write graphically violent imagery, even if born out of racist or otherwise repugnant beliefs, does not automatically remove First Amendment protections and justify criminal prosecution."The poem [by Johnny Logan Spencer] describes an assassin's mission to kill a president who is black, saying "the bullet that he has chambered is one of the purest pride . . . He breathes out as he pulled the trigger releasing all his hate."
[Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip] Chance acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that political speech in which a president was threatened is protected under the First Amendment.
from The Courier-Journal: Louisville man charged with threatening to kill president in poem
~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments :
Post a Comment