U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Jul. 21, 2011
Free speech protects man's anti-Obama rants
La Mesa resident Walter Bagdasarian's violent racist postings about Barack Obama two weeks before the 2008 election were not "true threats" and were shielded by the First Amendment, the 9th Circuit held Tuesday.
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Blistering personal attacks are nothing new in American politics, but La Mesa resident Walter Bagdasarian's violent, racist postings about Barack Obama two weeks before the 2008 election drew U.S. Secret Service scrutiny and a federal criminal conviction for threatening a presidential candidate.
Still, although Bagdasarian may be "an especially unpleasant fellow," as 9th U.S. Circuit Cour...
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