Oregon Supreme Court rule against free speech in stalking case

September 12, 2011

Oregon: The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled against John Norman Ryan despite his invoking of freedom of expression. Ryan was accused of stalking a woman he had met to the point that she filed a restraining order. After the order was filed Ryan continued to send messages to the victim's father, but since his messages were of a non-violent nature he argued that they were constitutionally protected. The Supreme Court disagreed despite having a track record of upholding freedom of speech cases in the past. The judges unanimously ruled that Ryan had no right to communicate with the victim in a way that would violate the restraining order.