Left-wing enemies of right-wing freedom of speech, specifically the freedom of speech of Douglass Mackey, recently got their way when U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly sentenced him to seven months in prison.
But now, a month after sentencing, another court has said wait a minute.
As I reported in October, Mackey was convicted for actions in 2016 that nobody could have known would later be treated as crimes. The FBI had arrested him shortly after Joe Biden became president in January 2021 — as if waiting for a favorable political climate for an obviously partisan action.
According to selectively prosecuting U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, Mackey threatened democracy and sought to “deprive people of their constitutional right to vote.”
What attempted deprivation of voting rights? Did Mackey lock people in their homes so that they could not go out to vote? Steal ballots? Glare and scream at people walking toward a voting site?
No, all that this obvious opponent of Hillary Clinton did was publish satirical posts telling Hillary voters to vote by text, much easier that way. Obnoxious, maybe; or silly. But the posts had no power to hypnotize or derange anyone or, for that matter, prevent anyone from double-checking with an election office or Google. And prosecutors brought in no voters who claimed to have been fooled by the obvious jest — which arguably was satire, a jape upon Mackey’s political opponents.
There’s no there there. Nevertheless, Mackey’s liberty has been at risk at least since 2018, when his legal name behind his pseudonymous social media presence was revealed.
It’s still at risk. But the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked Mackey’s seven-month imprisonment until his appeal can be decided and the free-speech issues properly adjudicated.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with PicFinder and Firefly
—
See all recent commentary
(simplified and organized)
5 replies on “Court Halts Imprisonment for Speech”
Arrested for traumatizing the same folks that need written warnings not to take their hair dryer into the shower.
AKA consumers of left-wing media?
And no one asks if allowing the self-extinguishing gene pools to follow their chosen course might be better.
Douglass MacKay didn’t create the memes; he downloaded & reposted. He thought they were funny.
If any voter was disenfranchised because of a meme, they lack the intelligence to vote
This was censorship & a warning to all who dare to speak against the WEF agenda. Hillary Clinton is in that camp
MacKay should not only have his sentence tossed but his conviction too.
His life has been destroyed over a Twitter post
If I direct Democrats to save themselves a trip to the mailbox and to vote by double-flushing their mail-in ballots down the toilet, will I go to prison?
How many people have posted in the past that repubs vote on Tuesday and dems vote on Wednesday?
I’ve seen that comment going back at least fifty years. In newspapers, on posters, and online in later years. Never heard of anyone getting arrested for it.
Sounds to me like that “judge” is a hack.
Getting what he deserves m!