Tanner Andrews 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Careful What You Sue For: Trump’s BBC Case Just Forced His Financial Records Into Discovery

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2026 @ 05:57am

    anti-SLAPP laws

    Florida does have an anti-SLAPP law which has some utility, particularly after a rule change. Prior to the rule change, error on an anti-SLAPP motion was unreviewable. Johnston v. Fischer, 369 So.3d 354 (5DCA 2023). The question is whether a Federal court in Florida will apply the Florida law. Some Federal courts do not follow state anti-SLAPP laws, deeming them purly procedural and ignoring the substantive right to fees for a prevailing defendant. Defamation is a state-law matter, and to some extent the Erie doctrine ought to apply.

  • On the post: The DEA Is A Domestic Terrorist Organization That’s Trying To Kill Children

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 04 Jul, 2026 @ 02:10am

    unreliable testimony

    the long-term effect of stacking an entire room full of guys willing to testify in exchange for lesser sentences.
    The problem is that such testimony is not reliable, because it is coerced by the state. True, prosecutors often forget to disclose the deals, or structure them so that the final agreement follows testimony so that it need not be disclosed. People in such situations are willing to testify. What the state ought to be seeking is people willing to testify truthfully, and that can happen if in fact the state happened to get the right defendant. But if the state grabbed the wrong guy, they still get the motivated testimony to convict.

  • On the post: The Supreme Court Upholds The Constitution. Barely.

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 03 Jul, 2026 @ 07:44am

    not only built on immigration

    It’s amazing that a country so completely built upon immigration
    Not only is it built on immigration, but immigrants and particularly undocumented immigrants are the ones propping up social security. Without them paying in with no expectation of payout, the system would be bankrupt some years sooner than the anticipated 2032 date.

  • On the post: The Supreme Court Upholds The Constitution. Barely.

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 03 Jul, 2026 @ 07:37am

    nt a serious candidate

    Any Democrat aiming for any kind of office in 2027 and beyond who doesn’t promise to stack the Supreme Court is not a serious candidate
    I would limit this to presidential and senatorial candidates. There is little your school board members or tax collector can do to improve the composition of that court. And, yes, I think the court has beclowned itself. This should have been a five-minute discussion with 9-0 or 7-2 vote. Remember that U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (28-Mar-1898), was a 7-2 vote, with fear expressed that persons born of U.S. parents travelling abroad might wind up as Englishmen. Id at 707 (Fuller, dissenting).

  • On the post: ICE’s Reliance On Masked Thugs Is Predictably Resulting In Masked Thugs Claiming They’re ICE Officers

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 08 Jun, 2026 @ 01:30am

    bring back old memories

    The "Vanilla Ice" music operation might start selling a lot of ICE merch to people whom they never even considered as potential audience members.

  • On the post: 10,000 Court Decisions Can’t Be Wrong, Even If Trump Thinks Otherwise

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 23 May, 2026 @ 01:41am

    inaccuratge comparison

    [supremes] sold out like cheap hookers
    Objection, facts not in evidence. Supremes are expensive. Look at the cost of the Clarence Thomas motor home, as one among so many costs to maintain judicial companionship.

  • On the post: Let’s Help Children, Not Trial Lawyers

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 17 May, 2026 @ 08:20pm

    not quite connected to reality

    incentivised to be addicting, in ways that a newspaper and packaged goods cannot be
    My age may be showing, but I would not be as happy if there were no newspaper in the driveway each day. The vendors of newspapers count on this as part of their business model.

  • On the post: Appeals Court Hands Roy Moore Another Loss In Yet Another Bogus Libel Lawsuit

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 17 May, 2026 @ 01:50am

    the good old days

    I seem to recall that Socrates was done for corrupting the youth. Back then, however, the corruption seems to have been filling their heads with unapproved views as to governance.

  • On the post: Beavers Are Not Moose: Buc-ee’s Sues Competitor Over Cartoon Moose Branding

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 11 Apr, 2026 @ 03:02am

    alternative theory

    The popularity of Buc-ee’s is an indictment on American culture
    My use of them is based on the fact that they have some of the least expensive gasoline along the highway, at least in the peninsula. Also, the sandwiches, at least at the one in St Johns, seem to be pretty good. Also, they win for timing. By the time we are up to that area, we are ready to return some used coffee.

  • On the post: Trump Celebrates Easter By Dropping An F-Bomb, Threatening More War Crimes

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2026 @ 01:43am

    not a sure-fire plan

    attempt to get something to happen on American soil he can use that as an excuse to make that event a “national emergency”
    I do not think that elections were canceled or delayed following Pearl Harbor. The U.S. did, however, respond following the attack. Lesson from Pearl Harbor: bomb someone, they may get angry and strike back. See, for instance, Iran.

