In ‘FUCT’ fashion brand case, justices avoid saying word

WASHINGTON — They managed not to say it.

The Supreme Court’s nine justices discussed a trademark case Monday involving a Los Angeles-based fashion brand spelled F-U-C-T. But the justices got through about an hour of arguments without saying the brand’s name.

The case has to do with a portion of federal law that says officials should not register trademarks that are “scandalous” or “immoral.” Officials have refused to register the brand’s name as a result.

A lawyer for the brand argued that portion of law should be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on speech.

Some of the justices had creative ways of not saying the name. Chief Justice John Roberts described it as the “vulgar word at the heart of the case.” Justice Stephen Breyer called it “the word at issue.”

The Associated Press