Summary

Today on Current2 Politics, the Supreme Court declined to restrict President Biden's use of social media, citing free speech concerns. They also narrowed an anti-corruption law, distinguishing between gifts and bribery. Additionally, the Court accidentally leaked documents on an Idaho abortion case, potentially impacting emergency room procedures. Stay tuned for more updates this Sunday and catch up on our past episodes for the latest insights.

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For those who read...

Good morning political people, and welcome to today’s episode of Current2 Politics! I’m your host, Jake, and today we will be unpacking some of the Supreme Court’s most important new decisions. From Biden on social media to leaked abortion case documents, let’s get into the details.

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Supreme Court declines to impose restrictions on President Joe Biden’s use of social media platforms

• In a 6-3 ruling on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to impose limits on the Biden administration’s use of social media. The challenge was made on the grounds of free speech, specifically how officials encourage the removal of content deemed as misinformation, specifically regarding elections and COVID. 
• The Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that by removing or flagging these posts, government officials were imposing on free speech and violating the First Amendment.
• The plaintiffs argued that government officials crossed a line to unnecessarily censoring free speech in removing these posts from social media. The Biden administration argued the importance of protecting the public from misinformation by alerting social media companies of potentially harmful content.

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Supreme Court narrows scope of anti-corruption law banning government officials for taking gifts for past favors

• In another 6-3 ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a former Indiana mayor who asked for and took a large payment from a local truck company after he helped them win over a million dollars in a contract for garbage trucks. This decision loosens existing anti-corruption laws that specify that officials should not take gifts valued at over $5,000 from a donor who had financially benefited from the officials efforts while they were in office.
• In Wednesday’s decision, judges drew a line between bribery and a simple gift or reward for a past favor. The decision specifies that officials can still be charged and prosecuted for bribery, but are still allowed to take money for past favors if there is not evidence of an illicit deal taking place.

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Supreme Court accidentally posts Idaho abortion case documents

• The Supreme Court acknowledged yesterday that it had accidentally posted documents relating to a pending abortion case before it was removed from the website. A Supreme Court spokesperson acknowledged that the document was accidentally posted, but it was not known if the post was a draft of the decision, the actual decision, or something else.
• The copy of the decision released would allow Idaho emergency room doctors to perform abortions in certain circumstances, siding with a lower court decision that favored the Biden administration.

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Thanks for listening to this episode of Current2 Politics! For the latest news, tune in again on Sunday and, in the meantime, make sure to listen to our other episodes to stay informed!

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Bulletin Brief

U.S.  Supreme Court will not curb Biden administration social media contacts (Reuters)

Supreme Court acknowledges accidentally posting Idaho abortion case document (NBC)

Supreme Court wipes out anti-corruption law that bars officials from taking gifts for past favors (LA Times)