PILF Files Lawsuit Over Election-Related Death Threats

(Philadelphia, PA) — May 2, 2025: The Public Interest Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of its clients in Pennsylvania after they received graphic and threatening letters for displaying pro-Trump yard signs at their homes before the 2024 Election. 

The suit alleges the letters violate voter intimidation prohibitions under the Voting Rights and the Ku Klux Klan Acts. 

The plaintiffs (among many others known to PILF) received nearly identical letters via the U.S. Postal Service containing menacing language, including threats to their property, families, and even pets. One letter read: “We know where you live… Your property, your family may be impacted, your cat may get shot… You tread on me at your peril.”

Trump supporters in Pennsylvania were threatened—and state officials made no arrests,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams. “If the targets had been Democrats, there’d be arrests by now. This double standard is unacceptable.”

The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and permission to conduct discovery to identify those responsible. The complaint notes the chilling effect such threats can have on civic participation and argues that voter intimidation, even through anonymous threats, is a direct violation of federal law.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to permanently bar the defendants from further intimidation and to uphold the rights of citizens to engage in political expression without fear of retribution.

Attorneys for PILF are Kaylan Phillips, J. Christian Adams, and Joe Nixon. Philadelphia-based Linda Kerns serves as local counsel. The case is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Case Number 2:25-cv-02208).

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact: media @ publicinterestlegal [dot] org

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.

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Public Interest Legal Foundation