594 sats \ 18 replies \ @siggy47 25 Jun
I'm happy for Assange, and I don't want to take away from the fact that he will soon be free, but the fact that the US gets a guilty plea out of this is bullshit. Leaking national security secrets? The case will now be precedent, and will basically put another nail in the coffin of a free press.
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165 sats \ 2 replies \ @anon 25 Jun
The fact that the US had to use a plea deal for time served, letting Assange go immediately, is a strong sign that they were concerned they wouldn't win in court in a real trial.
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121 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 25 Jun
I think so too. It also was a no win for the US. A trial would have exposed all the embarrassing shit again.
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54 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 25 Jun
Yep and another possibility is the fact that this isn't a good look for the US in general. The US is the big dog still but they can't do whatever they want without a cost.
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154 sats \ 8 replies \ @Undisciplined 25 Jun
How much does that matter?
- Look at what they did to him without precedent.
- Are plea deals discounted to some degree in subsequent legal arguments?
I had never thought about that second question. It seems to me that jury decisions would carry more weight.
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311 sats \ 7 replies \ @siggy47 25 Jun
Regarding #1, they didn't need a plea to make his life miserable, it will just make it easier next time.
#2 is more serious. In order to plead guilty, a defendant has to allocute. That means he or she has to admit to specific facts that constitute the crime. Often, a defendant will admit to stuff that they didn't do because they don't want to risk a jury trial. Here, I can't see how Assange can plead guilty based on what I know about the case. I'm pretty sure he didn't steal the docs. So, the prosecution and defense will get together to come up with a version of the facts that a judge believes constitutes the crime. Supposedly respectable news organizations did the same thing Assange did. I can see this case making disclosing information that is embarrassing to the government equate to leaking state secrets. As far as precedent goes, the facts the defendant admits to that constitute a crime can be used in future cases. Also, defendants waive their right to appeal as a condition of a guilty plea, so a higher court won't review it.
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54 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 25 Jun
“Allocution”
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54 sats \ 5 replies \ @Undisciplined 25 Jun
So, what happens if the next person in a similar case insists on going to trial?
How does precedent factor in when a jury is making the decision?
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163 sats \ 4 replies \ @siggy47 25 Jun
It's complicated and depends on many things, so I can't give a quick answer. Worst case scenario is that this case weakens the Pentagon Papers case as precedent :
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/us/pentagon-papers-journalism-leaks.html
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54 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined 25 Jun
Sounds like it could impact things like pretrial motions to dismiss.
Is that sort of directionally correct?
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90 sats \ 2 replies \ @siggy47 25 Jun
Yes. I guess my real point is that the Assange case could have reaffirmed the Pentagon Papers case and discouraged this government intimidation of journalists in the future.
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154 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 25 Jun
Yeah, I didn’t appreciate the significance initially.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 25 Jun
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of allowing The New York Times and The Washington Post to continue publishing the classified Pentagon Papers[1]. Key points of the ruling include:
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The Court rejected the Nixon administration's attempt to block publication, stating the government failed to meet the "heavy burden" required to justify prior restraint of the press[3][4].
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The decision upheld the newspapers' First Amendment right to publish the classified information without risk of government censorship or punishment[3].
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The ruling was made quickly, just two weeks after the case was filed, with a brief per curiam opinion accompanied by separate opinions from each justice[4].
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Several justices, including Potter Stewart and Byron White, emphasized that an informed citizenry and critical public opinion were essential checks on executive power in matters of national defense and foreign affairs[3].
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The Court determined that the government's claims of potential harm to national security were not sufficient to overcome the presumption against prior restraint of the press[4].
This landmark decision reaffirmed the core First Amendment principle of press freedom to criticize the government and serve as a check on abuses of power[5].
Sources
[1] The Pentagon Papers case today - Harvard Law School https://hls.harvard.edu/today/the-pentagon-papers-case-today/
[2] Court Rules for Newspapers, 6-3 - Flashback: This Month in History https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/flash/july/pent71.htm
[3] New York Times Co. v. United States - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._United_States
[4] Pentagon Papers | The Free Speech Center - MTSU https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/pentagon-papers/
[5] New York Times Co. v. United States (The Pentagon Papers Case) https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/new-york-times-co-v-united-states-the-pentagon-papers-case
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54 sats \ 0 replies \ @Akg10s33 25 Jun
That is totally true, the free press will be the most harmed... those supposed state secrets... they manipulate them and let them be seen when they want and when it suits them... that is the truth...
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54 sats \ 3 replies \ @travis 25 Jun
Glad he is free. Hopefully he gets a pardon. Maybe Trump will if he gets re-elected. Would be a nice way to F with the American Deep State.
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21 sats \ 2 replies \ @RDClark 25 Jun
What happened in those first 4 years?
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @travis 26 Jun
Yeah, Trump could have pardoned him then. It's BS. I heard Trump tried to pardon Ross at least but the AG slow walked it and sunk it. Michael Malice has mentioned this a couple times.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @RDClark 26 Jun
Pardons get done full stop. Anyone blame shifting that is just not be truthful. I hope Ross gets to go home soon but these fake based influencers are a blight.
