Cohen v. California
Paul Cohen, a 19-year-old was against the Vietnam War and expressed his opinion about it by wearing a jacket saying “Fuck the Draft, Stop the War” outside a Los Angeles Courthouse.
Paul Cohen was accused of violating part of California Penal Code 415, which prohibits, “maliciously and willfully disturbing the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person …by …offensive conduct.” The Court also stated that he had violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment and held that “offensive conduct” which means “behavior which has a tendency to provoke others to acts of violence or to in turn disturb the peace,” and affirmed the conviction.
The Court said that even though the words on his jacket were provocative, it was not directed towards anyone. There was no evidence that the words on his jacket would provoke anyone into some kind of physical action. Paul Cohen was later found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
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