Blogger Sues Connecticut For $50 Million

Hartford, CN – A blogger is suing the state of Connecticut for $50 million after being acquitted of inciting violence charges, according to ABC News.

Harold “Hal” Turner of North Bergen, New Jersey was arrested in June of 2009 after posting some comments on his blog that authorities found questionable. Turner suggested in a post that officials in Connecticut should “obey the Constitution or die.” He also urged his readers to “take up arms” against the government.

Turner claims that the was falsely arrested, wrongfully imprisoned, and maliciously prosecuted for the comments he made on his website. Now that a jury has acquitted him of the charges, the controversial blogger is looking to collect some money for his troubles.

According to the New York Daily News, this isn’t the first time Harold Turner has found himself before a court over comments he’s made to the masses. Around the same time the former shock jock urged Connecticut residents to “take up arms” against officials, Turner declared that several Chicago judges should be murdered for upholding bans on handguns.

“Let me be the first to say this plainly: these judges deserve to be killed,” the blogger remarked. He also included the names and addresses of the individuals he thought she be murdered.

Turner was later convicted of making threats against the three federal judges. US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald had this to say about the blogger in his sentencing memorandum:

“For years, Turner has engaged in a campaign of intimidation against public officials and private citizens alike. Even Turner’s arrest in this case failed to deter him. Turner continued his tactics by using intimidation against a key witness in the government’s case against him. All the while, Turner has displayed defiance and no regret for his actions. Turner remains utterly incapable of acknowledging the genuine fear experienced by his innumerable victims – that is, except when he is the victim of a perceived threat. Turner has committed a serious crime, engaged in witness intimidation, lied repeatedly under oath, and has shown no regret whatsoever.”

Turner’s Wikipedia page describes the man as an “American white nationalist, Holocaust denier, and blogger from North Bergen, New Jersey.” Until his arrest, Turner operated a webcast called The Hal Turner Show from his home.

Do you think the blogger has a right to sue Connecticut officials for $50 million?