It happened in Pittsburgh.

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | March 27, 2009

Posted by Cliff Tuttle

Who says that Pittsburgh is not on the cutting edge of First Amendment litigation? This is the place where the issue of whether pole dancing constituted free speech was raised in our US District Court, as reported in PLBT. Then there was the prosecution of web-site literature about child molestation as pornography in our US District Court, also reported in PLBT. Now, the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has broken new ground over the vital First Amendment right to express ideas through hand gestures.

I suppose that I ought to read the decision before exercising my right of free speech to criticize it. But reading takes work and writing about decisions takes thought. Better to just flip off the judge. But don’t do it in court. It may not be disorderly conduct, but I guarantee you, in any courtroom in the world, it is contempt.

CLT

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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