institutional access

You are connecting from
Lake Geneva Public Library,
please login or register to take advantage of your institution's Ground News Plan.

Published loading...Updated

Appeals court throws out right-wing influencer’s conviction for 2016 election interference

EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, JUL 9 – The Second Circuit ruled there was insufficient evidence that Douglass Mackey knowingly conspired to suppress votes despite 5,000 people following his meme’s false instructions, court records show.

  • A federal appeals court in Manhattan vacated Douglass Mackey's 2023 conviction related to his dissemination of false information online aimed at suppressing Democratic voter turnout during the 2016 election.
  • Mackey was charged after authorities claimed that between September and November 2016, he collaborated with others to distribute memes that falsely instructed Democrats to cast votes via text messages or social media, deceiving approximately 5,000 individuals according to trial evidence.
  • At trial, prosecutors presented private Twitter group messages indicating an intent to interfere with voting rights, while Judge Ann M. Donnelly called Mackey a leading conspiracy member assaulting democracy during his sentencing to seven months in prison.
  • The three-judge 2nd Circuit panel ruled that posting memes alone does not prove conspiracy without evidence Mackey knowingly agreed with others, stating this primary evidence was flimsy and the government failed to show actual manipulation.
  • The appeals court ordered a judgment of acquittal, leading Mackey to say he felt vindicated and threaten legal action against the Justice Department over his conviction.
Insights by Ground AI
Does this summary seem wrong?

74 Articles

All
Left
8
Center
23
Right
34
Right

A Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the criminal conviction against Douglass Mackey, a social media influencer known as "Ricky Vaughn", who had been found guilty in 2023 of conspiring to interfere with the right to vote during the 2016 presidential election.]]>

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/yearSubscribe

Bias Distribution

  • 52% of the sources lean Right
52% Right
Factuality

To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium

Ownership

To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage

Townhall broke the news in Washington, United States on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Sources are mostly out of (0)