Court protects speech encouraging illegal immigration

The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals blocked a law forbidding speech abetting undocumented citizens in entering or living in the U.S., ruling that the law violated free speech rights. The court found the law overbroad and potentially stifling speech that should be protected such as encouraging the undocumented to take shelter during a disaster or telling someone that they are unlikely to suffer consequences should they overstay a tourist visa. (Jurist, February 12, 2022, by Sarah Kimball Stephenson)

The court found that some of the law addressed criminal conduct such as procuring fake document or identification for the undocumented but allowed that beyond that the law lacked precision in failing to make a clear distinction between protected and unprotected speech. (Law & Crime, February 11, 2022, by Elura Nanos)

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