As the Supreme Court squared off with lawyers on Wednesday morning to debate the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s controversial “too small” phrase, there was no mistaking the Court’s skepticism of the lawyers’ claims.
At issue before the Supreme Court was the lawyers’ argument that President Trump’s use of the phrase “too small” to describe the size of something was an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech.
The lawyers argued that President Trump was effectively censoring their speech by implying that any statement made by them that he did not approve of was too small to be considered valid.
But the Supreme Court appeared unconvinced by the lawyers’ arguments. Chief Justice John Roberts asked pointed questions about the attorneys’ claims, pressing them to explain how the President’s use of the phrase constituted a violation of the First Amendment.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicated that he thought the case was “academically interesting,” but suggested that the lawyers may not have standing to bring their case before the Court.
The attorneys argued that the President’s use of the phrase was not only an attack on their right to free speech, but that it had a chilling effect, preventing them from speaking out against the administration.
Justice Samuel Alito, however, expressed doubts about the lawyers’ claims, noting that the phrase in no way prevented them from continuing to speak out against the President.
It remains unclear how the Court will ultimately decide the case. However, it’s clear that the justices were skeptical of the attorneys’ arguments and that they may not find the phrase “too small” to be an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.
As the Supreme Court squared off with lawyers on Wednesday morning to debate the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s controversial “too small” phrase, there was no mistaking the Court’s skepticism of the lawyers’ claims.
At issue before the Supreme Court was the lawyers’ argument that President Trump’s use of the phrase “too small” to describe the size of something was an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech.
The lawyers argued that President Trump was effectively censoring their speech by implying that any statement made by them that he did not approve of was too small to be considered valid.
But the Supreme Court appeared unconvinced by the lawyers’ arguments. Chief Justice John Roberts asked pointed questions about the attorneys’ claims, pressing them to explain how the President’s use of the phrase constituted a violation of the First Amendment.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicated that he thought the case was “academically interesting,” but suggested that the lawyers may not have standing to bring their case before the Court.
The attorneys argued that the President’s use of the phrase was not only an attack on their right to free speech, but that it had a chilling effect, preventing them from speaking out against the administration.
Justice Samuel Alito, however, expressed doubts about the lawyers’ claims, noting that the phrase in no way prevented them from continuing to speak out against the President.
It remains unclear how the Court will ultimately decide the case. However, it’s clear that the justices were skeptical of the attorneys’ arguments and that they may not find the phrase “too small” to be an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.
