Prof. Kirtley Discusses "True Threats" on the Internet in National Law Journal

Prof. Jane Kirtley was quoted in "How Much Threat Raised by Threat" in National Law Journal, discussing whether blogger and Internet radio host Hal Turner's postings calling three 7th Circuit judges "traitors" and stating that "these judges deserve to be killed" constitute true threats. Prof. Kirtley argued that Turner's remarks may be "rhetorical hyperbole," but that his use of specific identifying information about the judges might qualify as a "true threat," which is not protected by the First Amendment. She further noted that unless someone has acted on his exhortations, it may be hard to argue that they constitute incitement to violence.