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Rap Video That Named Officers Not Protected Free Speech

A rap video posted to Facebook crossed the line from artistic to threatening when its lyrics described violent acts, named two Pittsburgh police officers and suggested the rappers knew where those officers lived, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said in holding it was not protected by the First Amendment.

The state Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in Commonwealth v. Knox, No. 3 WAP 2017, which delved into the question of whether the video constituted protected free speech or a punishable threat. The ruling affirmed the state Superior Court, which determined that the video provided sufficient basis for Jamal Knox and a co-defendant to be convicted of witness intimidation and making terroristic threats.

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