Prof. David Decosimo Opinion Article Published in Boston Globe
The following is an excerpt from Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics David Decosimo’s opinion article “Why it’s wrong to protest at a judge’s home,” published on May 14, 2022 in the Boston Globe. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Boston University School of Theology, its employees, faculty, or students.
Coming to an official’s house targets them as a person rather than as a professional fulfilling a role — a boundary we should care deeply about.
Many things that are legal are deeply wrong. Some things rightly protected in our constitutional order can also threaten it. We all know this. Marching around with blazing torches while chanting racist slogans is protected by the First Amendment. It is also morally repugnant.
The same goes for protesting at the homes of Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito and at the homes of elected officials such as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Charlie Baker. Whether such protests are always protected by the First Amendment is debatable. Regardless, they are democratically destructive and ethically wrong. This is so even apart from their strategic foolishness and the way they fuel a potentially violent tit-for-tat cycle.