Report about Supreme Court ruling in case of threats made over Facebook.
Report made for June 2, 2015 but can run a few days later.
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 June 1 that threats made over internet web pages may be legal. âThe defendantâs state of mind matters, the chief justice wrote, though he declined to say just where the legal line is drawn,â Adam Liptak wrote in The New York Times. Anthony Elonis is the Pennsylvania man in the case who made the âcrude, degrading, and violentâ threats (according to Chief Justice John Roberts) through rap persona Tone Dougieâs lyrics on Facebook. Since no general legal lines were drawn, the Court may have just ruled on the specifics of this case, as Elonis also wrote disclaimers about the threats, and indicated they were part of an art project. In Elonis v. United States, No. 13-983, the question was if prosecutors had done enough to prove Elonisâs intent. Without a definitive ruling, âattorneys and judges are left to guess,â Justice Sam Alito wrote, about whether a threat is allowed under free speech or illegal. In his solo dissenting opinion Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, âOur job is to decide questions, not create themâ¦. Given the majorityâs ostensible concern for protecting innocent actors, one would have expected it to announce a clear rule â any clear rule. Its failure to do so reveals the fractured foundation upon which todayâs decision rests.â
Supreme Court Rules on Facebook Threats for June 2, 2015
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June 2, 2015
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