By C1 Staff
ALBANY, Ga. — In taking up the case of Anthony Elonis, the Supreme Court may be deciding if you can go to jail for a violent or threatening social media post.
WALB reports that Elonis was sentenced to nearly four years in a federal penitentiary for posting violent online rants on Facebook against his estranged wife, law enforcement and former co-workers.
The court is considering the free speech rights of people who use threatening language on Facebook and other electronic formats where the speaker’s intent is not always clear.
A federal appeals court rejected Elonis’ claim that his Facebook posts were protected speech under the First Amendment.
He claims he never intended to harm anyone.
A charge of terroristic threats is a felony and carries up to five years in prison.