Testing the First Amendment Online

“Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed. Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions.?

Internet radio host Hal Turner wrote those incendiary words on his blog and landed himself in a large and very public pool of hot water. In a case that will once again test the limits of free speech protection, the Justice Department charged that the radio host had crossed the line into hate speech, and that his words were tantamount to death threats. Mr. Turner was already on trial in Connecticut criminal court for comments made against Catholic lawmakers.

Traditionally, the courts have given wide latitude to First Amendment rights, even in cases involving speech that is widely considered offensive, but public statements regarded as ?true threats? have not been afforded legal protection. While we all cherish our right to free speech, where should we draw the line online? To lay out the legal landscape, we are joined by Anna Sale, capitol region reporter for WNPR in Connecticut, Paul Butler, a former prosecutor and law professor at George Washington University, and Siva Vaidhyanathan, a media and law professor at the University of Virginia.