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Judge: "I Can't Put Little Blue Bird In Jail," So Twitter Must Turn Over OWS Tweets
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2012
Modified Sep 11, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2012
Modified Sep 11, 2012
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A Manhattan judge has ordered Twitter to comply with a subpoena and turn over an Occupy Wall Street protester's tweets to the Manhattan DA's office, or face fines. “I can’t put Twitter or the little blue bird in jail, so the only way to punish is monetarily,” Judge Matthew Sciarrino said. Bloomberg reports that Judge Sciarrino gave Twitter three days to prove why it is not in contempt of court.
Twitter's attorneys initially argued that Harris's tweets belonged to him, and asked for time to appeal Judge Sciarrino's ruling handed down in July that said tweets were "just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy." But because the tweets show his location and the duration of time that he was logged onto Twitter, Harris's lawyers say the subpoena represents a warrantless search.
Martin Stolar, the NLG attorney representing Harris, who was one of the hundreds of protesters arrested during the Brooklyn Bridge action last October, told the outlet, “It’s pretty outrageous that the D.A.’s office wants to prohibit Twitter from exercising its right to appeal."
Tagged
brooklyn bridge
free speech
malcolm harris
occupy wall street
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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