Counterman v. Colorado

Citation

600 U.S. 66 (2023)

Facts

Stub — to be completed.

Issue

Stub — to be completed.

Holding

Stub — to be completed.

Rule

The First Amendment requires proof of at least recklessness — that the defendant consciously disregarded a substantial risk that the communication would be perceived as threatening — to sustain a conviction for making a “true threat.”

Significance

Established a subjective mens rea floor for true threats prosecutions, rejecting an objective reasonable-person standard and requiring the government to show the speaker was at least reckless about the threatening nature of the statement.

Courses