Constitutional Law
Feb. 17, 2021
The ‘fighting words’ exception and Section 230 reform
The U.S. has seen a number of violent acts perpetrated by criminals who were influenced by popular culture — Mark David Chapman (“Catcher in the Rye”), John Hinckley (“Taxi Driver”) — and the publishers of those works were sued in neither case. Why? The First Amendment protects movies and books, even those depicting violence.
Anita Taff-Rice
Founder
iCommLaw
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On a cold December evening in 1980, Mark David Chapman laid in wait at the Dakota for John Lennon to return home. Chapmen shot Lennon in the back four times and then remained at the scene silently reading "The Catcher in the Rye" until he was arrested. Chapman reportedly identified deeply with the book's alienated teenager, Holden Caulfield, who rages against adult hypocrisy and phonies. Chapman reportedly was motivated to commit the murder because h...
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