So a two-judge majority on a Sixth Circuit panel held in Defoe v. Spiva held, arguing that: A public high school that can put reasonable limits on drug-related speech by students [referring to Morse v. Frederick, which upheld such restrictions -EV] can put reasonable and even-handed limits on racially hostile or contemptuous speech, without having […]
Archive | “Hate Speech”
Illegal in New Hampshire to Repeatedly Use “Offensively Coarse Language” With the Purpose to Annoy
N.H. Stat. § 644-4 makes it a misdemeanor to, among other things, “[m]ake[] repeated communications at extremely inconvenient hours or in offensively coarse language with a purpose to annoy or alarm another.” In re Alex C. (N.H. Sup. Ct. Nov. 30) upheld the conviction of a minor for sending 20 instant messages in the span […]
Bank Ordered to Take Down Religious Displays [UPDATE: The Order Has Now Been Revoked]
By Eugene Volokh on December 17, 2010 4:07 pm in "Hate Speech", Freedom of Speech, Religion and the Law, Religious Freedom
KOCO-TV reports, A small-town bank in Oklahoma said the Federal Reserve won’t let it keep religious signs and symbols on display. Federal Reserve examiners [who came for a regularly scheduled inspection visit] deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say “Merry Christmas, God With Us.” … inappropriate. […]
No Charges in Michigan for Burning Koran, Leaving it on Doorstep of Mosque the Night Before Sept. 11, 2010
The Lansing State Journal has details. (The decision not to charge the man happened in September, but I just heard about it now, and the newspaper apparently has extra details that weren’t available then.) The bottom line as to the charges: The man didn’t damage anyone else’s property. The Quran he burned was his own. […]
Coming Hate Speech Prosecutions in New York?
Newsday reports: A group of teens spotted Sunday evening slapping up stickers along a Bellmore street [including on a lamp post and a Chamber of Commerce sign] could be charged with felonies for posting white supremacist messages and images …. One sticker, photographed and removed by police, reads “White Pride World Wide.” Another says “Don’t […]
Racial Harassment Lawsuit Based on Teacher’s Reading Out Loud a Book About Slavery That Contained the Word “Nigger”
The Detroit News reports: The family of a former Warren Consolidated Schools fifth-grader is suing the district, claiming the African-American girl was the victim of racial discrimination when excerpts from a book about slavery [“From Slave Ship to Freedom Road” by Julius Lester] containing “outrageous statements” — including the N-word — were read aloud in […]
Anti-Homosexuality Speech in High School Classes
From the Livingston (Mich.) Daily: Howell Public Schools Superintendent Ron Wilson on Thursday said high school teacher Jay McDowell was disciplined [by being suspended for one day without pay] after it was determined McDowell violated a student’s First Amendment rights and significantly violated a district policy. “The student was speaking out on being offended by […]
Spanish Government Imposing 100,000-Euro Fine for Anti-Homosexuality Ads?
This apparently happened in July, but I only heard about it a few weeks ago. Here is part of a summary from an advocacy group, the European Centre for Law and Justice: Spain’s Ministry of Industry, the government department responsible for regulating telecommunications and audiovisual media, fined Intereconomía, a Christian-inspired multimedia communication group, which owns […]
More on “Speech Hostile to Gays Constitutionally Unprotected, Speech Hostile to Whites Constitutionally Protected?”
By Eugene Volokh on September 28, 2010 2:37 pm in "Hate Speech", Freedom of Speech, Judicial Nominations
I blogged last week about this topic, and I thought I’d briefly follow up. To summarize: James E. Graves, Jr., a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering his nomination at a hearing tomorrow, and I […]
“A Defense of Free Speech by American and Canadian Muslims”
By Eugene Volokh on September 28, 2010 1:53 pm in "Hate Speech", Blasphemy, Freedom of Speech, Religion and the Law
From The American Muslim: We, the undersigned, unconditionally condemn any intimidation or threats of violence directed against any individual or group exercising the rights of freedom of religion and speech; even when that speech may be perceived as hurtful or reprehensible. We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic […]
Speech Hostile to Gays Constitutionally Unprotected, Speech Hostile to Whites Constitutionally Protected?
By Eugene Volokh on September 23, 2010 5:32 pm in "Hate Speech", Freedom of Speech, Judicial Nominations
James E. Graves, Jr., a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering his nomination at a hearing next Wednesday, September 29. And while I know only one small corner of Justice Graves’ work, I hope the […]
Blasphemy Arrests in England
News.com.au reports: British police have arrested six people on suspicion of inciting racial hatred over a YouTube video apparently showing them setting fire to copies of the Koran…. I realize this is from an Australian publication, but its motto is “FROM ALL ANGLES,” so I take it they see their job as covering England as […]
Planning to Burn a Koran = $200,000 Bill from the Government for Policing Costs?
By Eugene Volokh on September 17, 2010 5:01 pm in "Hate Speech", Freedom of Speech, Religion and the Law
The Gainesville Sun reports: The cost of policing the Dove World Outreach Center for the planned Quran burning that never happened is expected to come to about $100,000 each for the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, officials say. And Gainesville City Manager Russ Blackburn said the city intends to present a […]
Justice Breyer Clarifies Earlier Remarks, Suggests Koran-Burning Is Constitutionally Protected After All
Josh Gerstein (Politico) has transcripts of Breyer’s Good Morning America remarks, which seemed to suggest that Koran-burning might be constitutionally unprotected, but also his more recent Larry King Live remarks, which pretty strongly suggest that Koran-burning is indeed constitutionally protected. To recap, the earlier remarks were ambiguous. Stephanopoulos asked whether globalization and the Internet, and […]
Something to Watch Out for If You’re Using Rackspace
The San Antonio News-Express Web site reports, Rackspace Hosting Inc. hosted the Florida church’s website, but stopped providing services late Wednesday after determining the Dove World Outreach Center violated a provision in its contract regarding hate speech, a Rackspace spokesman said. The company received complaints that the center violated the acceptable use policy, which is […]