Supreme Court to rule on legality of social media threats and stalking.
TL;DR
The Supreme Court is considering whether invasive messages sent to singer-songwriter Coles Whalen constitute a "true threat" in the eyes of the law. The case raises the question of when a threat is a "true threat" and what the prosecution has to prove. The defendant's intent or the effect on a reasonable person? The case involves a man convicted and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for "stalking" Whalen and making "true threats" against her. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but there are exceptions, including "true threats."
- Supreme Court hears a case about whether the intention behind threats matters NPR
- One Colorado stalking victim never wanted to become the center of a First Amendment case at the US Supreme Court Colorado Public Radio
- Colorado man’s First Amendment challenge will test the scope of protection for threatening speech SCOTUSblog
- When is social media stalking illegal? The Supreme Court is about to decide Fast Company
- When are social media threats a crime? Supreme Court to decide ABC News
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