State courts find teen-agers’ ‘fighting words’ unprotected
donal brown
March 11, 2010
Teen-agers are finding that courts are unsympathetic to their use of “fighting words”, viewing the language as disorderly conduct and affirming lower court decisions in finding the teen-agers delinquent. -db First Amendment Center Commentary March 11, 2010 By David L. Hudson Jr. Recent court decisions in Arizona and North Dakota demonstrate that kids can face criminal charges and convictions when they utter “fighting words.” Appellate courts in both states affirmed juvenile court findings of delinquency