Elonis v. United States: The Supreme Court Weighs In on Prosecuting Online Threats
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At Anthony Elonis’ trial for making threatening posts on Facebook, the prosecutor told the jury it didn’t matter what Elonis actually intended, as long as a reasonable person would perceive his statements as a true threat. In reversing Elonis’ convictions last week, the Supreme Court held that in a prosecution for threats proof of the defendant’s intent actually matters a great deal. In Elonis’ case, that ended up spelling the difference between being a convicted felon and just being a jerk.
Elonis v. United States: The Supreme Court Weighs In on Prosecuting Online Threats
Elonis v. United States: The Supreme Court…
Elonis v. United States: The Supreme Court Weighs In on Prosecuting Online Threats
At Anthony Elonis’ trial for making threatening posts on Facebook, the prosecutor told the jury it didn’t matter what Elonis actually intended, as long as a reasonable person would perceive his statements as a true threat. In reversing Elonis’ convictions last week, the Supreme Court held that in a prosecution for threats proof of the defendant’s intent actually matters a great deal. In Elonis’ case, that ended up spelling the difference between being a convicted felon and just being a jerk.