The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to an Ohio law outlawing lies during political campaigns. A Democratic congressman, Steve Driehaus, sued an anti-abortion group, the Susan B. Anthony List, for attempting to state in a billboard that Driehaus voted for taxpayer-funded abortion through his vote for the Affordable Care Act. The billboard never went up, and after he lost his re-election bid, Driehaus withdrew his suit. Nonetheless, the Court is hearing the case in April. One of the central issues before the Court is whether the anti-abortion group had standing to sue. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 22, 2014, by Sabrina Eaton)
Humorist P.J. O’Rourke and the Cato Institute filed a supporting brief with the Court contending that “spin and smear are central to American democracy.” The brief has been characterized as “cheeky, hilarious.” (The New York Times, March 25, 2014, by Adam Liptak)