Spofford’s Free Speech Shield Falls

Eric Spofford’s bid to use free speech as a defense in his federal stalking case just collapsed. A judge rejected his motion, slamming his argument that the law violates the First Amendment — calling it irrelevant since the statute targets conduct, not speech. Facing charges for allegedly orchestrating a harassment campaign against NHPR journalists, Spofford remains on $1 million bail. His defense tried to equate the crime to punishing harsh restaurant reviews — a tactic the court dismissed. Meanwhile, Spofford also attempted to sue NHPR for defamation over reporting on past sexual misconduct allegations during his tenure at Granite Recovery. The judge’s ruling clears the way for the case to proceed, leaving Spofford’s legal woes mounting as he splits time between New Hampshire and Florida. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/08a5cc28a6973fc3