Judge's ruling protects anti-war shirt

[f the letter]

Source: CNN.com

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred Arizona from using a state law to prosecute an online merchant who sells shirts that list names of thousands of troops killed in Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Neil Wake did not strike down the 2007 law against selling products that use of military casualties' names without families' permission. But he ruled that using the law to prosecute Dan Frazier would violate the Flagstaff man's First Amendment rights because his "Bush Lied -- They Died" shirts are "core political speech."

"It is impossible to separate the political from the commercial aspects of that display," Wake wrote. "For example, the state argues that Frazier can sell his shirts without displaying the soldiers' names. But Frazier's product is his message, and his customers' message."

Arizona's law was enacted with little debate by the Legislature, and Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas have enacted similar laws. A spokeswoman for Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said Goddard's office was reviewing the ruling and did not immediately know whether it would appeal. "I always knew the Constitution was on my side," Frazier said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/20/soldiers.names.ap/inde...

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Not bad.

[brettdale]

1. surly

It a free speech issue. The cant ban tee shirts with peoples names can they.

[Demeter]

2. Amazing on 2 Aspects

First, that any legislature would pass such a ridiculous law.

Second, that any judge in BushCo would recognize the unconstitutionality of that law.

[grannie4peace]

3. do you know where we can find that shirt???

[fla nocount]

4. Get it while it's current

Lot's of background information

http://www.carryabigsticker.com/bush_lied_shirt.htm

[samsingh]

5. good - some stuff is getting back to normal.