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."