The Center for Competitive Politics filed a friend-of-the-court brief late last week in a case involving state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. Opponents of Justice Gableman are seeking to have the state punish him for speech he engaged in during his campaign for the Supreme Court.
“This action against Justice Gableman is a punishment for political speech, which the First Amendment does not permit,” said CCP Vice President Stephen M. Hoersting. “The Court’s decision on this matter will set a precedent for whether the government can determine which political speech is true and which is false, and punish those who fail to adhere to government-approved truth in their campaigns.
CCP’s brief argues that Gableman’s political speech deserves full First Amendment protection.
“The prospect of seeking sanctions and retribution for political speech could have a chilling effect on a free exchange of ideas in the electoral process,” Hoersting said. “The Court should dismiss the idea of government truth panels and let voters decide what speech is appropriate.”
The case is before the state Supreme Court. Gableman’s colleagues are expected to decide the matter by this summer. In order to sanction Gableman a majority must decide he violated the judicial ethics code.
The Center for Competitive Politics is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting and protecting First Amendment political rights.
