8/12/2019 Brandenburg v Ohio

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Matias, Marvin A. International Legal Writing

10787437 Atty. John A. Boydmarvinmatias.!h

BRANDENBURG v. OHIO395 U.S. 444 - (1969)

Procedure and Facts

The appellant, a leader of the Ku Klux Klan, was on!"ted of #h"o$s %r"&"nal S'nd"al"s& t. The

appellant la"&ed as a defene that the sa"d statute !"olates h"s onst"tut"onal r"ht "!en *' the f"rst

and fourteenth a&end&ent.1

+The t pun"shes persons who ad!oate or teah the dut', neess"t', or propr"et'$ of

!"olene as a &eans of ao&pl"sh"n "ndustr"al or pol"t"al refor&$ or who pu*l"sh or

"rulate or d"spla' an' *oo or paper onta"n"n suh ad!oa' or who /ust"f'$ the

o&&"ss"on of !"olent ats w"th "ntent to exe&pl"f', spread or ad!oate the propr"et'

of the dotr"nes of r"&"nal s'nd"al"s&$ or who !oluntar"l' asse&*le$ w"th a roup

for&ed to teah or ad!oate the dotr"nes of r"&"nal s'nd"al"s&.$ 0e"ther the

"nd"t&ent nor the tr"al /udes "nstrut"ons to the /ur' "n an' wa' ref"ned the statutes

*ald def"n"t"on of the r"&e 2p449 "n ter&s of &ere ad!oa' not d"st"nu"shed fro&

"n"te&ent to "&&"nent lawless at"on.

Legal Issue

hether the #h"o statute +wh"h, *' "ts own words and as appl"ed, purports to pun"sh &ere ad!oa'

and to for*"d, on pa"n of r"&"nal pun"sh&ent, asse&*l' w"th others &erel' to ad!oate the desr"*ed

t'pe of at"on3, "s unonst"tut"onal.

Holding

7es. 8 !otes for randen*ur, : !ote(s) aa"nst4

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mailto:marvin@matias.phmailto:marvin@matias.ph

8/12/2019 Brandenburg v Ohio

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Matias, Marvin A. International Legal Writing

10787437 Atty. John A. Boydmarvinmatias.!h

Reasons for decision

The Supre&e %ourt ruled, +the pr"n"ple that the onst"tut"onal uarantees of free speeh and free

press do not per&"t a State to for*"d or prosr"*e ad!oa' of the use of fore or of law !"olat"on

exept where suh ad!oa' "s d"reted to "n"t"n or produ"n "&&"nent lawless at"on and "s l"el'

to "n"te or produe suh at"on.5

;ust"e "rst, the threats to wh"h "t was

appl"ed were often loud *ut pun'. Seond, the test was so per!erted as to &ae tr"al of those teahers

of ?arx"s& all out pol"t"al tr"als, wh"h had the effet of erod"n su*stant"al parts of the >"rst

&end&ent of the %onst"tut"on.@

;ust"e la also onurred w"th the op"n"on of ;ust"e "rst &end&ent.8

Significance of the decision

The rul"n re!ersed a pre!"ous Supre&e %ourt de"s"on sett"n a new preedent for the Alear and

present danerA standard "n >"rst &end&ent ases. The %ourt now held that a persons words were

proteted as free speeh as lon as the' d"d not d"retl' "n"te unlawful at"on.9

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