No. 22-497

Jasper Robin Chen v. Texas

Lower Court: Texas
Docketed: 2022-11-28
Status: Dismissed
Type: Paid
Response RequestedResponse Waived
Tags: communications criminal-law criminal-statute electronic-communication first-amendment free-speech harassment-law intent overbreadth overbreadth-doctrine
Key Terms:
FirstAmendment HabeasCorpus Privacy
Latest Conference: 2023-01-20
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Is a law that criminalizes expressive speech immunized from any First Amendment scrutiny if it also criminalizes non-expressive conduct?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED A Texas statute criminalizes sending repeated electronic communications with the intent and likely result of “harassing, annoying, alarming, abusing, tormenting, embarrassing or offending” another. Because the law would be violated by the repeated sending of communications that contain no expressive content, like a blank email, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that it “proscribes non-speech conduct” and does not implicate the First Amendment, even though the law would in most cases be violated by the repeated sending of expressive communications. The court thus rejected Petitioner’s facial overbreadth challenges to the criminal statute. The questions presented are: 1. Is a law that criminalizes expressive speech immunized from any First Amendment scrutiny if it also criminalizes non-expressive conduct? 2. Is a law that punishes the repeated sending of electronic communications with intent and likely result to “harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, embarrass, or offend” another unconstitutionally overbroad? (ii)

Docket Entries

2023-02-14
Petition Dismissed - Rule 46.
2023-02-03
Stipulation to the dismissal of the case under Rule 46.1 filed.
2023-01-27
2023-01-06
Response Requested. (Due February 6, 2023)
2023-01-04
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/20/2023.
2022-12-20
Waiver of right of respondent Texas to respond filed.
2022-11-22
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 28, 2022)

Attorneys

Jasper Chen
Mark William BennettBennett & Bennett, Petitioner
Mark William BennettBennett & Bennett, Petitioner
Lane Andrew HaygoodBailey & Galyen, Petitioner
Lane Andrew HaygoodBailey & Galyen, Petitioner
Texas
Judd Edward Stone IITexas Attorney General's Office, Respondent
Judd Edward Stone IITexas Attorney General's Office, Respondent
Patricia McLeanHarris County District Attorney's Office, Respondent
Patricia McLeanHarris County District Attorney's Office, Respondent