Several protesters were arrested and charged with inciting a riot; the protesters say they were merely exercising their First Amendment freedom of speech rights to criticize the verdict? Who will win, the government or the protesters?

At the end of a racially-tense criminal case where a white man was charged with raping an African-American teenager, several people gathered on the street corner outside and began to chant, "No justice, no peace." When the verdict of acquittal was announced to the public, the chant changed to "Let's burn this courthouse down!"
What will be an ideal response?


ANSWER: Answers may vary: The difference between a peaceable assembly, an unlawful assembly and a riot is whether or not incendiary speech incites lawless, violent and destructive behavior. By their speech, the protestors may have possessed the intent to cause damage, but since they took no actions toward achieving their unlawful goal, actus reus is missing and their angry chants may be protected speech.

Criminal Justice

You might also like to view...

In the ____________________ system of indigent defense, a block grant is given to a lawyer or law firm to handle indigent defense cases.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Criminal Justice

Which of the following was identified as a tool of attack in the conceptual framework of defining cyberterrorism?

a. economical operation b. psychological operation c. sociological operation d. political operation

Criminal Justice

The United States has how many U.S. District Courts?

A. 59 B. 78 C. 94 D. 111

Criminal Justice

The venire is the name for a group of prospective jurors

a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Criminal Justice