Digitus Impudicus: The Middle Finger and the Law

The AP reports that an "Oregon man has settled a federal lawsuit over what he says was his First Amendment right to express himself by giving the finger to sheriff's deputies. The Oregonian reports Robert Ekas settled the suit for $4,000.

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Mr. Ekas settled cheap, as this blog entry indicates a similar case netted another man a $10,000 settlement.  In these hard economic times that's almost enough  to prompt someone to go around flipping off cops until you find one mean enough to beat the crap out of you.  Like this:

This kind of case is known as Contempt of Cop and there is a Wikipedia entry on it:  

Not surprisingly, there is also a Law Review Article on the subject:

Ira P. Robbins* Digitus Impudicus: The Middle Finger and the Law University of California, Davis [Vol. 41:1403