Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire
| Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| Argued February 5, 1942 Decided March 9, 1942 | |
| Full case name | Chaplinsky v. State of New Hampshire |
| Citations | 315 U.S. 568 (more) 62 S. Ct. 766; 86 L. Ed. 1031; 1942 U.S. LEXIS 851 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | State v. Chaplinsky, 91 N.H. 310, 18 A.2d 754 (1941); probable jurisdiction noted, 62 S. Ct. 89 (1941). |
| Holding | |
| A criminal conviction for causing a breach of the peace through the use of "fighting words" does not violate the Free Speech guarantee of the First Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Murphy, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Constitution amend. I; NH P. L., c. 378, § 2 (1941) | |
Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court articulated the fighting words doctrine, a limitation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech.