Federal judge sides with MoveOn.org in Bobby Jindal billboard lawsuit

[OKNancy]

Source: Times Picayune

MoveOn.org won't be forced to take down a Baton Rouge-area billboard critical of Bobby Jindal's decision to forgo Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, a federal judge ruled Monday (April 7).

The suit was filed last month by Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who said the national liberal organization improperly used his office's trade and tourism branding in its satirical billboard posted just outside of the state capital. But U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick disagreed Monday, siding with MoveOn.org in stating the group's free speech rights trumped the state's case.

"The State has failed to demonstrate a compelling reason to curtail MoveOn.org's political speech in favor of protecting of the State's service mark," Dick said in her ruling. She added "irreparable injury" would not be caused to Louisiana's tourism campaign if the ad remained in place.

In oral arguments on April 2, lawyers for the State said locals and visitors would confuse the MoveOn.org billboard and corresponding TV and Internet ads with the state's own "Pick Your Passion!" tourism campaign. MoveOn.org's counsel shot back, saying the suit amounted to nothing more than "Republican bullying."



Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/moveon_louisiana_jindal_lawsui_ruling.html

[onehandle]

1. Kenneth The Governor is gonna be pissed. nt

Last edited Mon Apr 7, 2014, 09:29 PM - Edit history (1)

[lordsummerisle]

12. Sorry but who is Kenny the governor?

[onehandle]

15. Oops. I meant Kenneth. Fixed.

[rppper]

2. Some good news from the courts for a change!

Rec'd....

[calimary]

23. Amazing, isn't it? I'm not used to this!

[maddezmom]

3. Yeah!

[allan01]

4. re:Federal judge sides with MoveOn.org in Bobby Jindal billboard lawsuit

first amendment survives. since when is a states name copyrigted material ?

[Sgent]

5. The phrase

"Pick your Passion" is trademarked.

[jpak]

6. Bwahahaha!!!!!11

Take that Dweeb

[gopiscrap]

7. Exellent

Jindal is a fucking piece of shit!!!

[MindMover]

8. kr...nt

[marble falls]

9. Its a nice win.

[davidpdx]

10. No dice Bobby

Try running for president. That would be amusing.

[TransitJohn]

11. Does Swamp Rat still live

or post here?

[LiberalElite]

13. I'm glad MoveOn won but -

Isn't there a typo in this? "hope you don't LOVE your health" (emphasis added)

[sunnystarr]

21. Pick Your Passion

meaning pick what you love. Then it says hope that what you love isn't your health.

[mountain grammy]

14. In Bobby's world, only the duck man has free speech.

[Cha]

19. Yeah, ain't that a shame.

[Thinkingabout]

16. Since corporations has freedom of speech then surely MoveOn.org should have freedom of speech

Eat dirt Jindal

[SoapBox]

17. Yay!

[Cha]

18. This is Outstanding! Thanks OKNancy!

[catbyte]

20. Now, baggers, THIS is a First Amendment issue!

[sheshe2]

22. Free Speech!!!! Yay!

[Iliyah]

24. No worries, the so called "no free speech for you" jerky Jindal

will try and take it to the 5 assholes justices viva US Supreme Court.

[hootinholler]

25. MoveOn picked their passion

Pissing off Republicans.

[Gothmog]

26. The law suit was a joke

This billboard was clearly protected under First Amendment and was a fair use of the trademark. Jindal was an idiot to bring this lawsuit in that there was no way for him to win and the lawsuit has generated far more press than the billboard would have if Jindal had ignored it.

[Nye Bevan]

27. And many DUers claim that First Amendment rights are restricted to "natural persons"

and that entities such as MoveOn.org have no constitutional protections.

This case proves these folks wrong.

[muntrv]

28. What is poor Piyush to do?

[tooeyeten]

29. Guess you could say

Dick stuck it to Jindal.

[wolfie001]

30. A big part of GOPer strategy is to.......

.....keep as many people in the dark as possible. Good to see it fail here. Let's all make sure this trend continues in all communities!