The inaugural Techdirt Legal Misunderstanding March Madness is getting to crunch time. In the Sweet 16 we had our first number 1 seed fall to a challenger. Here’s the latest bracket:
In the Sweet 16 the first major upset happened when HIPAA lost (just barely) to Free Speech. HIPAA had actually been leading the voting on the first day (though it was close), but Free Speech pulled ahead towards the end and won by the tiniest of margins: 50.7% to 49.3%. Every vote counts!
In one of the most watched matches, two crowd favorites — Fire in a Theater and Section 230 — matched up, with Section 230 taking an early, commanding lead, and never really letting up, even as Fire in a Theater made a late run. Section 230 closed out the victory 59.6% to 40.4%. The only other really close one was Sedition vs. States Rights, which bounced back and forth early on before States Rights closed out the victory at 52.3% to Sedition’s 47.7%.
As for the Elite 8, we have some great matchups, though it seems like some of these matches may be easier than previous ones as some of the concepts had an easier run to this position and are now matching up against juggernauts of misunderstood legal concepts. We’ve got the 1st Amendment up against the Fairness Doctrine, which is only fair, given how little people seem to realize that the Fairness Doctrine requires an understanding of the 1st Amendment:
Techdirt Legal Misunderstanding Elite 8: Which of the following two legal concepts is more misunderstood?
— techdirt (@techdirt) March 30, 2022
Next up we have RICO up against strong contender Defamation:
Techdirt Legal Misunderstanding Sweet 16: Which of the following two legal concepts is more misunderstood?
— techdirt (@techdirt) March 30, 2022
Then there’s Free Speech, fresh off its HIPAA upset, taking on States Rights (which narrowly beat out Sedition):
Techdirt Legal Misunderstanding Elite 8: Which of the following two legal concepts is more misunderstood?
— techdirt (@techdirt) March 30, 2022
And, finally, there’s number one seed Treason up against fan favorite Section 230:
Techdirt Legal Misunderstanding Elite 8: Which of the following two legal concepts is more misunderstood?
— techdirt (@techdirt) March 30, 2022
Get your votes in, as there will be a relatively quick turnaround with the Final Four starting on Friday.
