Robert (Bob) Bianchi appeared on Fox News on 5/29/17 to discuss the attempts by the Portland mayor to stop a “Trump Rally.”  He did so citing that “hate speech” is likely to cause violence.  Bianchi discusses with host Jenna Lee the dangerous abridgment of our 1st Amendment rights by such an action.

Since the inception of our Constitution, the courts have ruled that while some speech may be vial, hateful, and morally wrong, to limit it is to begin a slippery slope where all sorts of other speech is subject to government control.  While there are some limits on speech (like those “inciting immediate violence”), most content based speech is protected.

The remedy to protect those from violence at a rally is not to stop it, but to make sure there are proper law enforcement and security protocols in place.  Bianchi as the head County Prosecutor for years, explains that he confronted scenarios where opposing groups were confronting one another and how the answer to this problem was not to chill free speech, but to ensure those attending were protected.

What are your thoughts, we would like to know?

Bianchi and his partner, Dave Bruno, and former prosecutors and NJ Certified Criminal Trial Attorneys who practice criminal defense, domestic violence, and in municipal courts throughout New Jersey.