Thank You Robert J. Stevens

And Stevens, at GREAT cost to himself, wins one for the team!

"But the First Amendment’s free speech guarantee does not extend only to categories of speech that survive an ad hoc balancing of relative social costs and benefits. The Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the Government out-weigh the costs."  In other words, if we the people specifically tied your hands in the US Constitution, you may not ignore the binding.

Of course there is always balancing of rights but this concept of the balancing of "relative social costs and benefits" and done by the government all on its lone whim has no place in our constitutional system and it is great to see the Supremes issue such a strong opinion back by all but one lone justice.  I've barely skimmed the Syllabus and am sure I'll have more to say but I wanted to get a quick THANK YOU out to Robert J. Stevens and the members of the Supremes who joined in the majority decision on this one.  I do hope the Supremes keep up that strict constructionism of the US Constiution.  It comes with a cost but the benefits of FREEDOM far outweigh those costs.

Robert Stevens deserves all the kudos, back slapping, and thanks we can get to him.  We need to all be more like him; willing to fight injustices all the way to the end.

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