I know you're responding directly to the parent comment but for my part, I'll say that that's not my own accusation, just a possible speculation. Sometimes the reasons for terrible machinery to move ahead are rather banal.

I'll say for sure that a lot of the initial backing by legislators for SOPA/PIPA was just status quo informed by vague technical understanding of the issue, and not because everyone was in the pockets of the movie industry.

She has demonstrated either horrible incompetence or maliciousness.

Looking at the way the prosecution built its case, the hyperbole, misdirection, inaccuracies dealing with the technical aspects at least, I cannot but attribute at least one of the above attributes to them.

Prosecuting downloading information in violation of terms of service as an abuse under CFAA.

The 9th Circuit (the best circuit!) ruled this was bullshit in US vs. Nosal.

That sounds more like legal ignorance than technological ignorance -- which is probably worse.

Well, Boston isn't in the ninth circuit. I'm also curious how you would summarize the Nosal ruling.