A federal appeals court appeared skeptical of prominent National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer's arguments in a lawsuit stemming from graphic emails she received following the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in November 2018 dismissed Hammer's claims against California attorney Lawrence Sorensen, who sent two emails to Hammer that included photos showing injuries from gunshot wounds. The judge's ruling came four months after Hammer filed a lawsuit against Sorensen and three other unrelated men because of emails she received. Hinkle's dismissal was limited to Sorensen.

Hinkle acknowledged that Sorensen sending the emails "unsolicited to anyone, even a public figure who advocates gun rights, was inappropriate, indeed disgusting." But the judge said Sorensen's messages were protected by the First Amendment and that Hammer was not entitled to damages.