Protected
Vote him out
Remove him from office
Impeach him
Defeat him
Reject his agenda
86 the policy
86 47, when used to mean lawful removal
First Amendment Firewall
Harsh politics is protected. Threats are not.
The First Amendment protects harsh, offensive, and unpopular political speech. The government needs more than an aggressive interpretation of slang to turn political speech into a crime.
Not protected / dangerous
Specific threats of violence
Stalking or harassment
Instructions to commit violence
Calls for imminent lawless action
Weapon/time/place-specific threats
Context is the firewall.
A lawful call to vote, impeach, protest, reject, or remove an official from power is not the same thing as a specific threat, stalking, harassment, or an instruction to commit imminent violence.
Can I say 8647?Merriam-Webster dictionary: eighty-sixLists refuse service, eject, dismiss, remove, reject, discontinue, and get rid of.Merriam-Webster wordplay: What does eighty-six mean?Explains 1930s soda-counter origins and mainstream slang usage.Cornell LII: Brandenburg testIncitement requires imminent lawless action and likelihood of producing it.Cornell LII: True threatsOnly true threats fall outside ordinary First Amendment protection.Oyez: Watts v. United StatesPolitical hyperbole is not automatically a true threat.Associated Press: 86 slang and Comey controversyReports the restaurant-slang history and political context.Reuters: Comey seashell prosecution analysisReuters report republished by Investing.com on legal experts' First Amendment concerns.