A tough case to settle legally but Free Speech means without restriction; so if someone is threatened by the words of another that is totally in the discretion of that person what if a political candidate felt threatened by the harsh words of an opponent that said he was going to beat him. The opponent meant beat in the election and the other candidate said he felt he was going to be physically beaten — who is right!
The Supreme Court is weighing the free-speech rights of people who use violent or threatening language on Facebook and other social media.
The justices will hear arguments Monday in the case of a man who was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for posting graphically violent rap lyrics on Facebook about killing his estranged wife, shooting up a kindergarten class and attacking an FBI agent.
Anthony Elonis of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, says he was just venting his anger over a broken marriage and never meant to threaten anyone.
But his wife didn’t see it that way, and neither did federal prosecutors. A jury convicted Elonis of violating a federal law that makes it a crime to threaten another person. A federal appeals court rejected his claim that his comments were protected by the First Amendment.
Lawyers for Elonis argue that the government must prove he actually intended his comments to…
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Centinel2012 