They have been used to fetter vehement and unpopular political speech.

Judge Gershon cited a long line of legal precedents that forbid public officials to use their control of government funds to punish unpopular or offensive speech.

A Federal judge called that delay "unconscionable," and suggested that the city's only motive was to squelch unpopular speech.

"The First Amendment protects unpopular speech," he said.

The First Amendment is to protect unpopular speech simply because popular speech doesn't need to be protected.

Defending unpopular free speech as a constitutional right, he said, "They did not die for a piece of cloth, however sacred," but for "all that our flag represents."

The Bisbee deportations were later used as an argument in favor of stronger laws against unpopular speech.

"Our First Amendment assures us that unpopular speech has a right to a forum," she said.

Particularly upset last week were the city's more conservative editorial writers, who accused Columbia of not doing enough to protect speech unpopular on the politically liberal campus.

Once the jury saw through that flabby defense it had little choice but to find that the government-run university engaged in unconstitutional retaliation against unpopular speech.