"You have worked as an adviser with Media Matters for a very long time, and the organization just secured a big, big win, settling a case that went all the way to a federal appeals court in D.C. Can you tell us what the lawsuit was about and maybe describe for me why this lawsuit-in a frothing sea of lawsuits filed against the Trump administration-serves as a bellwether for you on issues of free speech, media, government control, and authoritarianism?"
"One of the reasons I wanted to talk about the case is that I don't think it got enough attention. We keep seeing government agencies abusing their own powers and terrorizing entities that are doing good and important work, and the impulse to buckle, to take the deal, to slink away is a rational impulse when you're terrified. This lawsuit is a template for courage. And it's a template for trusting that the courts will have your back if you have a meritorious case."
"It's also a template for seeing that this administration will blink. Forcing it to blink is not a costless enterprise, but buckling is not costless either. Of all the lawsuits fought and won daily against the Trump administration, there was recently a profound moment of reckoning for free speech and a free press that got far too little attention when the litigation ended with a settlement."
"The victory in that case showed that Trumpism can be made to capitulate to the power of journalism and the rule of law. On this week's Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick spoke to Ilyse Hogue, the co-founder and CEO of Catalyst for American Futures and a senior fellow at New America, about Media Matters' victory in a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission for an investigation connected to a dispute between the site a"
Media Matters secured a settlement in a case that reached the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. The dispute involved an FTC investigation connected to a disagreement involving the site. The outcome is framed as a significant moment for free speech and a free press, demonstrating that Trumpism can be made to capitulate to journalism and the rule of law. The case is presented as a template for courage, encouraging organizations not to buckle under fear of government abuse. It emphasizes that trusting courts to back meritorious claims can pressure the administration to blink, while buckling is also described as carrying real costs.
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