Free Speech in Domestic Violence Context Tested at Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court will test the line between encouraging a broad marketplace of ideas and protecting domestic violence victims in a high court sequel on the meaning of “true threats.”

The justices in 2014 agreed to consider what prosecutors must show to punish harmful speech and deprive the speaker of protections under the First Amendment. But the court ultimately dodged the constitutional question in Elonis v. United States by deciding the case on narrower grounds.

The issue is again before the justices in a case set for argument on Wednesday that involves a Colorado man convicted of stalking a ...