Updated: Michelle Carter Is Sentenced to 15 Months in Jail in Texting Suicide Case
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/us/texting-suicide-sentence.html?partner=rss&emc=rss She had faced up to 20 years in prison. Her sentence was stayed pending expected appeals ... The outcome of the emotionally exhausting weeklong trial stunned many legal experts, who said it broke legal ground by suggesting that words alone -- in essence, speech itself -- could be deemed to cause a suicide. Speech in this case was ruled to be as powerful as a loaded gun, a verdict with potentially broad implications. The judge's conclusion was particularly unexpected, several lawyers said, because Massachusetts is one of a few states that do not explicitly outlaw encouraging or persuading someone to commit suicide ... Many expect Ms. Carter to appeal the conviction. If the verdict is allowed to stand, it will "chill important and worthwhile end-of-life discussions," said Matthew Segal, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. - - - --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): https://www.vortex.com/lauren Lauren's Blog: https://lauren.vortex.com Google Issues Mailing List: https://vortex.com/google-issues Founder: Network Neutrality Squad: https://www.nnsquad.org PRIVACY Forum: https://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: https://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Google+: https://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 --- Impeach Trump --- _______________________________________________ nnsquad mailing list https://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad
