“Free Speech” quotes from Law & Order

[about Hoyt] I heard he was running for Congress and the power brokers in the Democratic Party were making him out to be the best new thing. Like AOC with some brains. [chuckles] That was a joke. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend your left wing sensibilities.

You didn't offend us. It wasn't funny.

I run a media business. I give the people what they want. Real people. Real, honest, hard-working, middle class people who love this country, who can't relate to the rich, coastal elites who control the media and the political narrative. C'mon, you really think some roofer from Akron with a mortgage and three kids gives a rat's ass about somebody's pronoun?

So you don't really believe that liberals eat babies or that Black people's obsession with racism is destroying the country?

It doesn't matter what I believe. It matters what sells.

The post was sent from a cafe in Brooklyn called Coffee'n'Smile.

Why has it become mandatory for coffee shops to be called stupid names?

That's why I drink tea.

Inventing mythical enemies is part of the defendant's business model. He creates clickbait. He provides exciting liberal enemies for his followers to hate. He then posts about these dangerous fascists and anti-Americans on his websites, talks about them on his streaming platform and podcasts. But the only thing he really cares about is money. Monetizing the outrage and venom, that's how the defendant builds his billion dollar media empire. In simplest terms, he made Derek Hoyt an enemy of the far right, then offered Manny Lopez, a misguided but intelligent, patriotic ex-Marine, a financial reward to kill that enemy. And Manny Lopez did. He pushed Derek Hoyt in front of a bus. Tomorrow, you'll hear Mr. Lopez describe this murder for hire in greater detail, and make it clear that the defendant should be held accountable for Mr. Hoyt's death.

Chat room posts, social media rants, they're protected under the First Amendment. Jordan Reed can say whatever the hell he wants. He can talk about liberal cannibals and underage sex trafficking rings all day long.

Your client cried fire in a crowded movie theater, and Derek Hoyt got trampled to death. We have every right to move forward on Murder Two.

I agree with Mr. Price. There is a case here. I don't know if it's winnable, but it's certainly tryable. So, let's do it.

Hell of a verdict, Nolan. It'll make people think twice about tweeting venom.

I'm not so sure. Someone called "Garrett From the Country" just tweeted me a particularly venomous death threat.