RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A Virginia man who was sentenced to six months in jail for hanging a black-faced dummy by a noose in his front yard has asked the state Supreme Court to overturn his conviction, arguing that his free speech rights were violated.
Jack Eugene Turner of Rocky Mount was convicted in 2015 of violating a state law that prohibits hanging a noose to intimidate. Turner, who’s white, was upset with his black neighbors.
During a hearing before the Virginia Supreme Court on Wednesday, Turner’s lawyer argued the state law only bars displays of nooses on public land, not on private property.
An assistant attorney general said Turner “does not have an absolute right to make a true threat on private property.”
It wasn’t immediately clear when the court will rule.
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