The Supreme Court ruled Monday that violent threats online may be protected free speech, as long as they are not malevolent or reckless. The case concerned Anthony Elonis, who posted violent threats in the form of rap lyrics about his ex-wife on Facebook after she left him and he lost his job. The threats also referenced other people, including a kindergarten class and FBI agents. Elonis was convicted for the threats, but maintained that his postings were violent rap lyrics but not actual threats. The case now heads back to a lower court, which will decide whether Elonis’s threats were malevolent, or artistic free speech.
