Parody Is a Critical Instrument in Public Debate

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The Supreme Court sided with Hustler magazine. Their opinion made it clear that Hustler's parody was in fact, protected speech. Professor Little says law treats parody like a quote, favored child. And what you see is a pattern that if a particular type of humor can be fit into the concept of a parody then it's much more likely that whoever made the parody joke will be insulated from legal liability.

In 2016, a man named Anthony Novak created a parody Facebook page of his local police department. "I just thought, 'That would be funny.'" About a month later, he was arrested. Novak is now petitioning the Supreme Court, and The Onion submitted an amicus brief in support of his case. Their brief is written as a parody of an amicus brief.

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