Should the First Amendment Cover Free Speech On Social Media?

A Lehigh Valley man is at the center of a debate that has people talking.

Should you be able to post whatever you want on social media?

Anthony Elonis of the Bethlehem area was convicted of making threats after prosecutors say his posts on Facebook in 2010 violated federal law.

Some of the posts you see here are what the United States Supreme Court is now reviewing to see if it counts as free speech.

I see this as less of a social media case as a regular first amendment free speech case. Just like ones that existed before Facebook ever existed, Civil Rights attorney Barry Dyller said.

Among the Facebook posts by Elonis was this apparent message to his ex-wife: Fold up your PFA and put it in your pocket. Is it thick enough to stop a bullet?

He now says he posted rap lyrics because it was a therapeutic way to address traumatic events in his life.

A federal appeals court rejected his claim, and now its in the hands of the United States Supreme Court.

For each of us individually as a society, we want free, robust and open speech, Dyller said.

At the Luzerne County courthouse detectives say there have been a few cases this year that they have investigated on social media.

Read the rest here:

Should the First Amendment Cover Free Speech On Social Media?

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