OA84: #CNNBlackmail, John Oliver’s lawsuit, and more on Maajid Nawaz

In today’s episode, we discuss the recent controversy over CNN’s handling of a Redditor who posted a Trump meme online.  Is this really “blackmail” by CNN?

We begin, however, with a follow-up from Patron Joerg regarding UK laws on personal jurisdiction/long-arm and defamation.  Could Maajid Nawaz (whose potential lawsuit we discussed in Episode #83) really file against the SPLC in the UK after all?

In our main segment, the guys break down CNN’s conduct and see if it qualifies as blackmail, extortion, conspiracy to deprive an individual of his Constitutional rights, or any other criminal behavior.

Next, by great popular demand, we tackle Bob Murray’s lawsuit against John Oliver in connection with his report on “Last Week Tonight.”  You won’t be surprised by our evaluation of the merits, but you will enjoy reading the Complaint!

Finally, we end with an all-new Thomas Takes the Bar Exam Question #31 about the Statute of Frauds.  Remember that you can play along with #TTTBE by retweeting our episode Tweet along with your guess.  We’ll release the answer on next Tuesday’s episode along with our favorite entry!

Recent Appearances

None!  But you can come join the guys at the Inciting Incident 100th Episode Live Spectacular in Carlisle, PA on July 14, 2017!  Get your tickets now!

Show Notes & Links

1. Here is a link to the 2013 UK Defamation Act.
2. This is the 2010 SPEECH Act,  28 U.S.C. § 4102.
3. And here is the SPLC’s report on Maajid Nawaz labelling him an “anti-Muslim extremist.”.
4. This is 18 U.S.C. § 873, the federal blackmail statute.
5. Here is a link to an informative Washington Post article about the CNN/HanAssholeSolo debacle.
6. And here is a link to the Ben Shapiro opinion piece in the National Review.
7. This is a link to the lawsuit filed by Murray against Oliver, which is a delightful read.
8. This link contains the original Oliver segment about Murray, which is definitely worth watching.

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