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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Grenfell: Uncovered – a searing account of an avoidable tragedyThe Week Recommends Netflix's feature-length documentary brings together an array of witnesses whose grief 'bleeds off the screen'
-
The rise of performative readingIn The Spotlight Why Gen Z may only be pretending to read those clever books
-
Exploring Georgia's southern highlandsThe Week Recommends Visit Javakheti, Georgia's 'lake district', and meet the last-remaining 'spirit wrestlers' in the region
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked callSpeed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side dealThe pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policiesSpeed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final daySpeed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts moreSpeed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custodySpeed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulingsSpeed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
