A man who threatened a judge who dismissed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s “don’t say gay” law has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.
Steven Jay Thorne, 66, of Pensacola, was sentenced Wednesday. News Release Thorne was represented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. He pleaded guilty in May to one count of interstate communication of threats against a judge.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not released the judge’s name, but prosecutors previously identified the judge as U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger in Orlando, who was appointed by President Donald Trump.
In October 2022, Burger dropped his lawsuit against the law, declining to issue a preliminary injunction blocking its implementation. The law bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, but a legal settlement this year clarified that some discussion of those topics would be allowed.
Berger cited the fact that the people who filed the lawsuits were LGBTQThe lawsuit, filed by students and their families, an association of LGBTQ+ community centers and others, said there was no legal basis for challenging the law, and that bullying in schools, which the plaintiffs expressed concern about, “is simply a reality.”
Thorne, a retired teacher, was furious. He left her multiple voicemail messages, one of which called her a “rotten bitch” and accused her of seducing supporters of Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the measure into law. W.F.L.A. I will report.
“You have no idea what LGBTQ kids are going through,” he said in the message, which was transcribed in court documents. “I’m a retired teacher. I’ve taught in Florida and California. I’ve seen the abuse these kids go through. And then you have the nerve to say being bullied is part of middle school and high school?”
In another post, he threatened her family and said it would be easy to track her down. He called her a “stupid redneck” and a “cruel person.” “You think it’s okay for LGBTQ kids to be bullied, yet the law allows it and you’re telling them they’re second class citizens? Listen up you idiots, it’s easy to track you down,” he continued.
“Threatening harm to public servants or their families is an unacceptable crime,” U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg said in a news release. “My office takes these threats seriously and is committed to investigating and federally prosecuting those who threaten this type of violence.”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
