(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Dear John Roberts, Stalking is not funny. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2023-04-23  

Just don't.

Stalking is not a joke, and SCOTUS should know that.

John Roberts showed his unfitness for his job this week when he drew laughter from the gallery while reading messages from a stalker for comedic effect.

In the case of Counterman v. Colorado, a woman received thousands of unwanted messages from Billy Raymond Counterman, who had previously served time in federal prison for making violent threats against his ex-wife and her family. For her, the cost of escaping two years of terror was changing her name, giving up her successful performing career, and moving to another state.

After Thomas’s levity. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett went on to reflect that society has become overly sensitive, with the implication that the victim’s perceptions were somehow at fault. This is willfully obtuse, as stalking constitutes a pattern of threatening behavior, not protected “free speech.”

This is rich coming from some of the most thin-skinned folks around (looking at you, Kavanaugh), whose privileged position ensures that any threat made against them is taken “extraordinarily seriously.”

Here are a few facts to highlight the callous indifference Roberts has shown to the lives of stalking victims:

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) reports that about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have been stalked at some point in their lives. Given these statistics, better enforcement and better anti-stalking laws, and their enforcement, could stop much preventable violence.

This pervasive threat of stalking can have a broadly chilling effect on women’s speech online. In recognition of this harm, The UN has asked governments to step up and protect women and girls from an epidemic of gendered attacks online. They note that the rise of online violence causes women to self-censor, and works to keep women out of the public sphere.

We are shown repeatedly that the law as it currently stands was not created to protect women from systemic gendered violence. In fact, to those we rely on for its wise and fair application, our terrorization appears to be a joke.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/23/2165494/-Dear-John-Roberts-Stalking-is-not-funny

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/