Originally posted by Surtur
But it says public officials. Pres and Vice aren't the only public officials. Therefore, it's silly to say this only applies to Pence and Trump.
The law does not apply to all public officials. It only applies to the president and vice president. So when the appeals court finds that a public official in this context, cannot cite the First Amendment as a defense against violating this specific law, they are referring to only those public officials to which the law applies. The judiciary is not the legislature. It cannot rewrite the law, so that it applies more broadly than originally written. This is basic reading comprehension stuff. Do you even read?