First Amendment
Filmmaker Sues State for Turning Down ‘I Choose Hell’ Name
A Pennsylvania filmmaker who wanted to call his business “I Choose Hell Productions” has sued the state for refusing to approve the business name.
Filmmaker George Kalman contends the state law used to justify the decision violates First Amendment guarantees of free speech and freedom from the establishment of religion, the Associated Press reports. The law bars names that “constitute blasphemy, profane cursing or swearing or that profane the Lord’s name.”
The suit says Kalman chose the name “because of his personal philosophy, expressed in his films, that it is better to struggle through difficult times in life than to commit suicide.” He is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.
