Ep. 33 The Slants win at the U.S. Supreme Court!

Simon Tam likes to quote Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous line —
paraphrased from transcendentalist Theodore Parker’s earlier
statement — that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it
bends toward justice.” That said, Tam likes to add that the arc
doesn’t bend on its own. It takes courageous individuals willing
to stand up for their rights for justice to be achieved.


Tam can now add himself to the list of those who bore the cost of
standing up for their rights — and found justice. Yesterday, the
Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled in Matal v.
Tam that the First Amendment prohibits the United States Patent
and Trademark Office from denying trademark registration for the
name of Tam’s rock band, The Slants, because it allegedly
“disparages” Asians.


The PTO didn’t care that Tam, the founder of and bass player for
The Slants, is himself of Asian descent — as are all the band
members — or that Tam picked the name to celebrate Asian
heritage, not disparage it.


On today’s special “extra” episode of So to Speak, we speak with
University of Washington School of Law scholar Ronald Collins and
FIRE Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow Zachary Greenberg
about the decision. We also feature an April interview we
conducted with The Slants about the case at FIRE’s Philadelphia
office. To close out the show, The Slants perform two acoustic
songs for your listening pleasure.


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Video: https://youtu.be/iqr6l-mEGCA


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