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An anonymous blogger critical of Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett plans to challenge a grand jury subpoena ordering Twitter to reveal the blogger's identity.
"It doesn't really matter why we are criticizing him," said "Signor Ferrari," one of the two Twitter users targeted in the subpoena from Corbett, who won the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday. "It's our First Amendment right to criticize him no matter who we are," Signor Ferrari said in a telephone interview Wednesday. Signor Ferrari uses that pen name on the CasablancaPA blog ...
The subpoena follows a string of similar efforts to unmask anonymous writers, with mixed results ... While those efforts involved civil subpoenas, Corbett is apparently treating his online critics as potential criminals, using his power as the state's top law enforcement official to issue a grand jury subpoena.
The subpoena does not state what kind of crime the grand jury is investigating. (Wired.com)
Jason, Great. Just Great. You captured the feelings of any twitter user. He just lost the vote of anyone under 35 years old…
Adam (URL) - May 21, 2010
Update:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/penn_ag_withdraws_twitter_subpoena.php?ref=fpb
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has withdrawn his subpoena of Twitter, through which he had been seeking information on the identity of a blogger who was attacking him.
State prosecutors in the Brett Cott case said today, after Cott was sentenced to five years in prison, that the subpoena is no longer necessary. In a memo given to the judge before sentencing, they had argued that Cott should receive a stiffer sentence, in part because he had used the blog “to deflect blame and deny responsibility for his criminal conduct, and to attack and malign the investigative and prosecutorial process which resulted in his conviction.”
Cott, a former Democratic legislative aide was convicted earlier this year in a case stemming from an investigation into allegations that state employees who worked on political campaigns were paid bonuses out of state funds. He has not confirmed whether he is the blogger behind the site critical of Corbett.
Cott’s lawyer said that Corbett, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, had tried to “intimidate people,” with the subpoena. “The attorney general’s office should be ashamed.”
Webmaster - May 21, 2010
There is a long history in this country of people using pseudonyms while composing political commentary.
The best example that comes to mind is The Federalist Papers.
The only difference between the 18th and 21st century versions is the ability to self publish and reach millions of readers an EXTREMELY trivial
task today.
The message is the thing….if it is well thought out, persuasive and true what difference does it make whether Publius or Alexander Hamilton takes credit for it.
I know one thing for sure, if the target of the commentary goes to the trouble of going to court and obtaining subpoenas, the commenter has hit pretty close to home.
Speaking of close to home, there was a similar incident that took place in Elizabeth a few months ago.
A fellow who runs a bulletin board (http://elizabethboro.com ) took some heat over anonymous comments left on his board about a local minor bureaucrat.
Never did hear how that turned out.
I say “Power to the People”.
Make em ALL sweat!
;-)
BarryG - May 21, 2010
Great cartoon Jason!
Dan (URL) - May 23, 2010
PsB6vj wslfveigxsfq, [url=http://bmowonjafmdy.com/]bmowonjafmdy[/url], [link=http://ptwolxpshfmm.com/]ptwolxpshfmm[/link], http://dumvewkpfdfw.com/
ookgjajv (URL) - May 27, 2013
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