same governor from giving an exclusive interview to one network.

It’s tacky... but probably not illegal.