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"Woman sent to jail for texting in court"

By Douglas A. Berman

This local story from Utah, which carried the headline that is the title of this post, ought to get technology fans and First Amendment gurus all worked up: A Utah woman is in jail for sending a text message. She's being held for contempt of court. Susan Henwood, a mother of four, has been sentenced to 30 days in the Tooele County Jail because she sent a text message about a court hearing she was observing. "She shouldn't be there. She did nothing wrong," her husband, Joshua Henwood, said. In early April, Joshua was sick and couldn't make his court appearance in a debt collection case. He sent Susan to ask for a continuance and to keep him updated, so she sent a text that said: "It doesn't look good for you" and "They're coming for the Polaris Ranger...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on April 29, 2009 (boomark / email).