Brief of the Onion as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner [pdf] (supremecourt.gov)

This is so brilliant because it's funny and persuasive, and the fact that it's funny is essential to what makes it persuasive. Just a wonderful piece of self-referential writing, that also serves a serious purpose.

The clerks must appreciate a change from their usual heavy reading.

I really want to believe that the lawyers legally changed their last names in order to sound funnier.

I’ve been reading the Onion since it was a local paper in the early 90s.

It used to be a lot more edgy. And cynical.

I guess you can’t take risks once you’ve achieved a certain amount of fame.

In their newly-majoritarian efforts to be intellectually absurd, the conservative justices have met their match. Let freedom ring!

Background: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/oct/04/the-onion-defend...

> In 2016, Anthony Novak was arrested for making a Facebook page that parodied the local police page.

> He was charged with disrupting a public service

> sets dangerous precedent undermining free speech

Is this different from FBI reaching out directly to facebook and making them remove content. Mark admitted that FB was(is?) guided by the FBI on their content policy. I find that more insidious and 'dangerous' than the case above. I find it even more surprising that there is no commotion about this.

This is one of those things I wish I could write.

Persuasive, funny, well-reasoned, learned -- absolutely amazing.