Cheek v. J. B. G. Properties, Inc.

The moral disdain one feels for the quick tempered who abuse another with vile or abusive language has not always been equated by the courts with potential civil liability. When Christ said “whoever says to his brother ‘Raca,’ shall be liable to the Sanhedrin and whoever says, ‘Thou fool!’, shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna,” 1 His opinion was not expressed vis a vis First Amendment rights as interpreted by the Supreme Court. While the danger of hell-fire is not lessened by each opinion that Court hands down, the dangers of retribution in this life certainly are. The courts historically…