United States v. Donald Vincent Callahan

Convicted of mailing a letter threatening the lives of the president-elect and vice president-elect of the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 871, Donald Vincent Callahan appeals on the single issue of whether the statements he made in his letter constituted a true threat under the statute.

The statute provides that whoever knowingly and willfully mails a letter containing any threat to kill or cause bodily harm to the president, vice president, president-elect, or vice president-elect shall be fined a maximum of $1,000 or be imprisoned up to a maximum of five years, or both. 1

The…