You've Got to Fight

For Your Right to Flip the Bird

An Oregon man made headlines recently for a lawsuit he filed against local police in the suburbs of Portland. He claims officers have repeatedly pulled him over, not for his driving, but because he keeps giving them the middle finger.

Law Professor Ira Robbins says American courts generally protect the right to flip the bird: “The pursuit of criminal sanctions for use of the middle finger infringes on First Amendment rights, violates fundamental principles of criminal justice, wastes valuable judicial resources, and defies good sense.”

But while you'll win on principle, he doesn't advise flipping off cops.

Audio: WNYC's On The Media Host: Brooke Gladstone.