Burlington, Vermont - March 17, 2009
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A judge has ruled a Burlington man had no First Amendment protection to threaten a black child with ugly racial epithets.
The ruling comes two weeks after James Cannon of Burlington was charged with disorderly conduct and a hate crime. Police say Cannon threatened to kill an 8-year-old Somali Bantu child and her family and directed racial slurs at the girl.
Cannon sought dismissal of the charges claiming it was permissible free speech. But Judge Jeffrey Crawford has ruled that there is evidence that Cannon used "fighting words" intended to cause a disturbance or inflict injury.
Brian Joyce - WCAX News