Governor George Pataki has pardoned Larry Bruce from an obscenity charge nearly four .
decades after the charge, but now he's dead. Pataki was pressured by many people, including biography authors, Bruce's family, and a number of comics and actors. His performances included cursing and political down play. This caused him to be arrested in several cites, including San Francisco. Friends said that Bruce would be greatly pleased if he could see how people are still talking about him so far after his death. He died two years after he was arrested on the charges of his public expression of his opinions and feelings. The only charge that wasn't waved was one in New York where he tried to represent himself. Robert Corn-Revere, a New York First Amendment lawyer who was an lawyer on the matter, he also said that even as a minor crime, it was a very big deal for free expression. The New York Governor called the pardon "a declaration of the New York's commitment to the upholding of the First amendment. Freedom of speech is one of the greatest American liberties, and I hope this pardon serves as a reminder of the precious freedoms we are fighting to preserve as we continue to wage the war on terror.".
This posthumous pardon was the first in New York history. Corn-Revere said that the .
pardon should be seen as a reminder that even the most outrageous and offensive opinions are protected by the US Constitution. Many celebrities have received pardons about expressing their offensive opinions, whether publicly expressed or a sole opinion. During Bruce's final years, he was less popular and he was remembered borrowing large sums of money. He died a lonely man.
First Amendment Rights.
The people defending the First Amendment in this case believe that free speech and free .
expression of opinion. Under the Constitution, people can express their opinions in any way they seem fit. The first amendment is a very good thing to respect, because without freedom of speech and expression, we might not have become the people we are today.
