{"id":379,"date":"2014-12-06T05:32:03","date_gmt":"2014-12-06T05:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massachusettscriminaldefenselawyerblog.com\/2014\/12\/supreme-court-to-determine-whe.html"},"modified":"2014-12-06T05:32:03","modified_gmt":"2014-12-06T05:32:03","slug":"supreme-court-to-determine-whe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.delsignoredefense.com\/blog\/supreme-court-to-determine-whe\/","title":{"rendered":"United States Supreme Court to determine whether threats are protected free speech under First Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many crimes require proof that the defendant specifically intended to cause the harm alleged by the crime. In Massachusetts, obtaining a civil harassment protective order requires the complainant to prove that the defendant intentionally placed someone in fear of harm using their words or acts. Just recently, however, the Supreme Court heard arguments<\/a> to determine whether the First Amendment actually protects such expressions, if the speaker\/actor did not intend to place anyone in fear. <\/p>\n

Threats and First Amendment Protection<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It is a federal offense to transmit any communication threatening to injure another person. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held the First Amendment does not protect individuals who threaten others, whether in person, by phone, email, or even social networking programs. But until today, the Court has never explained how a trial judge should determine what a “true threat” is, such that it would not be protected by the First Amendment. More specifically, the Court has not determined whether a threat is only a true threat if the speaker\/actor intended to place another in fear, or whether it is enough that a reasonable person would be put in fear. <\/p>\n

Continue Reading \u203a<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many crimes require proof that the defendant specifically intended to cause the harm alleged by the crime. In Massachusetts, obtaining a civil harassment protective order requires the complainant to prove that the defendant intentionally placed someone in fear of harm using their words or acts. Just recently, however, the Supreme Court heard arguments to determine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-united-states-supreme-court"],"yoast_head":"\nUnited States Supreme Court to determine whether threats are protected free speech under First Amendment — Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog — December 6, 2014<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many crimes require proof that the defendant specifically intended to cause the harm alleged by the crime. 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