First Amendment
Preacher Appeals Sentence for Article Predicting God Would Smite Judge
Posted Nov 13, 2008, 07:08 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
An activist preacher in Michigan is appealing his sentence of up to 10 years in prison for writing an article predicting that God would smite the judge who oversaw his trial and conviction for paying patrons of a soup kitchen to vote.
The Rev. Edward Pinkney was sentenced in June to three to 10 years in jail for violating his probation in the voting case by making a threat against the judge, the Associated Press reports. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing Pinkney and has filed a motion seeking his release on bond.
"To our knowledge, this case marks the first time in modern history that a preacher has been imprisoned for predicting what God might do,'' Michigan ACLU legal director Michael Steinberg said in a press release.
An ACLU brief in support of the motion (PDF) claims the sentence violates Pinkney’s First Amendment rights.
Pinkney’s article alleged that the Berrien County judge who oversaw his trial was racist, dumb and corrupt. “The Lord shall smite thee with consumption and with a fever and with an inflammation and with extreme burning,” he wrote.
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