Neo-Nazi Held Without Bond in Alleged Online Threat to Federal Jury Foreman
A white supremacist who is accused of posting information on the Internet soliciting harm to a federal jury foreman pleaded not guilty today in federal court in Chicago.
William White, 31, a resident of Roanoke, Va., will be held until at least Dec. 5, when a detention hearing is scheduled to determine whether he should get bond, according to the Associated Press and Chicago Sun-Times.
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, White is accused of having sought to harm a foreman of the federal jury that convicted self-described white supremacist, Matthew Hale, in 2004 of plotting to kill a sitting federal judge in Chicago, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow.
Subsequently, in an unrelated case, Lefkow’s husband and mother were murdered in her Chicago home early in 2005. Although another disgruntled litigant eventually confessed to the murders weeks later, in a note, before committing suicide, Hale initially was suspected, even though he was jailed at the time in a high-security setting. He was convicted in 2004 of targeting Lefkow for assassination, after she ruled against his World Church of the Creator in a trademark suit, and he is now serving a 40-year sentence.
“Authorities have said White listed the foreman’s address and phone numbers on his website under the heading ‘The Juror Who Convicted Matt Hale,’ ” the Chicago Tribune writes today in a breaking news brief. The same website that White reportedly used also has allegedly solicited the shooting of a Canadian civil rights lawyer, the newspaper states.
However, a defense lawyer contends that White has a legal right to express himself, the AP reports:
“This case is going to be the U.S. versus the First Amendment,” attorney Nishay Sanan told reporters after the hearing today.
Related coverage:
Chicago Tribune (2005): “Police: DNA matches”
New York Times (2005): ” Shadowed by Threats, Judge Finds New Horror”
Southern Poverty Law Center (2003): “Creator Crack-Up”
