In Thurman, the respondent used profanity to describe the situation and say that the officer was not the „law.” The officer testified that he did not appreciate being verbally assaulted, which did not reach the level of incitement to violence. Therefore, the court ruled that swearing was not fighting words. The interpretation of the Constitution is difficult, especially when it comes to cursing. That`s because some categorize swear words under obscene language, a term that falls under unprotected language. One of the lawsuits against state police involves a Luzerne County woman who apparently verbally assaulted a friend on a motorcycle when he shouted and dodged an insult as he drove on a public highway in 2008, according to ACLUP. The woman „responded by calling the motorcyclist a `hole.`” She then reported the motorcyclist`s actions to state police, who cited the motorist, but also cited her for shouting obscenity. She challenged the ticket before a district judge and won. Naming police in conjunction with a gesture that can be interpreted as threatening can result in the loss of protected speech status. The court may examine the whole and not the individual parties and conclude that the speech as a whole was threatening. Some states still have laws in their books that criminalize speech blasphemy. For example, until December 2015, Michigan had a law that read: „Any person who uses indecent, immoral, obscene, vulgar or offensive language in the presence or hearing of a woman or child is guilty of a misdemeanor.” A state appeals court declared the law unconstitutionally vague in the case of a cuddly canoeist in People v. Boomer (Mich.
App. 2002). The law was repealed in 2015. No, insulting a police officer is not always considered a combative word. You can use swear words in a discussion with a police officer without being guilty of using „fighting words.” This area of law remains unclear and cases are factually linked. Nevertheless, many violations of freedom of expression occur under the guise of accusations of misconduct. It is important that people keep a clear mind in conflicts with the police. This also includes not acting in a threatening manner when interacting with the police. Free speech cases can be surprisingly complicated. It is a specialty of criminal defense. Some attorneys specialize in First Amendment criminal defense cases. Often, other criminal charges, such as assault or assault against a peace officer, are laid when it really comes to freedom of expression.
In this era of divisive politics and protests, the right to freedom of expression seems more important than ever. Laws governing the curse of police officers or the use of profane language when addressing an officer vary greatly from state to state. In some cases, cities or counties may issue local ordinances governing the use of profanity to target police officers. Ohio courts have applied the state`s messy code of conduct laws in handling cases involving police insults. Nearly 30 years later, the Supreme Court ruled that a person could not be convicted under a local rest law if they wore a jacket that read „Fuck the Draft” in a California courthouse. In Cohen v. In California (1971), Justice John Marshall Harlan II argued: „Although the special four-letter word treated here may be more insipid than most others of its kind, it is nevertheless often true that one man`s vulgarity is another`s poetry.” Harlan warned that „governments may soon use censorship of certain words as a convenient cover to ban the expression of unpopular opinions.” Cohen defends the principle that profane words in themselves cannot be prohibited under the First Amendment. In short, cursing a police officer can lead to a charge of misconduct. However, the use of swear words to describe the situation or an object is unlikely to reach the level of disordered behavior. On the other hand, when „fighting words” are used, speech is not protected.
Words of struggle are words that tend to incite immediate violence or the breach of the peace. In a way, this standard seems subjective. In the seminal case of Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942), the statements „You are a fucking blackmailer” and „a damned fascist” were considered fighting words and were not protected. Insulting a police officer is a crime if the blasphemy used falls within the realm of „fighting words”. A recent case heard by the Ohio Court of Appeals concerns the definition of „fighting words” for disorderly arrest. The elimination of a police officer is considered rude, but it is protected speech. Reprimands and swearing against the police were considered protected speech. In this case, the accused, Richard Gonzales, reprimanded the police. The police then continued to search him. They found a weapon.
He was arrested for misconduct and possession of weapons. The conviction was quashed. While the constitutionality of these laws can be challenged, few states make it illegal to curse minors. In Georgia, for example, swearing in the presence of someone under the age of 14 is considered disorderly behavior, while Michigan recently repealed an outdated law that made it illegal to curse a minor. Statements that incite violence in another or in a crowd are not protected. These are considered „fighting words” and are not protected as such. The penalty for such a „crime” upon conviction is imprisonment for up to 90 days and a fine of up to $300. In 2016, the 4th U.S. The Court of Appeals upheld a law in South Carolina that prohibited profanity near a church or school. In Johnson v. Quattlebaum, the Court of Appeal concluded that the law was neither too broad nor too vague because it only prohibited unprotected words of combat and applied only to statements that were within earshot. „Police should focus on protecting public safety, not enforcing manners,” Marieke Tuthill, legal associate of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in the group`s press release.
„It may not be polite to insult anyone, but it`s certainly not a crime.” North Carolina has a law in its book that prohibits swearing on public roads. The Act states: „If a person loudly and impetuously uses indecent or profane language on a public highway or highway and when hearing two or more persons, he is guilty of a Class 3 offence.” You should also note that First Amendment protections do not extend to private organizations. Private companies have the freedom to set their own standards for what is acceptable on their premises. Imagine going to a sporting event and watching a player from your favorite team do something that really annoys you, like drop a ball. There is probably no longer an absurd waste of police time. Nor are obscenity, statements related to criminal activity, threats, fraud or commercial advertising. Cursing the police per se does not fall into the category of unprotected speech. Where you are, what you say and how you say it plays a role in the analysis. Imagine you`re driving in traffic on a public road and another driver cuts you off. Home > Criminal Defense Blog> Can I be arrested for insulting the police? Or imagine walking down a street on the sidewalk and letting an outrageously noisy vehicle pass, disturbing the peace.