Judge limits lawyer’s tweets about prison firm he’s suing

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge has ordered an attorney suing a private prison firm over an inmate’s death to delete certain tweets and restrict his public commentary. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery Frensley issued the order last week, limiting what attorney Daniel Horwitz can say in the lawsuit against Tennessee-based CoreCivic. In some social media posts, Horwitz has described CoreCivic as a “death factory” that “juices its profit margins by deliberately understaffing facilities and skimping on healthcare.” CoreCivic argued the posts hurt its chances for a fair trial. The judge agreed and dismissed Hortwitz’s contention that his social media posts amounted to constitutionally protected free speech.