# Prosecution Over Threat to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten Can Go Forward

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/prosecution-over-threat-to-american-federation-of-teachers-president-randi-weingarten-can-go-forward/
- Published: 2026-11-07T17:00:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T17:26:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/07/prosecution-over-threat-to-american-federation-of-teachers-president-randi-weingarten-can-go-forward/
- Topics: Americas, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Prosecution over alleged threats to Randi Weingarten can proceed.
- A jury will decide whether the post was a true threat.
- The judge distinguished the case from a ruling on political hyperbole.

## Summary

A federal judge has ruled that the prosecution of a man accused of threatening American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten can proceed. The court said a jury could find that the online post was a “true threat” under federal law, while leaving the question of guilt for trial.

The indictment says the post was made on the union’s website on 23 July 2024 and included several references to harming or killing Weingarten. The judge found those statements, taken together, could show an intent to intimidate her; insults and political context cited by the defendant did not change what the court could consider at this stage. The ruling distinguished the case from a 1960s Supreme Court decision that treated a protester’s remarks about President Lyndon B. Johnson as political hyperbole.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.