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Supreme Court Rules Sex Offenders Can't Be Barred From Social Media (gizmodo.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: In a unanimous decision today, the Supreme Court struck down a North Carolina law that prevents sex offenders from posting on social media where children might be present, saying it "impermissibly restricts lawful speech." In doing so, the Supreme Court asserted what we all know to be true: Posting is essential to the survival of the republic. The court ruled that to "foreclose access to social media altogether is to prevent the user from engaging in the legitimate exercise of First Amendment rights." The court correctly noted that "one of the most important places to exchange views is cyberspace." The North Carolina law was ruled to be overly broad, barring "access to what for many are the principal sources for knowing current events, checking ads for employment, speaking and listening in the modern public square, and otherwise exploring the vast realms of human thought and knowledge."
Too... many... unanimous... decisions... head... exploding...
Historically, most SCOTUS decisions have been unanimous, and the proportion has actually been growing in recent years.
Most decisions are either 9-0 or 5-4. The 9-0 decisions are common when it is a matter of the law, as in this case. The 5-4 decisions are common when it is a partisan issue.
Sorry, I flubbed the cut-and-paste for the citation. Here it is: Most decisions are either 9-0 or 5-4. Scroll down for a graph of 9-0 vs 5-4 decisions.
There is no shortage of stories like this. What I find personally enraging is when minors and children are added to the list.
http://www.businessinsider.com...
The teenager was listed as both the victim and the perpetrator on the sexual exploitation charges.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/t...
North Carolina authorities arrested a 16-year-old girl in February for committing two felony sex crimes against herself when she sent a nude photo to her boyfriend
I think the worst one I remember reading about was two 11 year old girls added to the list. Political biases of the links above aside (Not that there is any shortage of similar stories if you search) I think we can all agree this is fucking stupid.