ALEXANDRIA, VA — A federal jury on Wednesday acquitted Peter Stinson, a retired Coast Guard officer, of charges that he encouraged violence against President Donald Trump through social media posts. After a two-day trial, jurors deliberated less than a day before returning a unanimous not-guilty verdict, concluding that Stinson’s online remarks were protected speech under the First Amendment.
Stinson, 63, had been charged in June for comments made on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky between 2020 and 2025, including posts such as, “Let’s just shoot the orange and put him out of his misery.” Prosecutors argued the comments constituted threats, while defense attorneys described them as political hyperbole.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis had earlier questioned the strength of the case, noting constitutional concerns. Stinson said after the verdict, “I did a lot of s**t posting… Do I regret it? No, I don’t think so,” adding that he would continue to protest against Trump.
The ruling is being viewed as a major test of free speech boundaries in the digital age.
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