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Free Speech

The Enduring Fight Over 'Fighting Words'

More than eight decades ago, the Supreme Court invented a vague First Amendment exception that would-be censors continue to invoke.

Jacob Sullum | Coming: From the April 2026 issue


An illustration of old-timey boxing guys | Illustration: Joanna Andreasson; Source images: iStock
(Illustration: Joanna Andreasson; Source images: iStock)

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Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason. He is the author, most recently, of Beyond Control: Drug Prohibition, Gun Regulation, and the Search for Sensible Alternatives (Prometheus Books).

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