Tennessee man jailed 37 days for Trump meme wins settlement after lawsuit

Post by autoexec » Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:31 PM UTC

IAmBroom wrote: post #430

TimTheTinker wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the worst examples in the US is the consequence asymmetry for speech. Law enforcement and federal agents can lie as much as they like with impunity when dealing with citizens, but (a) it's a federal crime to lie to a federal officer (18 US Code § 1001, up to 8 years imprisonment), and (b) truly, anything you say to law enforcement when under any suspicion can and will be used against you in a court of law, eve…

The alternative extreme is likewise unworkable. "OK, before we begin this meeting of the capas of our totally legitimate, not at all criminal business... Is anyone here an undercover officer of the law?" "Shucks, you got me. I'm FBI." However, your implied extreme isn't accurate. Lying to suspects can in some cases result in entrapment charges (although it is historically more likely for suspects with power and publi…

Post by autoexec » Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

sidewndr46 wrote: post #171

TimTheTinker wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the worst examples in the US is the consequence asymmetry for speech. Law enforcement and federal agents can lie as much as they like with impunity when dealing with citizens, but (a) it's a federal crime to lie to a federal officer (18 US Code § 1001, up to 8 years imprisonment), and (b) truly, anything you say to law enforcement when under any suspicion can and will be used against you in a court of law, eve…

This distinction doesn't make sense. A police officer's job is to lie to you. Are we expecting jailtime for doing their job?

Post by LocalH » Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:36 PM UTC

janalsncm wrote: post #377

freediddy wrote: post #155

The fact that taxpayers and not the police themselves have to pay the settlement is the worst part of this. Every settlement against the police should be taken from their pension fund. This is something I've been advocating for decades now, because it creates an incentive not to do things like this. Right now, good cops don't patrol bad cops because it won't affect them. By aligning the incentives right, it will mean…

From what I could tell from the article, an officer submitted a warrant request to a judge and the judge approved it. That request was potentially incomplete because it left out the fact that the victim here didn’t actually make the meme. On the other hand I’m not sure whether omission matters since it would still be protected speech if he made it. So I would place a good amount of blame at the feet of the judge, who…

Post by autoexec » Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:36 PM UTC

lokar wrote: post #67

Arubis wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a sane, fair, and (crucially) long-term stable system, persons given privilege and authority over others are subject to a higher standard for their own behavior. The long-running US trend of the inverse (additional legal protections for positions of authority) is incredibly destructive. This is a moral and values judgment, yes, but it's not just that -- it communicates to the population at large that they should f…

The death penalty should be reserved for people who violate a position of public trust and authority.

Post by nativeit » Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:38 PM UTC

janalsncm wrote: post #423

worik wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Second problem I see is that this took 37 days to resolve "Justice delayed is justice denied " is an important principle that appears to have been forgotten in the west

Rereading the article, another insane detail is the judge setting bond at $2M. I think for any person who actually was motivated to perpetrate a mass shooting, no bond would prevent it. And for most innocent people, $2M might as well be $200M. They’re sitting in jail until trial. I think there’s an amendment about that or something but I’m not a lawyer.