Racist names meet the First Amendment in Minneapolis

Minneapolis officials are reportedly considering legal action to prevent the Washington Redskins name from being used at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Minnesota Daily reports that the city attorney is investigating whether the city has legal authority to ban the football teams name and logo.

I have my doubts, said Cam Gordon, who represents the University and surrounding areas on the City Council.

He said there might be issues with the ban violating freedom of speech. And at a council committee meeting late last month, the councilman called the issue a minefield.

You think?

Its the most horrific name in sports history, said Clyde Bellecourt, founder of the Minneapolis-based American Indian Movement.

Hes right, of course. It is.

And hate speech can be suppressed without violating the First Amendment if it causes the listener to react violently. But, the Supreme Court has made clear that people still have a right to hateful speech.

That officials in Minnesota are being pressed to challenge that right is not without some irony because Minnesota has had more than its share of assaults on the First Amendment.

A 1992 case before the Supreme Court defined the difference between hateful acts of hateful speech when it overturned the conviction of a teenager for burning a cross on the lawn of an African American St. Paul family.

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Racist names meet the First Amendment in Minneapolis