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United States free speechoverbreadthunprotected categories

United States v. Stevens

559 U. S. 460 (2010)
JurisdictionUnited States
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
Year2010
StatusBinding authority

Key Principle

Depictions of animal cruelty are not a categorically unprotected class of speech, and courts may not create new categories of unprotected expression through an ad hoc balancing of the speech's value against its societal costs; a statute criminalizing such depictions that is substantially overbroad is facially invalid under the First Amendment.

Area of Law

General

Related Cases

Klein v. Martin 607 U. S. 213 (2026)
Ellingburg v. United States 607 U.S. ___ (2026)
Inc. v. Palmquist 607 U.S. 421 (2026)

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