Anthony D. Elonis, Petitioner
John P. Elwood, Counsel of Record
In May 2010, 27-year-old Anthony D. Elonis’s wife of nearly seven years left him and took their two children with her. Over the course of the rest of the year, Elonis’s mental state deteriorated. He became depressed and began posting violent rap lyrics — quoted or his own — and threatening language on his Facebook page. Although he said the comments were made in jest or part of his art, they resulted in his getting fired from his job, his estranged wife filing a court protection order against him, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations sending an agent to his…
