The High Court: Is Lying Protected Speech? Military-Medal Case On Track For Supreme Court -- Washington PostWhy do we lie? Let Alex Kozinski, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, count the ways.
“We lie to protect our privacy (‘No, I don’t live around here’); to avoid hurt feelings (‘Friday is my study night’); to make others feel better (‘Gee, you’ve gotten skinny’); to avoid recriminations (‘I only lost $10 at poker’),” Kozinski wrote recently in a case about an inveterate liar named Xavier Alvarez who, just to drive home the point, is also known as Javier Alvarez.
Kozinski listed 28 other reasons we avoid the truth, including to “avoid a nudnick” and to “defeat an objective (‘I’m allergic to latex’),” and ending sweetly with “to maintain innocence (‘There are eight tiny reindeer on the rooftop’).”
Kozinski’s entertaining treatise was in service to his point about the Constitution.
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More News On The 9th Circuit Court Ruling That The 'Stolen Valor Act' Is Unconstitutional
Federal court: Stolen Valor Act unconstitutional -- Mercury News/AP
9th Circuit rules that fibs can be protected speech -- L.A. Times
9th Circuit strikes down law that punished Pomona man who lied about Congressional Medal of Honor -- L.A. Times
Federal appeals court strikes down Stolen Valor Act -- Sacremento Bee
My Comment: This ruling is from the 9th Circuit .... why am I not surprise. I expect this to go to the Supreme Court, where the law will be upheld.
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