If you’ve ever thought about flipping off a cop, you now can without any consequences. The federal court has ruled that giving police the finger is completely legal.

In 2013, a federal appeals court ruling stated that a police officer could not pull over a driver just because they flipped them off. A 14-page document reads that the “ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity.”

The controversy began in 2006 when John Swartz was arrested for flipping off a police officer. The officer was using some sort of radar in St. Johnsville, New York at the time.

Swartz was charged with disorderly conduct, which is an easy way for an officer to arrest somebody if they’ve technically not committed a crime. Is is the most common

Swartz and his wife sued the two officers. In July of 2011, the federal judge in New York’s Northern District ruled in favor of the officers. But now, the Court of Appeals have erased the decision.

The cops weren’t happy and tried defending their case, announcing that they did have probable cause to arrest the man. Their reasoning behind it was that the driver giving him the finger was a way to get the officer’s attention.

The court listened and declared the excuse as ludicrous. According to them, the “nearly universal recognition that this gesture is an insult deprives such an interpretation of reasonableness.”

In the end, the Federal Court said that it’s legal and not insulting to give a police officer the finger.

Cops haven’t had a great reputation lately since the cases in Ferguson, New York, and Cleveland that received international attention, leading to major protests across the country. This court’s new ruling could create more conflicts, depending on how civilians respond to their new legal right.

Would you flip off a cop?

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