Legal Opinion
Downs v. State
Court of Appeals of Maryland
Decided November 30, 1976No. [No. 27, September Term, 1976.]PublishedCited by 32 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtMurphy, C. J.
We granted certiorari to consider whether, in the circumstances of this case, certain vulgar language constituted “fighting” words within the sense contemplated by Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U. S. 568, 62 S. Ct. 766, 86 L. Ed. 1031 (1942), and its progeny, and were therefore outside of the protection of the First Amendment.
Appellant Downs was conversing with three friends while eating an early morning breakfast in a Lexington Park restaurant. In the course of the conversation Downs said in a loud voice, “All the goddamn policemen in this County are no fucking good, they’re just after…
2Cases cited19 opinions
- Chaplinsky v. New HampshireSupreme Court of the United States · 1942
- Cohen v. CaliforniaSupreme Court of the United States · 1971
- Gooding v. WilsonSupreme Court of the United States · 1972
- Lewis v. City of New OrleansSupreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Bachellar v. MarylandSupreme Court of the United States · 1970
14 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by32 opinions
- State v. John W.Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · 1980
- Diehl v. StateCourt of Appeals of Maryland · 1982
- State v. AutheletSupreme Court of Rhode Island · 1978
- State v. AutheletSupreme Court of Rhode Island · 1978
- State v. BaccalaSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2017
27 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.