Massachusetts residents have a reputation for an abrasive style that has earned them the nickname "Massholes" among their neighbors. They can be abrasive when traveling, they can be abrasive with one another and, courtesy of a free speech-affirming decision issued this week by the state's Supreme Judicial Court, they're legally protected when being abrasive in all their Masshole glory with government officials. It's a win for the value of speech rights, even when politicians don't like how they're exercised.
"Although civility, of course, is to be encouraged, it cannot be required regarding the content of what may be said in a public comment session of a governmental meeting without violating [articles 16 and 19] of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, which provide for a robust protection of public criticism of governmental action and officials," the Supreme Judicial Court ruled March 7 in Barron v. Kolenda.
