Offensive Speech

Supreme Court Affirms Hate Speech Protected

United States Supreme Court Building

First Amendment expert, Eugene Volokh writes that in Matal v. Tam, also known as the “Slants” case, the “justices made clear that speech that some view as racially offensive is protected not just against outright prohibition but also against lesser restrictions.” For example, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that silencing offensive speech is wrong and that “our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express ‘the thought that we hate’.”

Washington Post Supreme Court Case Syllabus

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