Where Does Free Speech End?

Often, the people and businesses and media outlets that define the far reaches of free speech in the United States are extreme, unpopular and marginal. The First Amendment, after all, would not really be necessary if it was protecting only popular speech. but is there ever speech that is so disgusting that the First Amendment does not allow it? Well, the First Amendment does not protect violent threats or child pornography. But what about videos glamorizing animal cruelty? Dog fighting and other forms of animal cruelty are illegal, to be sure, but the question that the U.S. Supreme Court is wrestling with this term is whether videos of animal cruelty have First Amendment protection.

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