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(1/x) Coverage of the effort to prevent distribution of Bolton's book should note Trump's remarkable record of attempting to interfere with speech/press activities -- and either failing or not following through. A sample of that record, dating to the announcement of candidacy:
Trump admin suspended journalist Brian Karem's White House credentials. A court found that the suspension violated Karem's constitutional rights.
Trump blocked various critics from his Twitter feed. He got sued, and a federal appeals court held that the blocking was a form of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
After Bob Woodward’s book "Fear" came out, Trump said "Washington politicians" should change libel law so he could go after Woodward. Libel law has not changed.
Trump's lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the author and publisher of "Fire and Fury," threatening libel litigation in the event of publication. The book became a bestseller, and Trump did not sue.
Trump admin revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's White House credentials. A court found that the suspension violated Acosta's constitutional rights.
Trump's lawyer threatened to sue CNN for calling itself a news organization. No suit has been filed.
Trump's lawyer threatened to sue The Daily Beast for reporting related to Trump's divorce from Ivana. He did not sue.
Trump threatened to sue The Washington Post for reporting related to his Taj Mahal casino. He did not sue.
Trump's lawyer threatened to sue The Associated Press for reporting related to the Trump Ocean Club. He did not sue.
Trump announced on Twitter that his lawyers wanted to sue The New York Times for "irresponsible intent" (a claim that does not exist). He did not sue.
Trump's lawyer threatened to sue The New York Times for publishing some of Trump's tax records. He did not sue.
Trump's lawyer threatened to sue The New York Times for reporting related to claims that he inappropriately touched women. He did not sue.
Now, among the recent/ongoing matters to keep an eye on ...
Trump campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter to CNN over a national poll showing Trump well behind Joe Biden. CNN rebuffed the letter.
Trump campaign filed libel suits against CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times -- over opinion pieces published in 2019. The suits are meritless.
Trump campaign threatened to sue television stations for carrying ads criticizing the admin's pandemic response. So far a suit has been filed against a Wisconsin station. It is, of course, meritless.
It has been reported that Trump is considering a lawsuit over Mary Trump’s forthcoming book about the president and his family.

That's all for now. And again, this is just a sample of the record.
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Jonathan Peters
@jonathanwpeters
A reminder about the general right to record police activities in public places ...
SCOTUS has not determined whether the recording of police officers performing their duties in public is protected by the First Amendment, but federal appeals courts have held that such a right exists, subject only to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.
See, e.g., Turner v. Lieutenant Driver, 848 F.3d 678 (5th Cir. 2017); Am. Civil Liberties Union of Illinois v. Alvarez, 679 F.3d 583 (7th Cir. 2012); Gilk v. Cunniffee, 655 F.3d 78 (1st Cir. 2011).
Read 9 tweets
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Jonathan Peters
@jonathanwpeters
A few thoughts about the Trump libel suit: The complaint is red meat for the president's base and won't succeed on the merits, but I'm still concerned about it.
The essence of our political system is public participation, and baseless suits like this one can chill speech about newsworthy political issues—intimidating and discouraging others from speaking out, in view of the risk of being sued and the corresponding costs.
This is precisely why we have the First Amendment. The Supreme Court once said that "public discussion is a political duty," and in a landmark case involving no less than The New York Times, in 1964, the Court observed:
Read 6 tweets
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Jonathan Peters
@jonathanwpeters
Adding to this: It's RARE for news orgs & journos to sue White House officials over access. CNN did in 81. Sherrill case in 77. Otherwise, at fed'l level, closest analogues involving access come from other exec-branch depts, often DOD. See examples below.
Flynt v Rumsfeld (DC Cir 2004): Larry Flynt and Hustler sued DOD seeking relief against interference w/ the mag's exercise of a claimed First Amend right of access to US troops in combat operations, and claiming that DOD delay in granting such access infringed that right.
Getty Images News Servs v DOD (DDC 2002): Getty sued the DOD after it was denied access to Guantánamo Bay.
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