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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to throw out a case in which a North Carolina man is charged with anonymously threatening to lynch a Muslim-American man who is campaigning for a state Senate seat in Virginia.
U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. on Monday refused to dismiss Joseph Cecil Vandevere's indictment on First Amendment free speech grounds.
Vandevere is charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure a person in connection with a tweet directed at Virginia state Senate candidate Qasim Rashid. The tweet included a picture of a lynching and read, "VIEW YOUR DESTINY."
Rashid posted a screenshot of the threatening tweet in March 2018 and reported it to the FBI.
Vandevere's attorney, Andrew Banzhoff, didn't immediately respond to a phone message and email seeking comment.
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