The Insane Clown Posse and Juggalos can't sue the government, judge rules

The Insane Clown Posse and Juggalos can&#039;t sue the government, judge rules

(Image credit: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Striking a blow to devotees of the Dark Carnival, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit claiming the federal government had harmed Insane Clown Posse and their fans by branding "Juggalos" a gang. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland agreed with the government's contention that the rap duo could not prove they'd been negatively impacted, and so they lacked standing to sue.

The case arose after the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment described ICP superfans, called Juggalos, as a "violent street gang." Brought by Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J — with some help from the ACLU — the complaint argued that the label violated Juggalos' First Amendment right to freedom of association.

Though losing the suit would have given ICP more time to figure out how magnets work, the clown rappers have vowed to will appeal. "This is not the end," Violent J said in a statement. "We'll keep fighting to clear the Juggalo family name."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.