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54 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 25 Jun
Freedom isn’t always free
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79 sats \ 0 replies \ @cointastical 25 Jun
This man suffered for over a decade, at the hands of tyrannical governments.
NEVER FORGET
NEVER FORGIVE
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73 sats \ 1 reply \ @itsrealfake 25 Jun
I'm not much of a gambler, but what's the over under on a Rogan appearance in the next 3 months?
Feels like Julian missed our on a little of podcast opportunities so he's gonna have to make up for it
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110 sats \ 0 replies \ @itsMoro 25 Jun freebie
i think hes probably not going to do that in the next 3 months. probably going to lay low, spend time with family and friends, and not fuck around. cant imagine he gives a shit about the lost podcasting opps right now.
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40 sats \ 0 replies \ @TomK 25 Jun
Good.
To remind You of one of the reasons why Julian Assange was hunted by those who like to install money laundering mechanism like the afghan or ukrainian war...
https://m.stacker.news/36982
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @profullstack 25 Jun
now we need to do the same for snowden and ross ulbricht.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @SatsMate 25 Jun
What a win! This news honestly made my day. We now need Ross & Snowden. Let's speak loud - and get all three of them free.
Hopefully Assange is open to speaking at a conference of some type in the next year!
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99 sats \ 5 replies \ @Satosora 25 Jun
Im glad he went free...but to take a guilty plea..
I feel that is the cost of freedom, but I wish he hadnt taken it.
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184 sats \ 4 replies \ @Undisciplined 25 Jun
I get it, but at the same time it’s just not fair to expect any further heroic sacrifice from this man and his family.
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99 sats \ 3 replies \ @Satosora 25 Jun
Yes, I know.
I am not the one in jail.
It is just wrong.
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41 sats \ 2 replies \ @gmd 25 Jun
He's 52. Life is short. Freedom is priceless.
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99 sats \ 1 reply \ @Satosora 25 Jun
I know.
Its just a shame that he had to take a guilty plea to get it.
What are his plans, going back to america?
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120 sats \ 0 replies \ @398ja 25 Jun
Australia
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji 25 Jun
Wow that’s really great news, I had given up all hope.
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63 sats \ 1 reply \ @kdnolan 25 Jun
I can't believe it!
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1 sat \ 0 replies \ @cyberpunk02 25 Jun
a small relief for a man, giant leak for mankind
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42 sats \ 1 reply \ @030a29f333 25 Jun
Maybe I'll go to church next Sunday
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cyberpunk02 25 Jun
amen!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 26 Jun
Julian Assange and Donald Trump are now both convicted felons
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @JesseJames 25 Jun
I wonder what kind of other "conditions" are attached to this plea. Good for him he is going home, he looks like shit these days, is he sick? Maybe he just want to "expire" at home and not in some nasty jail... that could be factor too.... speculating.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Hamstr 25 Jun
lol the remote island is likely Saipan. They called it's CNMI, but seriously the other islands are so underdeveloped the only island they could use would be Saipan. These crap hole islands are jungles with zero economy. They act like there's a bunch of options of islands they can prosecute him. I know this region all well, where it was likely held. He shouldn't have taken the deal. But I know they(U.S) wouldn't give up either.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @16d86e9daa 25 Jun
the proposed deal could involve Assange pleading guilty to a lesser charge, such as mishandling classified information, instead of the more severe espionage charges he currently faces.
i believe This could potentially allow him to avoid extradition to the U.S. and result in a significantly reduced sentence.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TomK 25 Jun
the senile zombie must be approaching the zero line asymptotically in the real polls to resort to such measures.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 25 Jun
I wake up and read this contradictory news about the freedom of Assange and a renewed slavery of corporate press. Free speech is no more! No more!!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kingzing131 25 Jun
Should have never been jailed.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TNStacker 25 Jun
Do Snowden!
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0 sats \ 4 replies \ @grayruby 25 Jun
Unexpected. Great news.
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20 sats \ 3 replies \ @lightworks 25 Jun
Hell yeah, and this was not on the table at all until recently!
Taking the pressure and intent of the deep state, evil fuckers in the case this is effectively a win!!
Legend
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1000 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby 25 Jun
Hopefully Ross is next.
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31 sats \ 0 replies \ @398ja 25 Jun
President Trump promised to pardon him if he gets elected.
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50 sats \ 0 replies \ @lightworks 25 Jun
Now that would be a real, very pleasant surprise...
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @lightworks 24 Jun
Its on ZH, so its probably real!!!
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/assange-be-freed-doj-agrees-time-served-plea-deal-wikileaks-founder
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @lightworks 24 Jun
Seriously!!!??? Is this real??
Won't trust it until he is out and about, maybe back to Australia, but then definitely off to somewhere relatively safe like El Salvador!
If its true I'll celebrate for weeks, finding ways of taking online potshot at the fuckers that did this...
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 26 Jun freebie
You can track Julian Assange's plane live, he will arrive to Canberra, Australia, in about one hour.
He is already in Australian airspace.
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @afaithfulmanwithagoodheart 25 Jun freebie
Oh wow
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @NaOD 25 Jun outlawed
stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.