Free-speech advocates blast LA council after ban on these controversial words

The Los Angeles City Council is barreling toward a First Amendment showdown after trying to police what Americans can — and can’t — say during public meetings.The city is facing the threat of a lawsuit from two of the nation’s leading free speech groups over a controversial rule that bars members of the public from using two offensive slurs while addressing the City Council.The organizations argue the city has crossed a constitutional line by banning specific words outright, setting up a high-stakes legal fight over whether elected officials can decide which speech is off-limits in a public forum.The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the First Amendment Coalition have given city leaders 30 days to repeal Council Rule 7 and make an “unconditional commitment” to stop enforcing it.If not, the groups say they’ll file suit on behalf of Los Angeles resident Stacey Segarra-Bohlinger, who they say has already been punished twice under the policy.“The Constitution forbids the government from banning words,” FIRE said in a statement Thursday, arguing that however offensive the language may be, it remains protected by the First Amendment.The rule, approved unanimously in a 14-0 vote on July 30, 2025, bars members of the public from using the so-called “N-word,” the “C-word” or “any variation” of either term during public comment before the City Council or its committees.The ban goes beyond the words themselves.It also outlaws plural forms and versions created by adding suffixes such as “-ish,” “-y,” “-ly” and “-ing.”Anyone who violates the rule can be thrown out of the remainder of the meeting and barred from attending any other council meetings held later that day.Repeat offenders can be banned from future meetings for up to six business days, according to FIRE.Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced the measure in March 2025, arguing repeated use of the slurs had inflamed tensions, nearly sp...