Washington Red*****: Racial Slur or Freedom of Speech?

The Washington Red***** is the name of an NFL football team.  Established in 1932, the Washington team has been an NFL mainstay for 82 years, winning multiple championships, including three Super Bowls.  The name Red****, however, has been a source of contention with many Native Americans who consider the word a racial slur.  The challenges to the name, documented as early as the 1960's, have recently come to a head in Blackstone v. Pro-Football, Inc., in which a group of Native Americans sued under Section 2(a), 15 USC sect 1052(a), which is a part of the Lanham Act, resulting in the cancellation of 6 of the Red**** registered trademarks.  The Red**** appealed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging that section 2(a) is, among other things, an unconstitutional content-based restriction in violation of the First Amendment.