Yesterday the Supreme Court announced that it will not reconsider the conviction and sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the man convicted with running the silk road website.
One of the many disturbing things about this case is that the Judge Katharine Forrest said she was giving Ulbricht a double life sentence in part due to his political philosophy. I was at the hearings and sentencing, and to hear her say that was shocking. That alone should have been enough to have had the case reheard. Let alone the corrupt police officers involved in the case, the 4th amendment violations, etc...
There was further hope that the courts would rehear the case after they ruled favorably on the side of fourth amendment rights in the Carpenter case. But it seems they are not interested in government spying on our internet activity, nor are they interested that the judge outright stated that she was giving Ross an unprecedentedly severe sentence (double life plus 40 years) based on unproven charges that were never taken to court.
The case sets terrifying precedents regarding how we deal with digital evidence, and is a huge blow to privacy rights.
Last week at Porcfest I talked to Ross's mother, Lyn Ulbricht, who has been championing the cause of -- not only her son's case -- but also the case of liberty. We discussed the case and all of the dangerous precedents it sets in the digital age.
To support Ross:
Freeross.org
To purchase FreeRoss pins:
Human-action.net
Supreme Court order:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/062818zr_k425.pdf