In light of the Slants’ victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal government has dropped its fight against the Washington Redskins for their allegedly derogatory name.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to a federal appeals court on Wednesday, writing, “[T]he Court should reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the case with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Pro-Football.”
According to NBC Washington, the case involving the Redskins was placed on hold while the Supreme Court decided the Slants' case. The Slants are a band comprised of Asian-Americans whose name was considered by some to be derogatory against Asians.
In a 8-0 decision earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled the law prohibiting trademarks from being granted to “disparaging” names was a violation on the First Amendment.
In 2014, the trademark for the Redskins was canceled as the name was found to be “disparaging” to Native Americans.
ESPN reports that upon hearing the decision in the Slants case, Redskins owner Dan Synder said he was “thrilled.”
Read more at:
http://www.mrctv.org/blog/federal-government-drops-case-against-redskins-over-name
