From the LA Times comes the ruling on a fascinating free-speech case:
“Saints may always tell the truth, but for mortals living means lying.”
Those were the words of Chief Judge Alex Kozinski in Monday’s decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that the Stolen Valor Act is an unconstitutional restraint on free speech and a threat to every citizen who fibs to embellish his or her image, avoid embarrassment or perpetuate a child’s belief in Santa Claus.
The court struck down both the 2005 act of Congress and the fines and sentence meted out to a Pomona man convicted on criminal charges for falsely claiming to have been awarded the congressional Medal of Honor.
The Stolen Valor Act made it a crime punishable by up to a year in jail to falsely claim to have received high military decorations, as Xavier Alvarez did at a public meeting of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in 2007.
This case may head to the Supreme Court.