  • On the post: Trump Celebrates Easter By Dropping An F-Bomb, Threatening More War Crimes

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2026 @ 01:37am

    history lesson

    I wish I didn’t have to think “the president is going to drop a nuke if he doesn’t get his way”. I really do.
    In the past, I do not think that anyone would have been crazy enough to give the real nuclear ``football'' to a senile lunatic. That may no longer be the case.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2026 @ 12:43am

    may not be good news

    There is some light at the end of the tunnel
    Might be an on-coming coal train with JD Vance as the fireman.

  • On the post: Turns Out That Advertisers Not Wanting To Fund Neo-Nazi-Adjacent Content Isn’t An Antitrust Violation

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2026 @ 02:04am

    using correct tense

    explain what GARM [was]
    Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) was a group which tried to help member advertisers direct their ad spend toward things which would not injure their brands.

  • On the post: Judge Boots DOJ Prosecutor From Courtroom, Demands To Know Who’s Actually Calling The Shots

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 30 Mar, 2026 @ 01:27am

    other bad things could happen

    If the fed govt does not get its act together and properly appoint some US attorneys, there may be problems when defendants start demanding speedy trials.

  • On the post: The Government Told Courts It Could Easily Refund Unlawful Tariffs. Now It Says It Can’t.

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2026 @ 12:59am

    no need

    Of course, they never specified an interest rate, did they?
    I think the courts will assume interest at the statutory rate, so there is no need to expressly state this in any order.

  • On the post: Oregon Federal Judge Says ICE’s Warrantless Arrests Are Illegal

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2026 @ 05:25am

    standard practice

    Warrantless Arrests are a routine occurrence by all law enforcement agencies across America.
    Yes, in the situation where the officer personally sees a crime being committed, this is common practice even for misdemeanors.

  • On the post: Fuck ICE Says West Virginia Court, Threatening Fines And Contempt Charges

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2026 @ 07:40pm

    maybe, kinda, sorta

    Finally: consequences!
    Not as such. This is more in the nature of threatened consequences, depending on further proceedings.

  • On the post: The DOJ ‘Forgot’ To Mention The Law Restricting Searches Of Journalists. The Judge Is Not Happy

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 02 Mar, 2026 @ 06:21am

    vast body

    Aren’t judges supposed to know the law? At least more about it than the average schnook on the street?
    Actually ``knowing the law'' is at best impossible. Consider, if you will, a little one-person lawyer shop for practice in one state. The relevant case law takes up over a dozen 8-foot shelves, with the state annotated statutes taking up another. Obviously this ignores Federal law, have you ever seen a set of Federal annotated statutes? Or even a set of PDFs of the bare statutes? Pretty amazing, but the case references would probably cause the building to sink into the earth. Know the law? Impossible. Generally the lawyer's job is to find the law and point it out to the judge.

  • On the post: MAHA People Are Mad At RFK Jr. And For Good Reason As He Reverses Stance On Glyphosate

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 25 Feb, 2026 @ 04:13am

    patents expire

    They have been flogging ``roundup ready'' for years, surely the patents will expire. In the mean time they really abuse those patents. For instance, of pollen from a ``roundup ready'' field drifts across the road to a normal farmer's field, the normal farmer cannot legally replant his crops next year because they are contaminated with GMO genes.

  • On the post: MN Police Chief Intervenes To Free A US Citizen Arrested By Federal Officers

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 04 Feb, 2026 @ 04:41am

    bill of rights makes not much distinction at all

    What legal distinction should exist between and citizen and a noncitizen?
    The Bill of Rights does not make any such distinction on its face. There are mentions of the ``rights of the people'' which should be protected. It was understood at the time that people referred to white land-owning males, but that was not generally in the text. It has since been argued that the definion of ``people'' should be expanded to include women and persons who were not white or who did not own land. Citizenship has not historically been included implicitly as a barrier to personhood. US 1st Amendment provides prohibitions to congress and refers to the ``right of the people to peaceably assembly and to petition''. US 2nd Amendment provides for the ``right of the people'' to have weapons. US 3rd Amendment does require land ownership, in that the consent of the owner is required or else the government may not quarter soldiers in their houses. US 4th Amendment refers to the ``right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures''. Nothing in there distinguishes rented houses from owned houses. US 5th Amendment contains implicit ownership requirement in ``nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation'', though that is not a land ownership requirement in that personalty may also be taken for public use. None of the others have citizenship requirements, either. (yes, preview w/o javascript is still broken in the [not-so-]new techdirt platform)

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