“Your Cat May Get Shot!”—A LAWSUIT for Justice

Community outrage erupts as authorities turn a blind eye to alarming threats against Trump supporters in Pennsylvania.

At a Glance

  • In October 2024, two Pennsylvania voters received anonymous letters threatening their families, property, and pets for supporting Donald Trump.
  • Local and federal law enforcement allegedly failed to investigate the threats, prompting a federal lawsuit.
  • The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed the suit under the Ku Klux Klan Act and the Voting Rights Act.
  • A federal judge has now granted PILF the power to issue subpoenas to the law enforcement agencies that allegedly ignored the case.

“You Tread on Me at Your Peril”

In the heated run-up to the 2024 election, two voters in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, who had placed Trump campaign signs on their property received chilling, anonymous letters in their mailboxes. The letters contained direct threats against them for exercising their First Amendment rights.

“We know where you live,” the letter stated, according to court filings. “In the dead of a cold winter’s night, this year, next year, and beyond, there is no knowing what may happen. Your property and your family may be impacted, and your cat may get shot. And more… You tread on me at your peril, motherf-cker.”

A “Deafening Silence” from Law Enforcement

Despite the explicit and violent nature of the threats, local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly failed to launch any significant investigation. According to the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), the law enforcement agencies that were notified of the threats took no meaningful action, leaving the families feeling abandoned and vulnerable.

This alleged inaction has sparked outrage, with critics questioning whether the response would have been different if the victims had been supporters of the Democratic party.

A Lawsuit for Justice

With law enforcement allegedly sitting on its hands, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, stepped in to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of the two threatened voters. The suit was filed against anonymous “John Doe” defendants under two powerful federal laws: the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both of which make it illegal to “intimidate, threaten, or coerce” any person for voting.

“This ruling enables us to try to get to the bottom of who made the threats,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams. In a significant recent development, a federal judge has granted PILF the authority to issue subpoenas to the police departments and the FBI, compelling them to turn over any and all records related to the original complaints. The move could finally shed light on who sent the threatening letters and why law enforcement failed to act.

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