David Kernell leaves the Federal Courthouse for a lunch break Thursday, April 22, 2010 in Knoxville, Tenn. in this file photo.A Tennessee student convicted of hacking Republican Sarah Palin's email in the 2008 election year has been released early from federal supervision.
David Kernell was supposed to be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office until November 2014 after being released from prison in 2011.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips freed David Kernell, who is the son of longtime Democratic Memphis lawmaker Mike Kernell, from supervision this month.
The move came after Kernell's attorney requested it and the U.S. Attorney's office did not object.
Kernell's attorney, Wade Davies, has contended that Kernell had no criminal intent and that guessing his way into the email account when the then-Alaska governor was John McCain's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket was a prank.