Arthur W. Terminiello, suspended Alabama priest, was fined $100 last night following his conviction on a disorderly conduct charge arising from an anti-Semitic meeting conducted by Gerald L.K. Smith, head of the American First Party.
The sentencing of Smith on a charge of contempt of court as a result of statements he made concerning Terminiello’s trial was postponed until Monday. Smith and another of his aides, Fred Kister, are awaiting separate trial on the came disorderly conduct charge of which Terminiello was found guilty.
In his instructions to the jury which convicted Terminiello, Judge McCormack pointed out that the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution insure “full freedom in expressing all ideas on matters of public concern, but they do not permit a person to say whatever he pleases in whatever circumstances.” The defense counsel shoved for a new trial, threatening an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, if his motion was denied.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.