Judge Rules Against Blogger Hal Turner

December 1. 2009

Hal Turner

A district judge has ruled against white supremacist blogger, Hal Turner, who the FBI routinely used to incite violence against minorities and members of the U.S. government, such as judges and a black Congresswoman.

Turner, who is on trial for calling for the death of three Chicago judges and even furnished the public with their addresses, claims the FBI ordered him to do so, as it was apart of his job as a paid informant with the codename "Valhalla."

While I do believe the FBI should be on trial as well, for paying someone to do this madness that could have gotten people killed, the judge is right to rule that Turner's comments in calling for the judges' deaths, is not protected by the Constitution. Death threats and inciting violence or murder, is not a right under the First Amendment.

The judge also denied Turner's lawyer additional time to go over copious amounts of documents that were recently released during discovery. That decision was at the judge's discretion, but a time extension of a week or two would not hurt, considering the chances of Turner getting a fair trial after calling for the deaths of judges, is next to nil.

Don't get me wrong, I think he broke the law and deserves prison time, but which judge is really going to side with him in light of his FBI sponsored attack on their profession.

Regardless, if one accepts money to endanger the lives of others, they deserve legal punishment, for jeopardizing public safety. It was an ill-conceived, dangerous plot that deserves repudiation of the strongest order. The FBI should be legally compelled to change their life threatening practices.

North Bergen right-wing shock jock, FBI informant in court today

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Hal Turner, the ultra-right-wing radio shock jock and FBI informant from North Bergen, arrived in federal court this morning for the first day of his trial on charges that he threatened the lives of federal judges.

Turner, whose racist and anti-Semitic radio diatribes attracted a large audience of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, was arrested last June after he wrote on his radio show blog that three federal appeals court judges "deserved to be killed" after they upheld a gun control law. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison.

One of the issues that could play a key role in Turner's trial is his secret life as a FBI informant...

As U.S. District Court Judge Donald Walters took his seat on the bench this morning, Turner's lead defense attorney, Michael Orozco, asked that the trial be delayed. Orozco said that he had only recently received numerous discovery files of evidence from federal prosecutors and needed more time to study them.

Judge Walters rejected Orozco's request and said the trial would begin today.

The defense also raised an objection to the trial based on its belief that the charges against Turner violate his First Amendment right to free speech...

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