Judge testifies he felt threatened by NJ blogger

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge says he felt threatened by a New Jersey blogger who ranted on the Internet about a gun control ruling.

Judge William Bauer testified Wednesday at the trial of Hal Turner in New York. Turner’s case stems from an Illinois appeals court decision in 2009 upholding the dismissal of lawsuits challenging handgun bans in Chicago and Oak Park, Ill.

The same day, the North Bergen, N.J., man wrote on his blog that Bauer and two other judges “must die.”

Bauer told jurors that he considered the blog entry “a threat of violence.”

Turner has sought to portray himself as a “shock jock” and fierce gun control opponent whose tirades were protected by the constitutional right to free speech.

Two previous trials for Turner have ended with hung juries.