Federal court halts prison sentence of satirist Douglass Mackey

by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News December 5, 2023

A federal appellate court on Monday halted the 7-month incarceration of Douglass Mackey, who was convicted on a charge of “conspiracy against rights” for a 2016 election meme which suggested Hillary Clinton supporters could vote via text message.

Douglass Mackey

Judge Omar Williams of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut ruled on Monday that Mackey can remain free as he appeals his conviction.

While the meme struck most as satire, the Biden Department of Justice charged Mackey’s Twitter post amounted to election interference and launched a dogged prosecution.

Meanwhile, individuals who posted memes that Donald Trump supporters could text in their vote faced no legal repercussions.

The court-ordered acceleration of Mackey’s appeal will culminate in its hearing as soon as possible post-Feb. 20, 2024, following all due submissions by Mackey and the government counsel.

While addressing the court’s decision to execute his appeal on X, Mackey expressed optimism. He emphasized that contrary to the prosecution’s classification of his appeal as frivolous, the appellate court inferred that his case has “substantial” and “debatable” issues that may, if ruled in his favor, invalidate his conviction.

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