City of Billings v. Nelson

The municipal court found Defendant guilty of disorderly conduct after Defendant and her daughter directed profane ad abusive language toward a thirteen-year-old boy from their vehicle on a public street. The district court affirmed Defendant’s conviction. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding, among other things, that (1) the disorderly conduct statute does not require proof that the peace of more than one person was disturbed; (2) Defendant’s speech constituted “fighting words” and was not constitutionally protected; (3) Defendant’s constitutional rights were not violated by the responding officer’s initial report of his investigation; and (4) the municipal court did not err by considering the victim’s age during sentencing. View "City of Billings v. Nelson" on Justia Law