Massachusetts town's no-swearing rule legally suspect, attorney general says
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Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is recommending that the town of Middleborough change or repeal a bylaw that prohibits public profanity.
The town approved a proposal this summer that would allow police to enforce the 1968 ban by imposing a $20 fine on people who engage in loud swearing in public.
The proposal came in response to concerns by local merchants about profanity-laden language used by teenagers and other young people in the downtown area and public parks.
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But Coakley said Tuesday the original bylaw appears to violate First Amendment free speech guarantees, and she called on Middleborough to take it off the books or amend it.