Can't say I saw this one coming...
Verizon has requested that the legal case against them for disclosing phone records to the government be thrown out on... get this... free speech grounds!
Ars Technica has the info here
IANAL (I am not a lawyer), but this argument sounds so illogical to me. Can someone with legal background comment on how they can apply this argument?
Essentially, the argument is that turning over truthful information to the government is free speech, and the EFF and ACLU can't do anything about it. In fact, Verizon basically argues that the entire lawsuit is a giant SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit, and that the case is an attempt to deter the company from exercising its First Amendment right to turn over customer calling information to government security services.
I sure wish I could convince my wife to let us switch from this company... But she just bought new phones for her and the kids in January and we're stuck for 2 years!