United States v. Syring

Patrick Syring was charged with making threats based on voicemail and email messages he sent to employees of the Arab American Institute. He moved to dismiss the charges, and in November 2007 we filed an amicus brief arguing that his messages, while highly offensive, did not constitute “true threats” that can be punished as a crime. However, the court denied the motion to dismiss, finding this to be an issue of fact for the jury. Mr. Syring ultimately agreed to a plea bargain.