The Stolen Valor Act
First Amendment Protection of False Speech
Although the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that certain types of speech, such as obscenity, children pornography, and incitement to illegal action, do not merit full protection. Another area that the Court has ruled can be subject to government regulation is false statements of fact. For instance, the Court has held that libelous speech that maliciously defames an individual, fraudulent speech, perjury, and speech that invades the privacy of private citizens or misrepresents them, can be the subject of State and Federal criminal punishment. This term, the Court…
