"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

"1. AAPS and CURE bring this action to enforce the First Amendment right to free Speech and the Privacy Act's right to privacy against efforts by defendants Executive Office of The President ("EOP"), White House Office of Health Care Reform ("WHOHR"), Nancy-Ann Deparle in her official capacity as WHOHR's Director, Macon Phillips in his official capacity as White House Director of New Media, and others acting in concert (collectively, hereinafter "Defendants") unlawfully to collect information on political and other noncommercial speech by And on behalf of AAPS, CURE, and their members, officers, and employees (collectively, Hereinafter "Plaintiffs") and thereby to suppress speech protected by the First Amendment.

2. As set forth more fully in Paragraph 67, AAPS and CURE seek the following Injunctive and declaratory relief:

(a) Declare that the First Amendment and the Privacy Act prohibit and Preempt the Defendants' efforts to collect and maintain information on protected speech;
(b) Enjoin the Defendants' continued collection of such information via the Flag@whitehouse.gov email address and the linked "reality check" internet reporting Form (collectively, hereinafter "flag@whitehouse.gov");
(c) Order the Defendants to expunge all prohibited information obtained via Flag@whitehouse.gov from their records; and
(d) Order the Defendants to remove the solicitation for citizens to report on Others' "fishy" speech from whitehouse.gov and enjoin their soliciting or collecting Information (including email addresses) on third parties' political speech."

"43. As part of their effort to advance the White House healthcare reform agenda, Defendants have accused opponents (including Plaintiffs) of spreading misinformation on issues such as whether (a) health reform would provide public funding for abortions, (b) put death panels in place to deny care to the elderly or infirm, (c) amount to a government takeover of healthcare, and (d) increase healthcare costs..the Defendants and the administration have spread misinformation, semantics, and disinformation on these topics..

45. By denying and continuing to deny that healthcare reform legislation includes death panels that make individual life-or-death decisions on the elderly or infirm, the Defendants and the current administration have ignored and implicitly denied and continue to ignore and implicitly to deny both that their healthcare reform agenda involves rationing healthcare"

"It seems that some government officials never learn that the cover-up can be worse than the underlying conduct,'' writes Judge Lamberth. ``Most shocking to this court, and deeply disappointing, is that the Department of Justice would participate in such conduct...this type of conduct is reprehensible, and the government must be held accountable for it.''

"This is a sad victory,'' said AAPS spokeswoman Kathryn Serkes. ``We're relieved and pleased to have our claims of an illegal cover-up corroborated. But it's a shame that the victory comes at a cost to the American people. If the White House and Department of Justice had told the truth from the beginning, this prolonged and expensive litigation could have been avoided."

"It's too bad that those guilty of this misconduct don't have to pay the bill-instead of the taxpayers. Perhaps now that they've finally been accountable for at least one of their scandals, they'll learn their lesson-a cover-up is a cover-up whether it is in the basement files of the White House or in a federal courtroom.''